You have purchased a silicone mold that strikes your fancy. You are excitedly awaiting the arrival of the new mold. New ideas come to mind and you want to bring them into fruition yesterday.
I go through this waiting period when I design a new mold and cannot wait to work with it. There are times when the design has a lot of detail, maybe thinner in areas and you need a gently hand to work with the wax in the mold to prevent it from cracking and breaking.
We are however unable to demold the gingerbread man successfully. Several of us have tried on repeated pours since their arrival and every time it cracks in several places. At one point we had two people trying. Again, no matter how careful we were, it cracked. I had my husband look at it and he said it’s because the depth of the gingerbread man is not thick enough. And it’s true…there just isn’t enough of the little guy to “grab on”. And, we compared it to the heart and star molds, and the depth of these are pretty thick. But, we tried a couple more times anyway, and again it is breaking. This is causing us to have to do repours on every batch as the customer ordered four jars in each scent…just enough molds for each batch. Now, with the gingerbread man mold not working, we have to do repours. I’m very disappointed, and will stay up as late as possible tonight and work again tomorrow all day to try to reach the delivery deadline for our customer. But, wanted to know what can be done? At this point, because of how late we are in the season, I would doubt our client would be willing to wait for another gingerbread man mold to be made. In the meantime, we’ll check out the other molds on your site. I do like the flexibility of your molds. We do have another supplier, but his molds are “thick and heavy” and the material is “tight” (if that makes sense).
Thanks Dawn
We FINALLY got the gingerbread mold to work for us. I was so determined. We ended up trimming the excess mold away that was preventing it from coming out in one piece. It is still taking two of us to gingerly remove it…but it’s working. I won’t order anymore of those as they are a pain in the butt, but at least we get to send our customer some made up in the gingerbread man. Thanks Dawn
Unfortunately you cannot demold all designs the same because they are different. I test out the molds myself before I put them on my site. I make sure the idea I have in mind for each mold works.
Here are some factors that conflict with the cause variations in the ease of demolding in a candle or soap silicone mold:
- Using soy, paraffin or palm wax and the kind of soap base you use
- Temperature at which you demold
- Steadiness of your hand
- Patience
About Waxes
I used a 70 soy container wax to 30 paraffin container wax blend. This blend produces a soft candle or tart. I design my molds with that blend on the forefront. I feel that if I can demold the mold with this blend then other waxes will come out okay.
I have noted when I use a straight soy wax that the silicone seems to absorb the oils in the wax . When you take the soy wax out, the wax sticks and comes out frosty and discolored. I would still use straight soy with silicone molds, but I would spray the inside lightly with cooking oil. That helps prevent the plain soy wax from sticking.
About Temperature
The temperature at which you demold your wax also plays a huge part. If you are demolding when the wax is not fully cooled then the wax will break. It is difficult to get the wax out in one piece.
Wait for the wax to cool fully. I even put the mold into the fridge for a bit. This helps cool the wax even further. That helps to take the wax out easier.
About The Gentle Hand
As with any delicate object you need to handle it gently. If you are rough and quick with your hands trying to get the wax out it is almost certain to break. Again I am talking about the designs that are finer and need the gentle touch.
Not all of my molds need the gentle touch, but some do. It is the way I chose to design them. Like I have said I have tested each mold using my para-soy blend. There are some molds that I have to work slow, but I wouldn’t change the design because that changes the effect I wanted to make.
Patience
I know.. Who can be patient during the Christmas season. It is so difficult when orders are due, shopping needs done, the last craft show that you need to attend. The smart way to deal with this is to have all the pouring done. Realistically this cannot happen, so what ends up happening is that you aren’t patient with any of the above obstacles.
I am greatful this situation was brought to my attention. I want everyone to enjoy my silicone molds and have the molds be successful for them. If there is any problem with any of my molds please leave a comment or email me. I would love to help you or design a mold just for you. Thank you.
Many Blessings,
P.S. Come join our forum. Also leave a comment if you have any questions or concerns. This better helps me to help you
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