Melt Crayons

Just because crayons are old and broken does not mean that you can throw them away. Just like candle wax, crayons can be melted down and turned into new crayons, candles, or even lipstick! There are several different ways to melt crayons, and this article will show you how.

Steps

Melting Crayons on the Stove

1. Assemble a double boiler or bain marie. Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches (2.54 to 5.08 centimeters) of water. Place a heat-safe glass container inside the large pot. The top of the glass container should be above the water level.
   • If you have a metal beaker used for candle-making, you can use this instead of the glass container.
2. Peel the wrappers off of the crayons. If you don't remove the wrapper, you will end up with a soggy mess. Here are a few easy ways to remove crayon wrappers:
   • Peel and tear the wrapper off. Start at one end (top or bottom) and the seam of the wrapper. Nick your fingernail under the wrapper, and start tearing it off.
   • If the wrappers are difficult to remove, run a craft knife down the length of a crayon and gently cut the wrapper open. Peel the wrapper off.
   • Soak the crayon in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. The water will soften the paper and make it easier to remove.
   • Some crayons have very loose wrappers that are not glued on. You might be able to slide these off like a sock or a paper wrapper off a straw.
3. Consider separating the crayons by color. If you have a bunch of crayons in different colors, you can sort them by color. This will save you time later when you are melting the crayons. You do not have to group specific colors together, such as putting all of the "periwinkle" blues together and the "royal" blues together. Instead, just group all of the blues together, all of the yellows together, and so forth.
4. Cut the crayons into smaller pieces using a craft knife or a kitchen knife. You want the pieces to be about ½ inches (1.27 centimeters) long. This will help them melt quicker and reduce the number of lumps that might form.
5. Turn on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, lower the temperature and keep the water at a steady simmer.
6. Drop the crayon pieces into the glass container. Do not put all of the colors in all at once, or you will get a murky brown color. Instead, drop the crayons in based on color. If you sorted the colors out beforehand, you can just drop the color piles into the container.
   • If you are makingMake Multi Colored Candles Using Crayons, then add some shaved candle wax and a few drops of essential oil or candle fragrance.
   • If you are making crayon-based lipstick, then you will need to start with one crayon (you can use one color, or different colors amounting to one crayon) and ½ teaspoon of shea butter, and ½ teaspoon of oil, such as almond oil, Argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil.
   • If you want to add any extras, such as glitter, fragrance, or essential oil, now is the time to do so.
7. Wait until the crayons are melted. Stir them occasionally with a spoon so that everything gets heated evenly. Do not leave the stove unattended and be sure to use good ventilation; the fumes given off by the melting wax can cause headaches.
   • If the water level in the big pot starts to get too low, add more water.
8. Take the container out of the water and use the wax. The glass container will be very hot, so be sure to use an oven mitt or pot holder to protect your hand. You can pour the hot wax into silicone ice cube molds or candy molds to make fun-shaped crayons. You can also use this wax to make crayon-based lipstick or candles.

Melting Crayons in a Microwave

1. Peel the paper wrappers off the crayons. If you don't remove the wrappers, the wax may melt into them and create a greasy, waxy mess. Here are a few simple ways to remove crayon wrappers:
   • Peel and tear the wrapper off.
   • Score the paper wrapper with a craft knife and peel the wrapper open.
   • Soak the crayons in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes to loosen the wrapper, then peel the wrapper off.
   • Some crayons have very loose wrappers. You might be able to simply slide these off.
2. Consider separating the crayons by color. If you have a bunch of crayons, you can sort them into similar colors. This means that you put all of the pinks together and all of the purples together. You don't have to focus on grouping specific colors together, such as putting all of the "bubblegum" pinks together and all of the "rose" pinks together.
3. Use a craft knife or a kitchen knife to cut the crayons into smaller pieces. You want the pieces to be about ½ inches (1.27 centimeters) long. This will help reduce the melting time.
4. Put the crayon pieces into a microwave-safe container. You can use a glass jar or even an old coffee mug. If you have multiple colors, then put each color group into a separate container.
   • If you wish to make Make Multi Colored Candles Using Crayons, then use one part shaved candle wax to one part crayon. You can also add a few drops of essential oil or candle-making fragrance.
   • If you are making lipstick, then you will need one crayon (you can use one color, or different colors amounting to one crayon) and ½ teaspoon of shea butter, and ½ teaspoon of oil, such as almond oil, Argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil.
5. Place the containers into the microwave. You can put multiple colors/containers into the microwave at one time, but don't overcrowd the microwave oven. It is better to heat each color one at a time, or heat in small batches.
6. Microwave the crayons for 2 minutes, pausing every 30 seconds to stir. Do not step away from the microwave; keep an eye on the melting crayons. Each microwave is different, and your crayons may melt sooner.
7. Use the melted wax. Once the crayons are completely melted, you may pour the wax into silicone molds or plastic candy molds to make fun-shaped crayons. You can also use the wax to make crayon-based lipstick and candles.
   • If you want to add any extras, such as glitter, fragrance, or essential oil, do so now. Be sure to stir it in well. Don't add the glitter earlier; it might react with the microwave.

