Capybara candle mold

A capybara candle 110 mm long and 75 mm tall: the loaf-shaped body, the big blunt head with its little ears and sleepy eyes on the sides, front paws tucked under, and an orange balanced on its head, the way capybaras sit in Japanese hot springs.

The mold is exactly what our two-part candle mold generator builds for it: two rigid halves with rubber-band grooves, pry pockets and a pour funnel on top. The seam runs from nose to tail, so each half is one side of the capybara, and we sculpted it so every part of each side pulls straight out. The tool's own seam check finds nothing stuck, and you need no silicone.

The internet's calmest animal makes a good gift candle and a better desk candle. Pour it in a warm brown, then paint the orange with a little orange mica once it is out. The zip carries both halves, the capybara master as its own STL, the tool's own print-settings sheet and a recipe file for the generator.

Shown as a 3D render of the printed mold halves pulled apart around the candle they cast, not a photo.

What you need

• About 154 g of pillar wax: the cavity holds 171 ml
• A tabbed, primed wick for a 50 mm candle, about 80 mm long
• Rubber bands or clamps, and a clip or wick bar across the funnel

How to cast it

1. Print both halves as exported. Clamp-strength settings: 4 walls, 40% gyroid infill, no supports.
2. Drop a tabbed wick into one half so the tab sits on the cavity floor, close the halves and band them along the whole seam.
3. Clip the wick centred across the pour funnel and pour at 65 to 75 C.
4. Once the first pour is firm but still warm, top up the funnel. Wax shrinks, and the second pour fills the dip.
5. Cool fully, open the halves at the pry pockets and trim the wick. Brush orange mica onto the orange for the full look.