Posted in Repurposing, Candles, General Crafts |
What can I do with leftover candle wax?
September 20th, 2006
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Full question:
I have tons of leftover candle wax from burnt down candles. Is it worth it to keep them, what can I do with them, if so what and how. Just throw them out. Thanks.
My answer:
Actually those leftovers can be used to make a really cool candle. All you need is a milk carton or juice carton - one of those sorta square-ish, waxed ones that can easily be cut or torn apart, your candle scraps, wick , a pencil, an old pot for water, a pot or can to hold melted wax and white wax - even the kind used to seal jelly in jars is fine. Here’s all you do:
1. Cut the carton to about an inch taller than you want your candle to be, discarding the top of the carton. Remove any remaining wicks from the candle scraps (this is important to do. Leftover wicks will catch fire when you burn your new candle if you don’t.)
2. Wrap part of the new wick around the pencil and leave a length dangling that’s as long as your future candle is tall.
3. Lay the pencil across the top of the carton with the wick dangling down the center of the carton and touching the bottom.
4. Throw in your candle scraps, being careful to keep your wick centered. I like to use all the blues in one candle, all the reds in another one, etc. You can use all of your colors in one candle or split them up- it’s up to you. I also like to have the candle scraps piled high into the carton so that the finished candle has the color scraps scattered throughout it and not just on the bottom. The more spaces you create when piling in your scraps, the more interesting the colors look in it.
5. Add water to your old pot, and bring it to a simmer on your stove. Put your white wax in another pot or an empty vegetable can, and set it in the pot of simmering water. As with all projects that require heat, be caref ul not to burn yourself, splash hot wax on yourself or let any little people near you who could be injured by hot wax.
6. The wax in the interior pot/can will melt. You’ll want to pour it into your carton when it does, and keep filling the carton until your candle is almost as tall as you’d like. Save some wax for your last step which happens the next day or so.
7. Let your candle harden. It will most likely form a dip in the top around the wick. After you are sure it’s all hardened, melt that remaining wax and fill in that dip. 8. Once it has hardened , you can uncurl the wick from the pencil, and tear the carton away from your new candle. Clip your wick to about a quarter of an inch.
WaaLaa! Cool looking candle made from mostly scraps.
Your Frugal Decorating Diva,
Nancy
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erwin hardy on 8 Feb 2007 at 6:48 pm: 1
how can i harden a finished candle ? i bought a carved candle, 150 cm high and like to keep it outside. it begins however to deform in the sun.
thanks for your advise.
answers on 10 Feb 2007 at 7:33 pm: 2
Heat and sun will indeed cause this to happen - wax is a heat sensitive substance. You can freeze wax to harden it up - the best option is to put it someplace that has a constant temperature of about 70 degrees F.