Kinds of Moulds

Classifies the mould by its use: Underlined items are in the illustrations. If you cannot find the mould you are looking for in KIND it may be in TYPE. Most mould images are clickable for larger image at your convenience.

Kind = determined by end product
BS = Boiled Sugar
BuM = Butter Mould
BuS = Butter Stamp
C = Chocolate
Ca = Candle
Cak = Cake
Co = Cookies
G = Glass Containers
GB = Ginger Bread
HC = Honeycake
I = Ice Cream
J = Jewelry
Mod =Model
Mar = Marzipan
MS = Maple Sugar
Muf = Muffin
Rc = Rice Cake
S = Springerli
SF = Silk Flower
SP = Sugar Paste
WI = Waffle Iron
Wax = Wax

Underlined items in the text are shown in the illustrations. A centimeter ruler under most illustrations shows the scale. Part dimensions are in millimeters (10mm= 1 cm) The WHT # and maker's initials under the illustrations is a key to the original photograph.

BS = Boiled Sugar moulds are thick walled: composed of Fe or Pe (Sn + Pb) in Europe; Composition , “Spelter” (Sn + Zn) in US. If of Al and is to be used for cooking, not display, be sure it is “food grade” Al. Other grades contain arsenic and other toxic ingredients.
            The mold may be a “relief”or “ double”(qv) mould, of single or multiple cavities. A relief mould has one side molded, the other side is open to pour into. If double the two or more parts parts are usually aligned by a hinge and bosses.
A key slot permits the insertion of a screw driver to pry stuck halves apart. If there is no key slot a sturdy “oyster shucker” is the best alternative.

BuM = Butter Mould.(Stamps see below) . They form soft butter into bricks of a pound or so. They may be formed of one piece of wood or several Usually the hand carved surface of the die is of fine grained, hard, fruit wood.

BuS = Butter Stamp Usually a relief mould carved in fruit wood, sometimes has a handle.

C = Chocolate Moulds are thin walled for faster heat exchange. They are stamped into sheets of tin -plated copper or steel or stainless steel. they are poured from aluminum or plastic; Al, Cu, Plastic,Sn, SS In a double mould the aligning Hinge {“Charnier”}, may have the hole in the end of the round soldered over to prevent the pin from falling out. Jacob Ernst of New York,on some of his large moulds chained the hinge pins to the mould.
            Otherwise moulds may be stabilized by Bosses, or clips on the flange,Ri,Frame, Patte, Special edges, Wire, Frames (See below).
            Makers often put their name or a mark on the outside of a mold. They also put the catalogue number of the shape on the mold.

CA = Candle mould often originally a Chocolate mould, modified by holes at top and bottom for the wick which may require a supporting holder at the top and a channel or a small cavity for an anchor knot of the wick at the bottom.

Cak=Cake Mold The feet for leveling distinguish these moulds from ice cream or other moulds of equal size.

CO = Cookie moulds, American, Iron , Relief. Minimum dimention (thickness) 2 to 4 mm.

G = Shaped Glass candy container for non pareil or other small candies.

GB = Ginger Bread usually cast iron but may be ceremic. Minimum size 0.5 to 4 cm.

HC = Honeycake ,wooden relief mould to decorate cake tops before sugar was readily available for frosting. Replicas have been made in metal, wax, wood, resin, plaster and ceramic.

This sample is a modern resin reproduction

I = Ice Cream . Thick walled, delicately carved inside; Pe, sometimes Cu, usually hinged to align parts, to keep out the freezing brine, sealed w lard or wrapped in wax paper.The mould wall is of uniform thickness for even thawing.
Large ,"Banquet size" (qv) usually have a handle for each part. Finger lugs make opening easier. (sizes discussed in Size section).

Pewter Double "GE" glass entiere ice cream mould (size section)

J = Jewelry, Brass Chinese Relief Mould for Gold jewelry.

Brass Jewelry Mould

Mod = Model , Potential for a mould cavity.

Clown with hoop

Mar= Marzipan {Almond paste, Dried not baked}Many of the other moulds were used for marzipan, but those originally designed for marzipan have a sharp edge to cut the paste. and are hinged.

Hinged Double Marzipan Mould

MS = Maple Sugar Mould is a. Relief mould, usually of soft Wood, or Rubber available since honey was the principle sweetener to the present.

This is part of a 350x770 cm rubber mould of a carnation.

Muf = Muffin pan (mould) cast iron. Minimum 5 to 8 cm.

Rc = Rice cake mould , common in the orient are available here on wood, metals and plastic.

S = Springerli, relief single or plate multiple cavity moulds to decorate the tops of cookies before the days of sugar and frosting. Usually framed: Rectangle, Square, Round ,Elliptical or Cardioid shape. Krauss added a spike to the top center of some copies of his pewter reproductions of springerli moulds to make a hole for a string or ribbon for a pendant.

SF = Silk Flower Mould. Bronze,. For silk flowers for hats.

SP = Sugar Paste (Pastellage), Sugar is moistened to form a paste. This is sculpted or pressed into a carved pear wood moulds like Trigacanth Springerli but more finely carved, allowed to dry as with marzipan, and colored or guilded. This may be strengthened by adding starch or innedible gum paste made by adding finely ground nuggets of the resin of acacia and tragacinth (misspelled as dragnth or currupted as dragon) from the acacia and astralagus bushes. Or even, for larger structures, plaster of paris.
            Sugar paste moulds were used for table or cake decorations, and had a vogue for plates and dishes instead of crude crockery and expensive porcelain. A collection of wooden sugar paste moulds carved by French confectioner Prati between 1780 and 1820 can be found at the Bowes Museum. More of this collection can be viewed on Ivan Day's website here. Also, the images and information about them bellow are courtesy of Ivan Day.

Gilded pastillage trophies made from the mould on the right.	A hardwood confectioner's mould (1780s), carved with motifs to make pastillage trophies.

The gum-paste tester bed with its little sugar cushions and an eiderdown of comfits.	In early boxwood confectioner's mould (ca. 1720.) for making the components of a tester bed (below). There are more motifs on the back. This kind of mould, carved on both sides, was known as a 'card' or 'board'.Click the mould to see both its sides. The bed may have been designed as an ornament for a bride cake.

A dolphin tazza made by Ivan from the mould on the right for the Bowes Museum exhibition Royal Sugar Sculpture. The top tier is ornamented with a group of tiny winged sea horses.	A French pearwood card mould (ca.1780). The card is carved with the components to make a number of objects, including the tazza with its emblematic royal dolphins.

WI= Waffle Iron Cast iron because of the high heat.

Wax= 3-dimensional wax models of injured or diseased parts of the body and photographs and reproductions of religious figures were made by the monastery from the wax accompanying the honey from their hives. Lately used for reproductions of the wooden Springerli moulds. These of course have to be reproduced in some temperature stable medium to be used.

Wax Copy of honeycake mold, title:"Spring"