Candle Mold

Abstract

A candle mold comprising a flat base having a transparent cylinder extending upwardly therefrom. The transparent cylinder is adapted to receive a previously molded inner candle core therein which has a smaller diameter than the cylinder. The flat base has a central opening formed therein to permit the wick of the inner candle core to be extended downwardly therethrough. The flat base also has means thereon for securing the wick thereto. A wick holder bar is detachably secured to and extends across the upper end of the cylinder. The bar has a central opening formed therein which receives the upper end of the wick of the inner candle core. The bar also has means thereon for permitting the wick to be secured thereto.

Description

Candles are commonly formed by molding the same in opaque metal cylindrical molds or the like. The opaque metal molds are satisfactory if the candles are being formed of a single color since there is no need to see through the mold during the molding operation.

A recent popular candle molding method has been to place plastic flowers or the like in candle wax while it is molten so that a highly decorative finished candle product is provided with the plastic flowers being visible at the sides of the candle. This technique has been extremely popular with candle making hobbyists since the resultant candle has petals and pistils protruding from the otherwise generally cylindrical shape of the candle. The technique for causing the protrusion of the petals and pistils is accomplished by embedding the plastic flowers in the molten wax and then placing the candle, after it has hardened, in a hot water bath to melt away sufficent quantities of wax on the outer surface thereof to result in the exposure of the outer portions of the plastic flowers that are positioned near the surface of the candle.

The finished candle lacked some of the desired decorative characteristics since the flowers were positioned rather much at random because it is impossible for the candle maker to know the precise arrangement of the flowers as the flowers are being embedded in the wax. The embedding of the flowers in the wax became a hit and miss proposition since the flowers were being positioned more by feel than by visual observation.

Just as flower arrangement is important to the beauty of a bouquet on a table, it is also important to the beauty of the arrangement of flowers on a candle such as that previously described. Heretofore, it has been practically impossible to accurately determine the arrangement of the flowers in the finished product since the candle maker must prod and poke the flowers downwardly into the candle wax, working "in the dark" so to speak, because the molds have always been opaque thereby blocking the vision of the operator.

Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a candle mold including a transparent portion to enable the candle maker to visually observe the interior thereof during the candle making operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a candle mold including means thereon for securing the upper and lower wicks of the previously molded inner candle core.

A further object of this invention is to provide a candle mold which permits the candle maker to properly position plastic flowers or the like around a previously molded inner candle core.

A further object of this invention is to provide a candle mold which permits the candle to be easily removed therefrom after the candle has hardened.

A further object of this invention is to provide a candle mold which permits a highly decorative candle to be produced.

A further object of this invention is to provide a candle mold which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the candle mold of this invention:

FIG. 2 is a side view of the candle mold of this invention having a previously molded inner candle core positioned therein:

FIG. 3 is a top view of the candle mold of FIG. 2:

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the wick holder bar employed with the mold of this invention:

FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 2 except that the hollow mold member is tapered:

FIG. 6 is a top view similar to FIG. 3 except that a hexagonal hollow member is employed; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a finished candle produced with the mold of this invention.

The candle mold of this invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral 10 generally comprising a flat base 12 having a hollow member 14 secured thereto and extending upwardly therefrom. Base 12 is provided with downwardly extending legs 16 secured thereto to permit the base 12 to be vertically spaced from the supporting surface. Base 12 has a central opening 18 formed therein and a V-shaped notch 20 formed therein at one corner thereof as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

In the preferred embodiment, the hollow member 14 is cylindrical in shape and is comprised of a transparent material such as acrylic or the like. Preferably, the base 12 is also constructed of the same transparent acrylic material. Preferably, member 14 is formed of extruded acrylic but it may be cast if necessary. In any event, it is highly desirable to avoid a seam in the member 14.

The numeral 22 refers to a wick holder bar having a central opening 24 extending therethrough. A pair of notches 26 and 28 are formed in the bottom surface of the bar 22 outwardly of the opening 24. Likewise, a pair of notches 30 and 32 are also formed in the bottom of the bar 22 outwardly of the notches 26 and 28. In one form of the invention, the notches 26 and 28 would be spaced approximately 1 3/4 inches apart while the notches 30 and 32 would be spaced approximately 3 inches apart. It is preferred that the notches or slots 26, 28, 30 and 32 be approximately one-sixteenth inch deep and three-sixteenths inch wide. It is also preferred that the wick holder bar 22 be approximately 4 inches long, three-sixteenths inch thick and five-sixteenths inch wide. A V-shaped notch 34 is provided at one end of the bar 22 for a purpose to be explained in more detail hereinafter.

The decorative candle 36 seen in FIG. 7 is formed in the following manner. Assuming that the inner candle core 38 has been previously molded, the inner candle core 38 would be placed in the hollow member 14 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The lower wick portion 40 is threaded through the opening 18 and is pulled outwardly therefrom and upwardly through the notch 20 to secure the lower wick portion 40 to the base 12. The attachment of the lower wick portion 40 to the base 12 causes the lower end of the inner candle core 38 to be properly centrally positioned with respect to the hollow member 14. A piece of tape 42 or the like is then placed over the lower end of the opening 18 and the wick extending therethrough to prevent molten wax from escaping downwardly therethrough.

