Candles

Crayons are great things for kids to do their experimental artwork with. However as they start to wear down and break one finds boxes of crayon pieces. Most of us just throw them away thinking there is no real use for them. Well they are wrong. It is possible to make candles from old crayons and a few other ingredients.

To make these candles the following ingredients are needed. 1 wax carton. Milk, fabric softener or an orange juice container are recommended. 1 Pound of Paraffin wax. 4 or 5 old crayons. Two trays of ice cubes. A double boiler. (This can be made by using an empty coffee can inside a sauce pan). About 6 inches of plain white string.

Use the double boiler to melt the paraffin wax. Never does this directly over the burner as paraffin wax will catch fir easily.

Take the carton chosen and trim the top. What remains should be about 6 inches high.

Take the six inch strand of string. To make this last longer braiding a few strand of string together will work nicely.

Check to see if the paraffin wax has melted. It should take about 15 minutes and should completely liquefy. Once this happens add the crayons. Break them into small pieces so they melt easier. Never add the crayons before the paraffin has melted. This will make it difficult to see of it has melted thoroughly.

Using a pair of thongs or scissors, dip the string into the paraffin. Then hold the string positioning it in the middle of the carton and fill it with the ice cubes. Once this is done, pour the paraffin mixture over the ice cubes.

It will take about 30 minutes for the candle to set but several days before it dries out completely. Over the next hour or two the remaining ice cubes should melt away. Pour of the remaining water and allow the candle to dry out. The carton can be peeled off once the water has all been drained away.

This makes a lovely candle for any time of the year. Always make sure children are well supervised before trying this.