Guest Author - Benito Lugo
Never, ever throw away old candles or candlewax. When you deal with candles on a daily basis you are sure to have burned-down, beat-up or lopsided candles. never throw them away. These can be re-used to make new candles. This is a great way to have fun and get creative. It is a fun way to get the family involved collecting old candles and turning them into being useful again.
Turn your old candles into new treasures. This just requires your usual candlemaking materials plus a few extra tools.
Materials:
old candles
hammer
plastic bag
double boiler or slow cooker
wax dye
waxed candle wicks
cooking spray or wax-release spray
candle molds or containers
paint strainer or cheesecloth
Save all those old or damaged candles, excess candle wax.
Heat up a double-boiler or slow cooker. Setting up a double boiler by filling an electric skillet with water 1" deep then placing a smaller pan in the water.
Remove old labels and debris from old candles and wax. Place your old wax and/or candles in a plastic bag and use your hammer to break candles and wax into small pieces for easier melting. Try to melt candles of similar colors together, or experiment with different colors to see what comes out. Place the wax chunks in the double boiler or slow cooker to melt. A double boiler will melt the wax pretty quickly.
Never leave the melting wax unattended, there is a risk of fire from the hot wax. As the wax melts remove old wicks, a wooden skewer works well for picking out items from the melted wax.
Shave some candle wax dye into the melted wax to change to desired colors.
Take time to get creative with choosing a mold. Hobby shops sell standard candle molds, but your home can be a good source for finding candle molds. Glass containers, cups, jars, milk cartons, shot glasses can be used. Why you can even fashion candlemolds from cardboard.
If you plan to remove the candle from the mold, make sure to spray it with cooking spray or wax release spray so the candle will pop out easily.
If using a pre-waxed wick, pour a layer of wax into the mold, stand the wick in the wax and pour in the rest of the wax. Always filter re-used wax through cheesecloth or paint strainer to remove any small debris.
Set the new candles on a level surface and let the wax harden overnight.
