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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 24, 2020 10:33:58 GMT -7
Was able to give my new mold a go. Very enjoyable process! Completed three mold seasons which yielded 24 candles.
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Post by brokennock on Mar 24, 2020 22:15:25 GMT -7
Those are beautiful. Almost a shame to light them. My last beeswax candle is almost half gone, I might try dipping some. Now you have me wanting one of those fancy molds.
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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 25, 2020 6:41:15 GMT -7
Those are beautiful. Almost a shame to light them. My last beeswax candle is almost half gone, I might try dipping some. Now you have me wanting one of those fancy molds. Call Brubaker Metal Crafts. They make the molds for Townsend. I had them make mine in eight rather than six. They are good friends and their shop is literally 10 minutes from me. They utilize all old tooling, nothing modern.
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Post by Black Hand on Mar 26, 2020 18:20:11 GMT -7
Hawk, Feel free to post their contact info here.
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Mar 26, 2020 18:36:30 GMT -7
Was able to give my new mold a go. Very enjoyable process! Completed three mold seasons which yielded 24 candles. I am easily pleased, I love the look of these candles & I like having some of my own. I have a broken candle mould around somewhere, I must look it out & repair it. Great images, love it Keith.
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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 27, 2020 9:30:46 GMT -7
Was able to give my new mold a go. Very enjoyable process! Completed three mold seasons which yielded 24 candles. I am easily pleased, I love the look of these candles & I like having some of my own. I have a broken candle mould around somewhere, I must look it out & repair it. Great images, love it Keith. The simple tasks always are the most amusing and satisfying! Enjoyed your dipped candle topic. Will be giving it a go next week with the kids.
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Post by brokennock on Mar 27, 2020 16:35:03 GMT -7
Hawkeyes. Can you give us a run down of the molding process please? Just melt the wax in a double boiler, arrange wicks in molds, and pour wax in molds? Any release agent in the molds 1st?
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Post by hawkeyes on Apr 1, 2020 8:23:59 GMT -7
Hawkeyes. Can you give us a run down of the molding process please? Just melt the wax in a double boiler, arrange wicks in molds, and pour wax in molds? Any release agent in the molds 1st? You basically have it down. My method, now this is just how I did it, may be an easier process but that's up for discussion. First step is melting the wax, I just melted mine down on the woodstove in an old cast iron pot. Make sure not to actually burn the wax. Second while the wax is melting prep your mold. I used one squirt of cooking oil in each tube, little goes a long way! Now you'll have to open the tube ends according to your wick diameter. If you don't, fishing the wick through is a severe pain even when waxed. I then waxed my wick in beeswax, much like waxing linen thread. This conditions and stiffens the wick. Then, simply fish the wick down or up through the mold. You'll do this for each tube. You could continually run one strand of wick, but I find cutting them in one length per two tubes saves material. Next you need to pin the wicks, I did this simply with two large upholstery needles. I'll likely make two brass bodkins for this to accompany my mold. Once the wicks are taunt and fastened you need to plug the bottom ends of each respective tube. This simply requires nothing more than clay. Once that is finished your mold is complete and ready for pouring. Once the wax is ready, I used a ladle to individually fill each cavity in one pour. Take care NOT to make a mess upon the top of the mold as this makes releasing the candles a cumbersome process. As the beeswax sets you'll notice each cavity shrinks and the wax level will drop slightly, top off each cavity individually with fresh wax until full. Once your mold is full, set aside to cool completely naturally. I let mine set till evening, so approximately eight hours or more. Once they are ready to release, remove the pins, cut the bottom wicks and remove the clay. Press the top of each cavity individually which will make a very satisfying "pop" as the candle releases. Each candle should literally fall right out. Clean up your mold and repeat!
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Post by brokennock on Apr 1, 2020 11:23:50 GMT -7
Thanks for the explanation. So, I assume the wick is folded from tapered end to tapered end for every 2 candles, and, the it is the tapered end that you are putting the clay on. Correct?
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Post by hawkeyes on Apr 2, 2020 3:46:14 GMT -7
Thanks for the explanation. So, I assume the wick is folded from tapered end to tapered end for every 2 candles, and, the it is the tapered end that you are putting the clay on. Correct? Correct. Did you reach out to order a mold?
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Post by brokennock on Apr 2, 2020 22:05:09 GMT -7
Thanks. No, not yet. A few other things have priority. And, my schedule at the hospital is all mixed up, I don't know if I'm coming or going, not always sure what day it is.
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Post by Black Hand on Apr 3, 2020 4:24:29 GMT -7
....not always sure what day it is. Lately, it has been a collection of Mondays, and long ones at that...
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