Waxes vary in hardness according to their melt point, the temperature at which the wax begins to turn from a solid to a liquid. Soft paraffin wax has a low melt point due to its high oil content. It's very pliable and perfect for hand molding small bowls or decorative wax creations such as hearts, eggs and leaves. To really shine up the surface of these little treasures, hold them over heat (like a gas flame on the stove) and smooth the warmed surface with your fingers (be careful!). Medium paraffin wax has a low oil content and a higher melt point resulting in an end product that is a bit more durable. The lower oil content will also allow the bowl to release from the mold more easily.
Wonderful Wax Bowl
These directions tell how to make a wax bowl with a textured surface and mottled coloring. The wonderful color variations are created by letting the melted wax partially harden into a thick slush before being poured into the mold. To make a more translucent bowl with uniform color and a glassy surface, heat the wax to at least 190-degrees and pour it directly into the mold. Our makeshift molds are nothing more than two similar-shaped bowls in graduated sizes; use two plastic bowls or a glass outer bowl and a plastic inner bowl. Use old flea-market pots for this project so that you don't ruin any of your good cookware.
Materials:
four pounds of wax for a 12-inch diameter bowl
double boiler or coffee can and large pot
spoon
color-block candle dye
paring knife
spouted cup for scooping and pouring wax
small glass bowl for testing color of melted wax
two bowls to use as a mold--one 12" x 5" and the other 10" x 4"
permanent marker
rocks, popcorn or pebbles to weight the inside bowl
vegetable oil
large pan (roasting pan is ideal) for stirring cooling wax
paper towels
skillet or griddle
Steps:
1. Melt wax in a double boiler. This should take about a half-hour if the water in the bottom of the double boiler is very hot. Keep the water at a simmer during the melting time or bring it to a boil a couple of times then turn it off. Safety Tip: Never leave melting wax unattended. Always turn off the burner when leaving the room. If children are present, supervise closely. Paraffin wax has a flash point of about 395 degrees, at which it will explode flaming wax in all directions. Don't melt wax about 200 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the wax.
2. When the wax is melted, stir a few shavings of the color block into the wax and stir. Don't overdo--one small color block is enough to color 15 pounds of wax a deep shade. A 12-inch diameter bowl this size is about four pounds of wax. To judge the color of the wax in while still in the melting container, dribble a sample amount of the melted and colored wax into a small glass dish and allow it to cool. Remember the finished bowl will be darker than the sample.
3. Remove the melting container from the double boiler and set aside to cool. As the wax hardens around the edges and on the top, stir it into the wax that is still liquid. If the wax is hardening quickly, stir it every couple of minutes.
4. While the wax is cooling, prepare the mold. Make an improvised mold using two bowls of graduated size. The wax will be poured into the larger bowl, then the smaller bowl will be centered inside the larger, and pushed down into the wax so the wax rises up to surround the sides of the smaller bowl. To determine the wax line for the larger bowl, pour about an inch of water in the larger bowl, center the smaller bowl inside and float it on the water, then fill the area around the smaller bowl with water. Remove the smaller bowl and mark the water line on the inside of the larger bowl.
5. Dry the bowls and smoothly coat the inside of the larger bowl and the outside of the smaller bowl with vegetable oil.
6. When the cooling wax is the consistency of thick slush, with harder pieces of wax mixed with the liquid wax, pour it into the larger bowl to the marked pour line. Center the smaller bowl in the wax and press down until the wax rises around it to form the sides of the wax bowl. Pour popcorn or pebbles into the smaller bowl to hold it in place.
7. Let the bowl cool and harden. For a large bowl, cooling takes eight to 10 hours. A small bowl takes about an hour, a medium-sized bowl takes four to five hours. Patience is especially necessary with bigger bowls. Make sure they're completely cool before trying to remove the mold. When completely cool, the wax will shrink away from the mold. If the mold does not release easily from the wax, chill the whole thing for a few minutes then try again.
8. After the wax bowl is removed from the mold, the top edge of the bowl can be evened by placing it upside-down on a warmed skillet or griddle. If the bowl is too large for your skillet, warm a cookie sheet and use that for flattening the top. Set aside to cool.
Note: For a bowl with a finer finish and even coloring, the wax must be melted to at least 190 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature. When the wax is hot enough, pour it directly into the larger bowl up to the marked pour line. Fill the inner bowl with weight, as above, and carefully center it in the hot wax. More weight is necessary for holding the inner bowl in place in the liquid wax. Let cool and finish as you would the textured bowl.
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