The Crayon Candle and Candle Scrap-craft

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I have posted a picture and brief post in the past on the crayon candle for use in an emergency.  It is a simple grab the thing, set it on fire and let it burn for 30 minutes, emergency candle.  The subject came up night before last around the fire pan in the yard. The neighbor's girl didn't believe it until we set a candle on fire and stuck it to the sidewalk where she could watch it burn,  It was like a magic trick to her!  She couldn't stop ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over it.  

Photo by alicia h. : candle,drip,bottle,lens... | Gather

www.gather.com 

recycled crayon candles - HOME SWEET HOME

www.craftster.org

So, just to press the point, I told her back in our hippie days, we would put a candle in a wine bottle and drip melting crayons over it to decorate it and change a plain white candle into a colorful 'tie-dyed' candle that burned longer.  
My grandmother did crafty things, too.  She used crayons to add color chunks to candles she made, like one shown here on the left.  

     I have been around the net looking for photographs to help you visualize what I remember from the days when there was no net and no digital camera.  We only took photos on holidays when everyone was clean and dressed nicely.  There are no photographs of gramas candles or the hippie dippie candles we made in wine bottles or the sand!  While i was in there surfing, I saw some other clever uses for the crayon and ways to make crayon candles.  

     There are also pictures of epic craft fails! Like this one from http://brittanyestes.com/2013/03/diy-crayon-candle.html.  She believes this candle was not packed tightly enough to make the crayons melt into colorful beads instead of this mess.  I think the heat was too high in the oven as well.  
I also saw her picture of the crayons in the jar in the kitchen oven before the melt.  I caution all home crafters to get a nice used toaster oven from a yard sale or charity thrift store and do your candle melting, fire starting, stained glass bead melting, shrinky dink heating in the dedicated craft oven, out of the house!

  MY first step instruction is;  In a dedicated craft oven, place.........whatever  in a well ventilated area like a porch, garage or out of the house somewhere.
AND as long as we are talking safety, melt a couple of drops of crayon wax with your match or lighter, onto a plate and place the candle securely there, before lighting the paper, which acts entirely as the wick.   

Use Crayons to Create Color Block Candles | Brit + Co.

www.brit.co 

     After that, for the candle making, I do not recommend making a candle from crayons alone (except the emergency crayon that will help you find your flashlight!).  Shaving the crayon with a dedicated craft grater and adding shaved wax from and old candle makes for a better molding and burning mix.  This way, there is no craft fail to suffer and you get to get rid of both old crayons and candles at the same time and get the full use of both!   The tutorial at the above sight demonstrates this technique beautifully.  


     To use up more of those scrap candles cut them into chunks, pull out the leftover wick and add them to one of those lovely scented gel/wax cube gift candles to prolong their life.  I had one that was tropical fruit scented that burned every evening for months because I kept tossing in more wax.  


     Melt candle ends of the same color together to make new candles.

     Melt candle ends and pour out a thin layered puddle onto a cookie sheet.  Watch the wax become opaque.  When it has cooled to the touch, you can roll it, mold it, or wrap it.  

http://www.candlehelp.com/?content=floatingrose

Roll it like a bees wax candle around a wick.
Cut shapes of flower petals and press around a tea candle wick, to make floating candles.  
Press it into candy or cookie molds to make shapes of wax blocks to drop into a gel candle.  
Wrap it around a tapered candle to build up layers of wax to make a bigger candle.