BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Candlemaking Re-Melting Existing Candles

What I like to do is chip up some pieces and arrange them around the wick in a mold and then pour melted wax around the pieces. The mosaic effect is rather nice and I like the multi-colored look as well. The shipping charges as well as the wax itself has gone up, so there's no such thing as being too frugal in this case.

I ended up buying a cheap "wine bucket" which looks like it should work perfectly. I couldn't find any normal can that was as big as I wanted. As soon as I get some free time I'll give it a shot and take some pictures for you all

I like the chip idea! I'll see if I can give that a try!

That is going to be one very large candle! Don't get busy with the holidays and forget. I love to see how other people's crafts turn out.

I should have read this thread last week. I had a couple of candles that I needed to discard and there was one rather tall one that had been in the attic and had softened and was misshapen. I had the oven on and just put the candles in their containers on the stovetop. They softened and then I put the leftovers in an empty can. In June, we have an event at our museum and the kids make candles. I'll give the can of wax to the lady in charge of the candlemaking. I'm sure she will be able to use it.

The kids are really cute and excited about making the candles. The wick is tied to a stick and they dip it into the melted wax. They repeat the process until they have finished their candle.

I completely forgot about the chip idea! However, we have now melted all our wax and made fresh candles out of all of it! Some of this wax we've had for over 10 years! It is very satisfying to have this all done I did take photos so I'll post those soon!

Lisa, how did you make your candles? What did you put them in? Can I use cotton twine for a wick? I have watched the colonial candlemaker use a stick and twine. The kids go around the bucket of wax and dip their wick into the wax. When they arrive around the circle they dip the wick in again and the candle grows. I am sure that is not how you are making your candles.

Angie - here is how I melt the wax which is the first step -

Melting the Wax in a Crockpot

I put all my spent candles in a can and placed them on the stove. The oven was on and they melted down. I'll try making some one of these days although if I don't try by mid June I may give the can of wax to the candlemaker to use at our next event.

Angie you should NEVER just put wax on a stove - it can easily get too hot and catch on fire. You should always have it in a water bath. The water cannot get hotter than 212F and that guarantees you don't burn down your house

Here is how to take the melted wax and pour it into a mold!

Forum Thread on Using a Mold

It wasn't on the flame - just on the stove. The oven was on and it melted down. Was that too hot like that?