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international trading company added a own line of Springerle molds for making designer cookies and crafts |
international trading company
P.O. Box 424 Welland ON L3B 5R2 Canada Tel. 905-788-3577 Fax 905-788-1851 |
Our own line of Springerle molds
The decision to go ahead.
For many years we offered the beautiful replicas of springerle cookie molds from a well known Swiss supplier.
Because of serious problems with prompt delivery we lost customers.
For that reason we decided to start our own line of molds. We reject to produce and sell pirated copies of our previous selection.
We began with purchasing antique original molds. We also found a small company, called "Dukasi" in Thuringia which is carving new motives for us. We are allowed to copy those originals. They even will sell our products in Europe.
Based on our experience we ask them to create specific molds for us and finally we are able to fulfill specific requests from customers in time. wood carvers to create new motives for us.
Please be aware that we will take legal actions against everybody who copies our molds in order to sell them. However, nothing is wrong to sell cookies or art work which can not be used to make cookies, chocolates, wax impressions etc.
Our replicas will be manufactured in Germany by a company called "TECCEM" which is owned by my son. This means the business stays in the family.
We also decided to use only material which is not poisonous to minimizer health hazards especially during production and also when using our molds. Put please still obey our care instructions.
Selection of motives to be carved.
By selling Springerle molds for many years we learned what our customers wanted. Unfortunately, we could not always respond to their demands. Now we have much more flexibility when selecting motives.
For successful molds we asked our carvers to create an artistic sketch which we discuss with them before placing the order. We are also adding new motives which and hope that our customers will accept them. Our carvers are young and very talented. Most of the molds will be in a more modern design but the old tradition of carving cookie molds stays alive and helps securing jobs. Even Sarah, the little daughter of then carver is helping to create a nice draft of such a motive for us.  |  |
Sweet little Sarah will also be the chief advisor for fairy tale motives which we want to add to our collection.
Naturally, we are also looking for carvers in Canada and the USA who can help us to offer molds preserving North American culture.
Our carvers.
So far we only have one company who carves for us. The name of this company is "Dukasi" and is located in beautiful Thuringia. (Just visit our travel guide to see!)
Springerle were not any longer well known in this part of former East Germany. After an extensive familiarization with this old trade they started to carve the first molds for us and demonstrated this during a Christmas fair in Baden Wurttemberg. They were one of the major attractions when they demonstrated their skills and collected the first corders from other customers.
 Workplace of Dukasi during a show in Germany |
 Dukasi is demonstrating the carving of our molds during this show |
The different steps for carving an exclusive mold:
 Only well seasoned but untreated wood is used. Either linden, pear or cherry wood is traditionally used. For the purpose of making replicas linden wood is being selected. |  The drawing of the motive is transferred to the wood. It is mandatory that the artist considers already in the first sketch all requirements from the carver. |
 After the drawing has been copied on the wood the actual carving begins. Very special carving tools of high quality are used. Occassionally they must be custom made for the delicate work. |  High attention is required to carve letters and numbers mirror inverted and to imagine how the positive of the carved contours will appear later on an impression in dough. |
 After the beekeeper has been carved the artist proceeds with creating the plant which is part of the motive. A single mistake can ruin all the previous work! |  Another special tool is required to carve all the fine details of the bee hive. No mass produced machined mold can compete against this craftsmanship. |
 Even buzzing bees are part of this fine handcrafted mold. |  The delicate border of this mold is another challenge. |
 The border is almost completed and luckily no mistakes occurred. |  A special saw is used to cut the mold to the right size. |
 To remove all marks the mold will be carefully sanded. |  A final check is done by creating an impression of the molds. Minor corrections can still be done. |
 | The mold will be branded with the "Dukasi Logo". This guarantees the quality and authenticity of this handmade mold. Only one wooden mold is produced of each kind. No varnish will be used on the wooden mold. It will be used as it is to create the molds required for the casting process. Only silicone rubber which is approved for contact with food will be used for that purpose and all required measures will be taken to avoid any impurities during the manufacturing process. Each mold is cleaned carefully before using it for casting the replicas. |
 The original wooden mold. |  An impression of the original mold using dough. |
Our handcrafted replicas.
It is time consuming but relatively easy to make replicas of original Springerle molds when you have all the equipment to avoid the serious health hazards when working with the well known resins and when you must not comply to regulations concerning the allowable emissions to the environment.
These are expensive investing and we did not want to take any chances in being ignorant and exposing the staff of my son's company to any avoidable risk.
For that reason we contacted many suppliers of materials which are suitable for making replicas of Springerle cookie molds. We ordered material safety data sheets and compared all essential data. We manufactured samples and did tests. Now we are very close to a final decision and can hopefully start production in March 2007.
Our task is:
• to use silicone rubber for the molds which are used for casting the replicas which is approved for food contact. This allows us to offer certain molds in this material for casting chocolate, candies etc. or Bees wax. All of our standard molds are not suited for this purpose.
• to use material which is certified as non poisonous and consider the few recommendations for work place safety.
• to separate the production area of the Springerle cookie molds from the area where the lubricants are made.
• to use only paints which are approved for contact with food and which is very close to the colour of pear wood.
• to establish a quality control system which reduces scrap and ensures same quality of our products.
• to use picture hangers (D-rings) which will never be pulled out. They also reduce possible damage during shipping.
Because we are still in the process of finalizing all the details we will not show any pictures of painted Springerle cookie molds of our new line at this time.
But please believe us - we are not wasting any time to get ready and to serve our valuable customers. An essential part of our testing is to find out what you should not do with our molds. Our warranty will not include free replacements for damage caused by misuse. Please forward any suggestions of new motives which we should offer. We already have a long list but the carving is time consuming and not cheap. We are also capable of making copies of your wooden mold without causing any damage to it. You only must allow us to include it in our program and you will get 5 free copies as a thank you. If you wish, we will include your name as a donor in our web site. |  |
Please click the link to our Newsletter to learn more about our new molds.
Copyright: copying and selling of pirated molds from our own line will be prosecuted!