Wintergreen Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Question: How many of you chandlers are using silicone candle molds? If you don't, why have you chosen not to?Being *totally* new to the candle thing, I am just wondering about silicone molds. They changed my life as a soapmaker... I'm curious about their use in the candlemaking world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 They take a bit of getting used to. I always have to pour a bit hotter, to avoid getting that frosty/rustic look. They seem to cool a lot slower, too, the silicone holds heat in.Some shapes there's just no other way. But they aren't always the easiest thing to work with. Like anything lse, though, it gets easier the more you do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsaycb Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I've never like the finish that I get from them. I don't find the details come out as well as a hand crafted candle. I can grubby the oustide of a pillar much easier than struggling to get one out of the mold. PLUS, each pillar is unique then because it didn't come from the same mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlascandles Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I do mostly food candles and tarts, and for MY use, silicone can't be beat to capture the identical detail of a food item, especially when the actual food is used to make the mold itself. Guess it would all depend on what kind of candles you are making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Takes some getting used to, but I like them the detail. I just don't use them very much or at all. Had some ideas for them and just never got around to putting those ideas into wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzeyez Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I absolutely love them!!! I also love the detail of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintergreen Posted December 28, 2005 Author Share Posted December 28, 2005 What got me curious was reading through posts about tricks for unmolding candles and problems with sticking. My soap SLIDES right out of my silicone mold liners, so I wondered about the ease of removing candles from silicone molds.They seem expensive, though. I wondered if that was a hinderance. $30 -something bucks for a large pillar mold? At least my soap molds make a bunch of bars at once. If you were in production mode for candle making, you'd need a lot of these molds, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 What got me curious was reading through posts about tricks for unmolding candles and problems with sticking. My soap SLIDES right out of my silicone mold liners, so I wondered about the ease of removing candles from silicone molds.They seem expensive, though. I wondered if that was a hinderance. $30 -something bucks for a large pillar mold? At least my soap molds make a bunch of bars at once. If you were in production mode for candle making, you'd need a lot of these molds, right?I don't think you'll have any candles *sliding* out of a silicon mold. You generally have to peel them out like peeling an orange or a banana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henryk Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I use silicone for BW pillar candles - they do fall right out. The tapers I do in silicone have to be pulled out a bit because of the way they are made at the top and bottom. Don't have any finish problems with BW, but have not used them for any other waxes.There are different silicones though - the ones I use for electrics are much more pliable - those you do "peel off".Depending on the type of silicone used, they can "hold" on to dye for a another pour or two, so if you were doing a lot of candles you would probably want to invest in one for each standard hue (blues, reds, greens, etc.). What I have found is that the more pliable the silicone the less it holds the color, however the harder the silicone the more durable it appears to be (I've only based this on the few silicone molds I have so you know). If I were using silicone for plain sided candles I would choose the harder silicone, but obviously for detailed work, I would probably choose the more pliable type (if I could).HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimscandles Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I probably have at least 50 silicone molds. I love them and they are so easy to use. Urethane molds work just as well and are a bit cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintergreen Posted December 29, 2005 Author Share Posted December 29, 2005 Is there a supplier you favor for the silicone smooth-sided pillar molds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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