Jar candles have become so popular in recent years that many candle makers have forgotten the power of pillars. Pillar candles can add a real touch of beauty to any home decor, as they can offer extremely vibrant colors. Due to the fact that there is no glass blocking, the true color of the candle can be seen with the naked eye. Aluminum molds are best to create these freestanding candles and are a great investment because aluminum does not rust, so you can enjoy your molds for many years and reduce your expenses!

Selecting your mold can be fun. Candlewic offers many shapes and sizes, depending on the pillar that would best complement your existing line of candles. There are round molds, octagon molds, square molds, plus many other unique shapes in our designer series of polycarbonate molds.

There are two wicking techniques that are most commonly employed when using aluminum molds. You can use the traditional method or the pillar pin method. Both techniques work well depending on the volume of candles produced or the amount of labor available.

The traditional method involves the mold, raw wicking on a spool, a wick bar and a rubber plug. This method is best for lower volume production or in the instance when you want to leave a little length of wick on the candle to attach a bead or a tag. You simply thread the wick through the mold and place a rubber plug into the small hole to hold the wick in place. Place a wick bar across the large opening of the mold, wrap the wick around the bar and pour the wax. After the wax has cooled, the finished product will have the wick nicely centered down the middle of the candle.

The pillar pin method involves a round mold, a pillar pin and a pre-wick assembly. This method is better suited for the small to large production run. Basically, you are making a candle with no wick and inserting a wick after it cools. There are two ways to use the pin. You can either stick the disc part of the pin down into the mold or stick the pin up through the mold from the outside bottom. Pour the wax and let it cool. When you are done, you will have a candle with a hole through the center core and no wick. Take a wick assembly, insert it up through the hole and you are done. The wick will be perfectly centered. The pillar pins are only suited for the round aluminum molds.

When using aluminum molds, here are a few tips and techniques that will help you no matter what your method:

1. Take good care of your molds. Do not use them for any other use, such as a penholder or thermometer holder, because you may scratch the inside, which will be apparent on the finished candle.
2. By heating or cooling the mold you can achieve different aesthetic qualities to the finished mold. Cold molds give a primitive appearance, while warm molds may give a good gloss.
3. Keep molds level, unless a desired layered appearance is trying to be obtained. By resting the mold on various angles, some neat stripes can be achieved.
4. Take careful note on the pour temperatures. By adjusting the temperature you can control the shrinkage. Pouring too hot produces more shrinkage and may involve more topping off, while pouring too cool may not give you enough shrinkage, therefore making it difficult to remove the mold.

In most instances when you walk into a candle shop of any type, the predominate candle appears to be the jar candles.  There are so many different types of jars on the market and so many different fragrances available that the consumer can truly find what they like.

It seems the forgotten candle is always the pillar candle. This does not have to be the case when all things are considered. There can be many choices when making pillars - there are more choices and styles than you may think.

The most common type of pillars on the market are your traditional round molds usually made with aluminum molds. This type of mold is easy to use and, when used properly, will last for many years in your production. They run from a 2" diameter up to around 6" diameter. The most popular sizes in the round aluminum molds are 3" x 3", 3" x 4-1/2" and 4" x 4-1/2". These molds can be used with any scent load you desire and can be poured as hot as you would like.

Like container candles the temperature you pour pillars can influence the finish of the candle. Pouring pillar candle very hot (200F to 205F) into aluminum molds can make a very nice shiny finish when using most blends. Others may like a more rustic approach and can pour the candles at a very low temperature of something like 150F. Aluminum molds also come in other shapes like square and octagon and with the square molds have a nice round corner to help with release from the mold.  

To make candles outside the ordinary, you have to look at the polycarbonate molds which Candlewic commonly calls "Designer Molds". This style of mold comes in a huge selection of styles and sizes ranging from a somewhat common round ball mold to the opening bud polycarbonate mold.

The design potential when using these molds is endless. There are so many styles and unique shapes that you can really make some fantastic types of candles. Throw in some of the pattern waxes or layered candles and you can really make your line stand out from your competitors. When making pillar candles the focus is more on the color and shape than the fragrance.

One of the current trends is making tarts and/or floaters in unique shapes and patterns. In the past this was most reserved for the standard scallop shape. Now there is a huge selection of shapes and patterns including heart, fish and duck to mention a few. Pour these with no wick and they make a great tart or insert a wick and you have a unique floating candle.

Even with the most basic votive candle, there are few choices to make this candle. The traditional 15 hour votive is the best selling mold and when used with a votive wick pin making votives is very simple. The octagon votive can make for a very unique look too.  

While polyurethane is not as popular as it once was it is still the best material for making tapers. Tapers can be a great addition to your line as well, especially beeswax tapers.

It seems in today's market one segment of the market which can go over looked is the Free standing or "pillar market".  It seems everyone has different containers, tins and glassware and nothing can compliment the line then a nice pillar candle.  Pillars are a logical progression because these types of candles are easy to make, smell great, and are relatively easy to maintain multiple brands using different labels. Every candle maker is faced with the challenge of creating more revenue for various reasons whether it is at the crafting level to fuel their hobby, or a manufacturer that needs to pay next week's payroll.

One way to bring in new customers and increase sales is to offer new and unique candles that are not offered by you competition. This can easily be achieved by learning how to make freestanding or pillar candles using a variety of mold techniques. According to the National Candle Association, candle users say they most frequently burn candles in the living room (42%), followed by the kitchen (18%) and the bedroom (13%). One may assume that aesthetics are important in the living room and creating beautifully unique pillars that burn cleanly could be a great way to increase sales. The following tips and tricks should help you with increasing your freestanding candle offering.

Aluminum Molds

• Aluminum molds are heat resistant, durable, and leave no ugly seams in the finished candle. Finished candles are professional looking and have an extremely smooth finish.
• Pillar Pins are a great way to increase production while maintaining perfectly straight wicks. Once mastered they are a necessity for making pillars efficiently.
• If you are using rubber plugs to seal the wick hole, place molds on two parallel strips of wood or other material that allows you to keep molds level.
• Adjust pouring temperature to achieve different effects. If candles are not de-molding easily, try raising pour temperature a bit.
  

Polyurethane Molds

• Leave an extra few feet of wick coming from the bottom of the mold. This way fresh wick comes up through the wick hole when you remove the finished candle, thus eliminating the need to push wick through the tiny hole for the next candle.
• You can carefully trim the mold down the sides or where needed with a sharp razor blade.
• Rub a very small amount of petrolatum on the seam to help smooth seams. While you are rubbing the petrolatum on the seam, use the opportunity to verify you have the mold correctly lined up.
• Use picture wire or a D-string from a mandolin to help you wick the mold the same way you would thread a needle.
  

Polycarbonate Molds

• Be sure to use the correct wax designed for free standing candles. If you use the wrong wax or incorrect temperature, it can be tricky getting the mold cleaned out.
• Do not pour wax into the mold if it is over 200 degrees or damage to the mold may occur.

In addition to the above types of molds we recently wrote about how easy custom size molds can be created.  Making custom molds can increase your presence even more because those types of shapes/sizes will probably not be made by the larger candle producers.  
One of the key points to stress is that you must continually update and reinvent your own line.