How to Make Candles Out of Crayons

Tap to Read ➤ Mukulika Mukherjee

If you have old crayons lying around the house that your kids need no longer, then you'll be glad to know that you can put them to good use by making candles out of them. What's more, they are easy to make and look beautiful too!

Crayons are a part of every child's growing years. Not only do they add colors to your child's artistic expressions, but also are the very medium through which your little one is introduced to the vibrant world of colors, for the very first time.

But what do you do when you have a heap of broken crayons that are of no use? The obvious answer would be to dispose them off and get a box of new ones.

Now, will you be surprised if we tell you that you can recycle broken pieces of crayons to create beautiful works of art? If yes, then you are definitely in for a surprise! For, in this information, you shall learn how to make pretty candles out of old crayons, in a few simple steps.

Steps to Make Candles Out of Crayons

Before you begin with the procedure of making candles from crayons at home, there are a few things that you need to have with you. To know what these are, just have a look at the list given here. Note that candles made from crayons alone, may not burn properly.

If you wish to counter this problem, just use candle wax along with the crayons. You can easily get all the things mentioned here, from a craft store. Once you have all the materials, just follow the given instructions and your candle will be ready in a jiffy!

Materials Required

Old crayons Candle wax (optional) Cooking pot Plastic container Plastic wax-melting bags Kitchen thermometer Essential oils (optional) Molds of the desired shape(s) Wicks A pencil

Step 1: Sorting the Crayons

Firstly, you need to remove the paper wrappers from the crayons and sort them according to color. This is important because melting crayons of different colors together, will result in a dark-colored mass of molten wax, which will be of little help to you.

On the other hand, if you melt the colors separately, you shall have molten wax in different colors that you may use for creating vibrant patterns on your candle. Also, if you wish to blend colors, then sort such colors together.

For example, say you wish to add a touch of rosy pink to the candle you are about to make, but do not have pink crayons with you. In that case, you can melt red and white crayons together to create a pinkish tinge!

Step 2: Melting the Crayons

Once you are done with the sorting, the next step is to melt the crayons. For this, take the cooking pot and pour some water in it.

Now, put crayons of different colors into different plastic wax-melting bags and place these bags gently into the pot containing water. If you wish to use candle wax, you can put a small amount of it in a plastic bag and place the bag, along with the other bags, in the pot.

Now, place the cooking pot on a gas burner and allow the wax to melt. Check the temperature of the wax using a kitchen thermometer. The optimum temperature for melting of wax is 170°F. For scented candles, just add a few drops of essential oil into the molten crayon wax.

Step 3: Pouring the Wax into Molds

This is perhaps the most important step in making beautiful candles from wax. Depending on what you want your candles to look like, you can get molds in different shapes.

You can even use milk or juice cartons or any glass container, as a mold for your candle. However, the skill lies in pouring the molten wax carefully into the molds so that the candle turns out to be symmetrical and beautiful.

Also, inserting the candle wick through the candle, can be a little tricky! Here's a tip to make things easier for you, at least the task of inserting the wick: tie one end of the wick to a pencil and the other end, to a small object such as a plastic bead.

Place the pencil horizontally over the top of the mold, such that the wick hangs at the center of the mold. Now, gradually pour the molten crayon wax into the mold. If you wish to make a layered candle with layers in multiple colors, then pour a layer of one color, allow it to cool and then form the next layer with another color.

Proceed this way till you reach the top of the mold. Note that a small length of the wick should be visible above the level of molten wax in the mold. Now, allow your candle to cool till it solidifies.

Step 4: Removing the Candles

This is the last step in the process of candle making. When you find that your candle has solidified (when scratching the candle leaves marks on its surface), gently scrape its edges with a blunt knife till it pops out of the mold. If you have used milk or juice cartons for shaping your candle, then carefully tear apart the carton. Your candle is ready!

You can use your creativity to decorate the candles to give them a unique look. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and make some colorful candles, and gift them to your loved ones, ahead of the festive season.