Most candle molds have a hole in the bottom for the wick to pass through. When it comes time to pour the hot wax into the mold, a leak at that hole can lead to potentially dangerous mess. Some form of candle mold sealer is what candle makers use to prevent leaks. While the principle is simple, you need to pay careful attention to a few details to keep the mold from leaking and creating a messy and potentially dangerous situation. Trust me, if you’ve ever had hot wax leak all over your kitchen you never take sealing a candle mold for granted again.
There are three main types of sealers: putty, plugs and magnetic. of the three, candle putty and plugs are used the most.
Candle mold putty is a flexible and a little bit sticky type of putty that can be molded and used to seal hole in the bottom of a candle. As opposed to plugs, a candle maker could also use it to seal the joints in a complex mold that has multiple parts. but most the time is just used to seal the hole in the bottom of the mold.
Because the putty has to stick well to the mold, the mold has to be extremely clean where you place the putty. Even a tiny bit of dirt or oil can cause problems getting a seal.
Even more challenging that dirt is wax. Obviously, it’s not surprising that candle molds often have some waxy residual on both the inside and outside. A thin layer of wax on the bottom of a mold might not be noticeable and the putty will bond to it. However, once you pour hot wax into the mold, that thin layer of wax will melt, break the seal and the mold will leak.
So the main tip? Keep you molds scrupulously clean, at least where you intend to use putty.
The hardest part is really making sure the mold is clean. Using the putty itself is easy. You position the wick in the mold, usually securing it in the bottom with the screw that comes with the mold (BTW – a wick screw can do a fairly good job of sealing the hole, but I wouldn’t count on it alone). With or without a screw, coil a tight spiral of about an inch of wick on the bottom of the mold and apply the putty over it.
Another tip: if you find that the putty discolors the wick and you want to avoid that you can cover the spiral of wick with a small bit of masking tape. This is fine as long as the putty goes beyond the tape onto the mold.
Plug candle mold sealers are most commonly used in higher production operations. Plugs have both advantages and disadvantages in comparison to using putty as a sealer. These details are explained at at Candle Mold Sealers so stop by there to learn more.
To find some quick candle making instructions and also get access to a free candle making mini course be sure to visit Home Candle Making.
Good luck and have fun making candles!