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Making an electric cut-out flameless candle with a silicone mold
By admin | November 6, 2007
In this article I will show you how to make an electric flameless candle that has a shape recessed into the front using a silicone mold.
Supplies needed for Electric cut-out flameless candles.
- Fire extinguisher
- An Accurate Digital gram scale
- Wooden skewers
- Microwave that is not used for food or a hairdryer.
- Silicone Mold for the base and for the insert
- Wax ( There are many waxes available in candle making. For this example we have chosen a pre-blended paraffin wax. This wax has a high melt temp and it is very easy to use. It also has a wonderful scent throw without using any Additives.
The wax is manufactured by The International Group. The product name is IGI 4625. ) - Candle Scent
- Candle Dye
- Thermometer
- Double Boiler
- Electrical Socket . We have chosen a clip in socket for this application.
These sockets can be found at : Lamp Specialties and Craft Wholesalers - Silicone Tipped Bulb ( We have chosen a silicone tipped 6-watt bulb for this application. This gives the bulb the realistic flame look and is not hot enough to melt the wax. )
- ·Wax Paper
- Modeling Clay ( This is optional )
- Gloves
- Small plastic cups
- Eye protection (You don’t want hot wax, dye or scent in your eyes)
Step 1. Getting our supplies together
First let’s measure our wax. The wax we are using in this example is IGI 4625. See our section on waxes for more information. It comes in ten-pound slabs. We simply break the slab into small pieces with a hammer. For this example we need to separate wax measurements. We need 4 ounces of wax for the clear plug and 1 pound for the candle.
See our section on how to figure out how much wax you will need for your candle.
Step 2. Melting our wax for the clear insert
The wax we have chosen for this example has a melt temp of 140-150 degrees.
It has a suggested pour temp of 185 degrees . Melt the 4 ounces of wax that we pre-measured in step 1.
When it has reached a temperature of 185 pour it into the silicone insert mold and let it cool. We want this to cool completely before we use it or we will not achieve the desired results.
Step 3. Melting our wax for the candle base
Most candle wax comes in large slabs. It is simple enough to break with a small hammer.
The wax we have chosen for this example has a melt temp of 140-150 degrees .
It has a suggested pour temp of 185 degrees . It is important that we do not pour our wax at a temp that is too high, this will burn off our candle scent before the wax hardens and we could end up with an unscented candle and it could cause the surface of the candle to become deformed.
Turn the burner on and bring the water in your double boiler to a slow boil. Add your wax to the top pan. Do not put the wax in the boiling water. The mold we have chosen will use about 1 pound 5 ounces of wax that we have pre- measured. I always like to have a little extra wax just in case.
Important Tip!
The wax will turn from a solid white to a clear liquid. Wax expands as it is heated so make sure that your top pan or pour pan has plenty of room to allow for the wax to expand
Once the wax has achieved a nice temp of 185-190 degrees , we bring the heat down on the double boiler.
Step 4. Pre-heating our silicone Mold
We must preheat our silicone mold. Silicone molds at room temperature are like an insulator. They will make the wax cool to quick, which can cause surface deformity. ( pits or bubbles on the surface of the candle )
We can preheat our mold 2 ways.
We can use an old microwave that is not used for food. Why? Most silicone molds are not approved by the FDA for food use.
Check with your mold supplier to see if the silicone molds that they supply are FDA approved!
We put the mold in the microwave for 1 minute.
(This can vary and might require some testing on your part. All Microwaves heat differently.)
We just want the inside surface of the mold to be warm to the touch.
The other way to preheat our mold involves a hair dryer. Just simply aim the hair dryer inside the mold until the inside surface of the mold is warm to the touch. Now our wax is ready and our mold is ready. It is time to add our dye.
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