The upper wick portion 44 of the inner candle core 38 is then threaded through the central opening 24 of the wick holder bar 22. The bar 22 is then detachably secured to the upper end of the hollow member 14 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 with the notches 30 and 32 receiving the upper ends of the hollow member 14. The upper wick portion 44 is then pulled outwardly and downwardly through the notch 34 in the bar 22 to secure the upper wick portion 44 to the bar 22 which causes the upper end of the inner candle core 38 to be properly centrally positioned with respect to the hollow member 14 and to maintain the upper wick portion 44 under the proper tension.

The plastic flowers and leaves are then severed from their stems and are placed, facing outwardly, in the space between the inner candle core 38 and the inner wall surface of the hollow member 14 which is generally designated by the reference numeral 46. The wax for the outer shell is then heated to 190.degree.. The candle mold 10 is then tilted towards the candle maker and the melted wax is slowly poured inwardly into the hollow member 14 along one side thereof. The flowers and leaves become embedded in the wax as the wax is poured thereinto. In approximately 15 minutes, when a crust has formed on the upper portion of the wax, it is recommended that a dowel stick or the like be forced downwardly into the partially hardened wax parallel to the wick in several places. This operation penetrates the cavities which are formed by the shrinking wax as it cools. Additional heated wax is then poured into the mold to fill the cavities created by the shrinkage of the melting wax.

The candle is then allowed to cool completely. The wick 44 is then released from the notch 34 of the bar 22 and the bar 22 removed from the hollow member 14. The lower wick portion 40 is then released from the notch 20 and the tape 42 removed. The finished product is ordinarily easily removed from the mold. If the candle does not slip from the mold, it is recommended that the mold be turned upside down and the open end of the mold be tapped on a hard surface to release the candle from the mold. If necessary, the mold may be placed in a refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.

After the candle has been removed from the mold, the candle should be rolled in heated water placed in a large roasting pan. It is recommended that the heated water be approximately 170.degree.. The candle is rolled in the heated water for a short time to melt off surface wax thereby exposing parts of the flowers and leaves in raised relief. The top wick portion 44 is grasped to lift the candle out of the water. The candle is then placed on wax paper or foil. The lower wick portion 40 is then severed and the base of the candle is trimmed with a knife if necessary so that it will stand straight. It is recommended that approximately 1 inch of exposed wick be left at the top of the candle. If the candle is lighted, only the inner candle core 38 burns and glows through the wax embedded flowers in the outer core which remains intact.

A preferred dimension of the hollow member 14 is approximately 12 inches high having a 3 inch interior diamter. The inner candle core 38 may be formed with a candle mold indentical to mold 10, the only difference being that the hollow member would have an interior diameter of approximately 1 3/4 inches. The wick holder bar 22 may be employed on the mold for making the inner candle core since the notches 26 and 28 are spaced apart approximately 1 3/4 inches.

A modified form of the mold is illustrated in FIG. 5 and is generally referred to by the reference numeral 10'. The only difference in mold 10' and mold 10 is that the hollow member 14' is tapered somewhat to facilitate the removal of the candle from the mold after the wax has hardened.

A further modified form of the mold is illustrated in FIG. 6 and is referred to by the reference numeral 10". The only difference in mold 10" and mold 10 is that the hollow member 14" has a hexagonal configuration rather than a cylindrical configuration. Thus, it can be seen that the hollow member can have any desired configuration.

It can be seen from the foregoing that a highly decorative candle may be molded wherein plastic flowers or the like are embedded in a layer of wax outwardly of a previously molded inner core. The transparency of the mold permits the plastic flowers or the like to be precisely arranged in the desired position. As previously stated, the previous opaque candle molds resulted in a finished candle having a haphazard flower arrangement since the candle maker could not visually determine the position of the flowers. The candle mold of this invention permits the candle maker to visually determine the position of the flowers and results in a finished candle having an improved decorative appearance. Thus it can be seen that the mold of this invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

Claims

We claim:

1. A candle mold comprising,

a flat base member,

a hollow member extending upwardly from said base member and having and open upper end, said hollow member adapted to centrally receive a candle therein which has a diameter less than said hollow member, said candle having upper and lower wick portions extending therefrom,

an elongated bar detachably secured to and extending across the upper end of said hollow member, said bar having an opening formed in the center thereof to permit the upper wick portion of said candle in said hollow member to be extended upwardly therethrough, said bar having means thereon for securing the upper wick portion of said candle thereto to maintain said candle in said central position with respect to said hollow member,

said bar having a width substantially less than said hollow member to permit molten wax to be poured into the upper end of said hollow member to fill the area between said candle and said hollow member.

2. The mold of claim 1 wherein said bar has a pair of spaced apart notches formed therein which detachably receive the upper end of said hollow member to facilitate the positioning of the bar with respect to the hollow member so that the upper wick portion of said candle will be centered with respect to said hollow member.

3. The mold of claim 2 wherein said base member has a central opening formed therein for receiving the lower wick portion of said candle, said base member having means thereon to permit the lower wick portion of said candle to be secured thereto.

4. The mold of claim 1 wherein said hollow member is comprised of a transparent material to permit the visual inspection of the placement of decorative material in the molten wax between said candle and said hollow member.

5. The mold of claim 1 wherein said hollow member is inwardly tapered from its upper end to its lower end.

6. The mold of claim 1 wherein said hollow member has a hexagonal configuration.

7. The mold of claim 1 wherein said hollow member has a cylindrical configuration.

8. The mold of claim 1 wherein said means on said bar for securing the upper wick portion thereto comprises a V-shaped notch at one end thereof which is adapted to detachably receive the upper wick portion of said candle.