◆ Candle wax

Moon candle mold

A 76 mm Moon candle with the real craters, built from NASA elevation data. Silicone mold kit.

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3D render of the cratered Moon master fused on its printed charcoal base, between the orange and blue hugging shell halves
Candle wax ~232 g

A Moon candle 76 mm across, with the real surface of the Moon on it: the dark, smooth seas of the near side, the cratered highlands around them and the big basin rims, all where they are on the Moon itself. It stands on a small flat foot at the south pole, with the near side facing forward and the wick coming out of the north pole.

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The master is built from NASA's elevation map of the Moon, measured by the laser altimeter on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and published by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. The real relief is far too shallow to see at candle size, so it is exaggerated until the craters read in wax.

The mold is made with the hugging-shell mode of our silicone mold maker: print the base with the Moon fused onto it and the two shell halves, pour about 381 ml of silicone, and cast in the flexible mold that comes out. Silicone picks up every crater, and it peels off a ball where a rigid mold would lock on the relief at the seam.

The zip carries every printed part, the Moon 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 parts pulled apart around the master, not a photo.

Moon candle mold at a glance: every printed part with its size, print time, filament, print settings and the three steps to use it
How this mold works

What you need

4
  • About 415 ml of silicone (mix it in one batch)
  • About 221 g of pillar wax per candle: each cast is 245 ml
  • Steel binder clips, tape or a hot glue gun
  • A primed wick about 100 mm long, sized for a 75 mm candle

How to cast it

6

  1. Print the base, which has the master already fused onto it, and the two shell halves. No supports.

  2. Stand the shell halves on the base around the master and hold the seams shut with steel binder clips. The seats for them are built into the shell.

  3. Tape the outside seams or run a bead of hot glue along them, because silicone finds every gap.

  4. Mix 415 ml of silicone in one batch, pour it into the open top in a thin stream, and fill level with the rim.

  5. Once it has cured, unclip the shell and slide each half off SIDEWAYS, not upward: the master is wider above its foot, so the base rib is left open for that. Then peel the silicone off the master. That silicone is your mold.

  6. Set the silicone back in the shell to keep its shape, and cast into it through the opening the base left.

Print details

7 h 20 minPrint time
~232 gFilament
3Printed parts
114 × 124 × 86 mmSize (W x D x H)
All print details
Print details
Cast materialCandle wax
Printed parts3
Size (W x D x H)114 x 124 x 86 mm
Print bed needed124 x 112 mm, 87 mm tall
Filament~232 g
Layer height0.2 mm
Infill15%
SupportsNot needed
DownloadZIP: 3 printed parts (STL) + candle master (STL) + print sheet + recipe
Added2026-09-24
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Made with the free Silicone mold maker generator. Upload your own model and get the same kind of mold built around it, in your browser.

Download free on Thingiverse

Free download. Opens the Thingiverse listing in a new tab.

Free for personal use. Selling the pieces you cast needs a commercial licence (Pro or Founder); passing on the file itself is not permitted on any plan. Full terms.

New to casting? Read the silicone mold maker guide.

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Questions about this design

Are the craters on the Moon candle real?

Yes. The surface comes from NASA's elevation map of the Moon, measured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The heights are exaggerated so they show at 76 mm, and the smallest craters are smoothed away, but every crater and sea you see is where it is on the Moon.

How do I make the Moon candle look like the real Moon?

Cast it in an off-white or pale grey wax. Once it is cool, brush a little grey or silver mica powder over it and wipe the high points with a soft cloth: the powder stays in the craters and the seas turn darker, like the Moon at night.

Which wick does a 76 mm Moon candle need?

A wick rated for a 75 mm pillar, threaded through the silicone at the north pole before you pour. A ball melts in from the top, so start with the smaller wick in the range and step up only if the pool does not reach about 10 mm from the edge.

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