Molding beeswax into holiday ornaments is a centuries old tradition that began in Germany. Beeswax was well appreciated in medieval Europe; clean burning, sweet smelling beeswax candles were highly valued in churches and monasteries. Using their Springerle and gingerbread molds, bakers created the first molded beeswax ornaments. These hanging decorations were left in their natural state; dyed; or painted, often with meticulous detail.
Supplies:
Beeswax
Cutting Board Oil (We prefer Howard’s Cutting Board Oil)
Cookie mold (This process was developed using House on the Hill resin molds. I did NOT test it with wooden molds)
Pastry Brush
Old Double boiler
Old Cookie Sheet
Ladle with a Pouring Rim
Candle wick, ribbon, jute twine, or metal loops
Old palette knife or butter knife
Optional: Candle dye or colored wax bits (if you want to color the wax)
Optional: Acrylic paints and brushes
Notes and Safety
Beeswax is flammable. Use a double boiler for gentle melting. Never melt directly over a burner. Avoid using glass or plastic as hot beeswax can shatter or damage such materials.
Beeswax melts at 140 F. Keep it between 140 – 150 F when working with it. At 170 F, it loses its wonderful honey smell. At around 300 F it can combust, so never leave it unattended on the stove. Never throw water on burning beeswax. Keep a lid available to cover the flames in case of an emergency.
Beeswax can stick to anything that isn’t oiled. It’s easiest to use pans and utensils that going forward you will reserve for working with wax; that way you don’t have to worry about removing it. A thrift store is a great place to purchase an inexpensive pan for this purpose. Disposable wooden chop sticks are perfect for stirring hot wax.
Process
Most cookie molds will require building a dam higher than the edge of the mold to contain the wax. Stack three folded layers of aluminum foil. Fit them tightly around the edge of the mold, and secure with rubber bands. For irregularly shaped molds such as hearts, tape the foil in place. Instead of foil, you can also use silicon bands for this purpose (available on Amazon). Get them as tight as possible to avoid leaking wax out the sides. If your mold has a removable (unscrewable) hook, remove it to make this step much easier. You can screw the hook back on when you're done.
Using a pastry brush, lightly oil the cookie mold, making sure to get all the grooves. Check for pools of oil in deep carvings to make sure it’s distributed.
Set the mold on an old cookie sheet (which will contain any spilled wax). Check the level of the mold. If needed, shim the sheet to level it.
In an old double boiler, gently heat the wax until just melted. If you choose to color your wax, add your candle dye or colored wax bits per the manufacturer instructions.
With a lipped ladle, pour the wax into the cookie molds. If possible, use one continuous motion to fill the mold and dam to the desired thickness. This avoids “layers” in the final product.
Once the wax in the mold sets but is still a bit warm, carefully remove the casting while it’s still slightly flexible. If any wax leaked out onto the cookie sheet, you can simply peel it off when cooled and remelt it.
While the casting is still slightly soft, if desired, carefully insert a metal loop or half a paper clip into the top of the mold to use as a hanging hook. Alternately, cut a ribbon, jute twine, or candle wick to desired length. Briefly heat a pallet knife or butter knife in boiling water (use an oven mitt). Turn the wax ornament face down and press the hot knife into the place where you want to attach the ribbon to melt the surface of the wax. Do not press so deep that you affect the molded side of the ornament. Quickly position the ribbon, then press them into the back of the ornament with the hot knife.
Once completely cooled, you may choose to paint your ornaments. If so, use acrylic paints available at any art store.