Christmas Candle Mold (17mm)

thingiverse

I have a beautiful Christmas Pyramid Decoration that requires an uncommon size candle with a 17mm diameter base. I decided to create my own candles using a mold, so I designed a simple two-part symmetrical mold and container for pouring. Print Settings: Printer: FlashForge CreatorPro Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.15mm Infill: 45% Notes: I made these molds using PETG plastic, which doesn't shrink much like PET (unlike ABS). The box was printed with a coarser .25mm and lower infill (as low as your printer can effectively go) to speed up the print. Post-Printing: 1. Print six copies of the mold. Each print is only half a mold, so you need two pieces to form a complete mold. This design is based on making three candles at a time, so print six molds. 2. Print a copy of the "mold holder." The mold holder is a three-chamber box that holds molds upright and keeps them sealed together until the wax cools. The sizing should fit, but I had to use a file to sand down each inside edge to allow the molds to slide freely in and out. 3. Add Wick: Tie a knot in one end of your wick and place it in the bottom groove of the candle mold. Then attach the other part of the mold, making sure the wick gets into the groove. Cut off the string with ~2-3" of extra at the top. Repeat for each candle mold. 4. Place Molds into holder: Put each of three molds into the mold holder and use three pieces of tape to pull the wicks tight and tape them to the edge of the holder. 5. Melt and pour wax: Look up proper procedures for candle making for more information on this step. Wax can be very dangerous, so follow proper precautions and working techniques. Once you have poured the wax, tap the box to get out air pockets. Let sit for ~2 hours to cool. If you want to make multiple sets, put the set in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool it down enough to pull the molds out of the holder. 6. Remove from mold: Once it has cooled sufficiently, untape the wicks and gently and evenly pull the mold apart. One side will typically release first, then use the knot at the bottom to slowly and carefully pull the candle out of the second half of the mold. 7. Cut the wick to size: Cut the knot off the bottom of the candle and cut the top too about 1cm in length (1/2"). Place in a candle holder, light it up, and enjoy! How I Designed This: I designed this using FreeCAD. First, I modelled the candle I wanted, then used boolean operations to subtract it from a cube and split the cube in half. Finally, I added the pins and matching holes to help align the boxes and hold them together by padding and pocketing some symmetrical circles on the exposed face.