Socrates as a bust candle 95 mm tall: the broad brow, the snub nose and the full curly beard of the classic Roman portrait type, on a square block base that makes it stand square and burn steadily. A philosopher on the bookshelf, or a gift for anyone who argues for fun.
The master is a 3D scan of the plaster cast of a portrait of Socrates in the Royal Cast Collection of SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark, published by SMK as public domain. The mold is made with the hugging-shell mode of our silicone mold maker, the mode the site's own mold advisor recommends: the beard alone would lock a rigid mold, and silicone peels out of every curl of it.
Cast it as a candle, or as a plaster, Jesmonite or concrete bust for a desk or a bookend: the same silicone mold takes all of them.
Print the base with the bust fused onto it and the two shell halves, pour about 405 ml of silicone, and cast in the flexible mold that comes out. The zip carries every printed part, the bust 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.
What you need
- About 440 ml of silicone (mix it in one batch)
- About 82 g of pillar wax per candle: each cast is 91 ml
- Steel binder clips, tape or a hot glue gun
- A primed wick about 130 mm long
How to cast it
- Print the base, which has the master already fused onto it, and the two shell halves. No supports.
- 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.
- Tape the outside seams or run a bead of hot glue along them, because silicone finds every gap.
- Mix 440 ml of silicone in one batch, pour it into the open top in a thin stream, and fill level with the rim.
- Once it has cured, unclip the shell, lift it off and peel the silicone off the master. That silicone is your mold.
- Set the silicone back in the shell to keep its shape, and cast into it through the opening the base left.
| Cast material | Candle wax |
|---|---|
| Total print time | 15 h 58 min |
| Printed parts | 3 |
| Size (W x D x H) | 94 x 84 x 110 mm |
| Filament | ~202 g |
| Layer height | 0.2 mm |
| Infill | 15% |
| Supports | Not needed |
| Printer | Sliced with PrusaSlicer 2.7.2: 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layers, 3 walls, 15% infill, MK3-class speeds. These parts only hold liquid silicone while it cures, so PLA is fine. No supports. |
| Download | ZIP: 3 printed parts (STL) + candle master (STL) + print sheet + recipe |
| Added | 2026-09-24 |
Pro early access until October 24, 2026, then free with any account.
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.
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.
New to casting? Read the silicone mold maker guide.