Melting Crayons in an Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (94°C). In this method, you will be melting some old crayons into fun new shapes.
2. Peel any paper off the crayons. Most crayons have wrappers that are easy to peel off. Some might even slide off on their own. If you are having troubles removing the wrappers, here are a few tips:
   • Run a craft knife down the length of a crayon, gently slicing the paper wrapper open. Be careful not to cut the actual crayon. You should be able to pull the wrapper off easily.
   • If the wrappers are difficult to remove, soak the entire crayon in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. The water will help soften the paper, making it easier to remove.
3. Consider separating the crayons by color. If you are using a lot of crayons, you can save time later by sorting them into similar colors. This means that you put the yellows with the yellows and the blues with the blues. You do not have to group specific colors together, such as putting all of the "cornflower" blues together and the "goldenrod" yellows together.
4. Slice the crayons into smaller pieces using a craft knife or a kitchen knife. You want the pieces to be about ½ inches (1.27 centimeters) long. This will help them melt quicker and reduce the number of lumps that might form.
5. Find a suitable baking tin or silicone mold. You can use an old cupcake or muffin tin, or you can use a silicone baking or ice cube mold. Silicone has a very high melting point, so it is safe to use in the oven.
   • If you are using a cupcake or muffin tin, consider lightly greasing the wells with cooking spray or shortening. This will prevent any sticking. You can also line the wells with cupcake liners instead.
   • If you are using a silicone mold, you do not need to line it or grease it. The mold is stick-resistant and flexible, so the melted crayons (once hardened) will easily "pop" out.
6. Place the crayon pieces into the molds. If you plan on making fun-shaped crayons, then you will want to over-fill each well a little bit. This is because the crayons will spread out and fill in the gaps when they melt.
   • Consider matching colors to the shape. For example, if your mold has different shapes, such as stars and hearts, put the reds and pinks in the heart-shaped well, and the yellows and blues in the star-shaped well.
   • Consider mixing and matching some colors. Try putting reds, oranges, and yellows into one shape, blues and greens into another, and pinks and purples into a third.
7. Place the tin in the oven and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes. If you are using silicone mold, place it onto a baking sheet first.
8. Remove the tin from the oven. Once the crayons have completely melted, pull the tin out of the oven. You can now use the melted wax for your project, or you can let the wax cool and harden in the mold to make fun-shaped crayons.
   • If you are making fun-shaped crayons, you can speed up the cooling process by waiting until the wax hardens a bit, then sticking the molds into the freezer for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the hardened crayons from the molds. If you are making fun-shaped crayons, wait for the wax to harden completely. You can tell if the wax has set if the bottom of the mold or tin is cool to the touch. Once the wax has set, turn the mold upside down. If you are using cupcake or muffin tins, the crayons should pop right out. If they don't, you can lightly tap the tray against the counter. If you are using a silicone mold, gently grip the edges of the mold, and press down on the bulging shape, pushing the crayon out.

Tips

• Melted crayons can be used to make new crayons. Simply leave to set in a mold or even inside the container they're melted in. The new crayon will be whatever color or colors you've added to the container.
• Melted crayons can be poured into figurine or ornament molds to make interesting new crayons or display items.
• Silicone ice cube molds make ideal molds for new crayon shapes.
• You don't have to make crayons. You could get a wood cylinder and follow steps 1-7, and glue the hardened crayon wax on the cylinder and add anything else you like to personalize it.

Warnings

• Work in a well-ventilated area when melting crayons. Keep a window open.
• Don't overheat the crayons.
• Never leave a burning stove or oven unattended.
• Melted crayons are very hot. Adult supervision and action is required at all times when melting and handling melted crayon wax. Do not leave melted or hot wax unattended.

Things You'll Need

• Crayons
• Craft knife
• Ovenproof or microwave proof containers
• Dish or tray for microwave method
• Project requirements, such as molds, etc. for using the melted crayons

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Melted Crayon Art
• Transfer Pictures to Candles
• Make Rainbow Crayons
• Preserve Cut Flowers With Wax
• Make a Melted Crayon Canvas
• Add Color to Beeswax
• Make Wax
• Melt Beeswax