Most families with children seem to accumulate a wealth of broken crayons. Instead of throwing them out recycle them into colorful candles to decorate your house and put a lovely aroma in the air. Not only are you finding a use for all those old crayons but you are creating a fun family activity to do together.
Instructions
Turning Old Crayons into New Candles
1. Gather supplies. You will need paraffin wax, a wax boil bag or double boiler, old crayons for color, wick(s), glass jar(s), and a pencil. It takes a pound of paraffin wax to make one pint size jar candle.
2. Remove all the paper wrappings from the old crayons. Make sure they are broken into small pieces and are separated by colors.
3. Melt paraffin wax in a wax boil bag, or use a double boiler to melt the wax. Add scented oil or vanilla extract to the wax while melting to create your desired fragrance. You can create a double boiler by placing a tin can inside a saucepan full of water. You can find paraffin wax at your local grocer or craft store. Wax boil bags are available at craft and hobby stores.
4. Drop the wick into the middle of the jar. Make the wick a few inches longer than the jar. Tie the wick around the middle of a pencil. Lay the pencil across the top of the jar to hold the wick in place in the center of the jar. You can also make a wick by simply coating a piece of thick string with wax. However, these homemade wicks tend to not burn as long as store bought wicks.
5. Pour about a quarter of the wax into your jar. Now put a small handful of broken crayon pieces on top of the hot wax. The hot wax will melt the crayons. Fill the jar another quarter of the way up with the scented paraffin wax. Add another handful of broken crayons. Continue layering the jar in this manner until it is full. You can experiment with layering different colors or just use one consistent palette.
6. Let the candle dry completely. This will take several hours. You may set the glass jar into a tub of ice to help in the cooling process.
7. Untie the pencil from the wick and cut to size. The wick should be between a quarter of an inch long and half an inch long.
8. Enjoy your candle! However, do not burn the candle for at least forty eight hours after pouring to ensure best results.
