Molding & Decorating Beeswax
with Rycraft Silicone Molds
Molding beeswax is easy and lots of fun, especially when you can create
beautiful ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree or give as gifts!
This was my first attempt at molding wax with a silicone mold.
I found it to be an easy process and I think you will too.
ENJOY!
Making a Beeswax Casting
Supplies you'll need
1 or more Rycraft silicone molds
1 package of beeswax from the craft store
A double boiler (or a pan with a bowl that fits on top)
A ladle
A plastic container to store the unused wax
Optional: paints
Optional: spray varnish
How to Mold the Beeswax
Gather the molds you want to use, a package of beeswax (from the craft store or online), a double boiler, and a ladle.
This is the 1-pound package of beeswax I purchased at Michael’s Crafts. It was enough to fill 23 molds with a little bit of wax leftover.
Melt the wax in the top of the double boiler. You can use a glass bowl that sits on top of a sauce pan… make sure that the boiling water in the bottom pan does not touch the bottom of the bowl above it. It took about 20 minutes to melt one pound of wax.
Cool the wax a little before beginning to ladle it into the molds, but not enough that it hardens on the sides of the pan. Do not oil the molds. Ladle the hot wax into the dry molds.
Oil will prevent the wax from filling all of the nooks and crannies of the design and cause the design to be less distinct. Rycraft molds are so flexible that there will be no difficulty in removing the wax casting from the mold after it has hardened.
As you ladle the wax into each mold, fill it to the depth that will make the ornaments the thickness you desire.
Cool the wax in the molds. It is a dark golden color when hot, then turns light golden yellow as it cools.
Melt the wax left in your double boiler once again so it can be removed easily from the pan.
Then ladle the extra wax into a container to store for use later on.
While waiting for the ornaments to cool, clean the top of the double boiler. First wipe out excess wax while it is still melted. Then wash in very hot soapy water and scrub with an abrasive such as SOS.
Loosen the wax from the mold by bending the sides of the mold away from the edges of the wax casting, then flip the mold over and drop the wax casting out of the mold onto a piece of parchment. the designs will be face up.
Your wax castings are now ready to be made into decorative ornaments.
Clean the molds of any drops of wax and put into the same container of leftover wax to save for later.
The molds will be relatively clean of wax and should only require washing in hot soapy water before drying and storing them.
Decorating a Wax Casting
Supplies you'll need
1 or more beeswax castings
Toothpicks
Paints in colors of your choice
Paintbrush
Spray varnish (optional)
1/4″ wide satin ribbon
How to Decorate an Ornament
Paint the molds using acrylic paints, or use them as-is, unpainted.
To apply a protective coating after the paint dries, spray the castings with a coat of varnish (from the craft store). This will give them a glossy look. Let them dry thoroughly. You can use a space heater or blow dryer to speed up the drying process.
If you want a hole in your ornament: Use a large needle (I used one I use to sew up my turkey for Thanksgiving), or you can use an ice pick or other sharp instrument to poke a hole.
Place the wax casting on some paper towels to catch the melted wax. Heat the tip of the needle on your stovetop. Then place the hot needle where you want the hole to be and let it melt the wax.
The wax melts through the hole onto the paper towel underneath the casting… and it also accumulates on the needle as well as around the hole on the face of the casting and on the back. Wipe the needle to remove the accumulated wax each time you insert it to enlarge the hole. Keep inserting the needle and moving it in all directions to enlarge the hole. I had to reheat the needle perhaps 5 or 6 times and work it inside the hole to make it the size I wanted, which would fit the 1/4″ width to 3/8″ width ribbon I used for the ornament hanger.
Note: If you do not want to put a hole in your ornaments, you may attach the ribbon hanger onto the back of the casting using a hot glue gun to melt it into the wax (or use hot glue)
Prepare the ribbon for the hanger: I used both 1/4″ ribbon and 3/8″ ribbon. Cut a piece of ribbon about 12″-15″ long. Make diagonal cuts on the ends. Fold the piece in half, then make a loop as shown.
Then draw the ends through the loop to make a knot as shown, leaving enough on the ends to tie a bow.
Pull the knot tight. Notice that one photo shows 2 short ends, and the other shows 2 long ends for tying the bow. It’s up to you how long you want the ends for your bows, so cut your length of ribbon accordingly.
Then take the 2 ends and tie a bow
Insert the ribbon into the hole in the ornament to make a hanger: Fold the loop so that it is flat enough to poke through the hole in the casting.
Pull the loop all the way through the hole, then take hold of the bow and put it through the loop so it comes through the other side.
Then pull the bow up until the loop is tightened around the hole.
If you have trouble pushing the ribbon through the hole, you can use a toothpick to help push it to the other side. In the photos of the pink and the red ribbons, we inserted them from the front of the casting.
In the photos of the blue ribbon, we inserted it from the back of the casting. Notice how the loop looks different depending on which side you put it through from.
Note: If you do not want to put a hole in your ornaments, you may attach the ribbon hanger onto the back of the casting using a hot glue gun to melt it into the wax (or use hot glue).
Unpainted Beeswax Ornaments
Painted & Varnished Beeswax Ornaments