Repurposing Candle Wax

 A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to use our candle wax remnants and repurpose them into new candles. I had been saving wax remnants and glass candle holders for a while, so I felt like I finally had enough to melt down for new candles. My mom had graciously given me some money to spend for my birthday this past summer and I used it to purchase a candle mold and wicks. I already had a pot in which to melt the candles, so I was set for supplies.

Here is the mix of candle wax with which I started:

Since some of the wax had bits of char, I thought I would use the last of the wax with any of the charred bits that sank to the bottom to make fire starters. For this, I used dryer lint stuffed into the egg depressions of a cardboard egg carton. Wax will be poured over the top of the lint to make the fire starters and then I will cut each egg section apart to give us 12 individual fire starters. These burn well and fairly long, thanks to the wax, and are thus a good option for starting campfires.

Egg carton with dryer lint for fire starters

I had a bit more wax than I initially thought, so I divided it into three groups. I put roughly 1/3 of the wax into the candle melting pot and set that in another pot with water. It is important to use the double boiler method to prevent wax splatters and ensure a more even pour. 

Candle remnants in the melting pot

While the wax melted I set the wicks in the jars and in the one candle mold I had. I used pencils and tape to secure the wicks and try to keep them in the correct positions. When the wax had melted evenly in the pot, I carefully poured the wax into two candle jars.

Pouring the first candle

After pouring these two candles, I added more wax to the melting pot for the next batch. This gave me enough to pour two more candles. I then added the last of the wax, melted it, and poured the final three candles. At the end, I had a few bits and pieces of char that I was unable to get out of the wax pieces before melting them down. I anticipated this, which is why I prepared the fire starters. I poured the wax, bits and all over two prepared egg cartons and let them cool.

All five candles and two sets of fire starters cooling

Candles tend to create a well in the center if they are poured at too hot a temperature. I did not have a thermometer, so I was guessing when it was ready to pour. Three of the candles had a well after cooling. I experienced this before and had watched a YouTube video that recommended melting the top with a hairdryer just enough to even out the top. At the end, I couldn't find my hairdryer, so I attempted to fill in the well with more melted wax. It did not work as well as I had hoped, especially since the wax I used at the end was a different mix from that I used at the beginning. It may have worked better if the wax had been the same mix; I am not sure. Fortunately, I only had to do this with three of the five candles. You can see the center wax in the back left candle is a different color than the rest and that the candle still has a low spot in the center. I was not concerned about the looks for this batch since I am not planning to give these as gifts.

The five finished candles

A few things I learned:

1) I still need practice to eliminate the well that can form in the candle. 

After more investigation, I learned that I need to pour the wax at a cooler temperature, which should help alleviate the problem (essentially the wax will cool a bit more evenly across the candle, decreasing the chance of the candle developing a deep well).

2) If you have a candle that doesn't burn well, don't bother trying to repurpose the wax into another candle. 

We had a pine scented three wick candle that did not burn well. The wicks burned down, but very little of the wax melted. I thought it would be a good idea to make sure all the wax got used up, so I saved the leftover wax to use for more candles. I added this wax to the last batch I melted. I have since tried burning the pillar candle made with this wax. It is definitely not burning as well as the others. In fact, this candle is doing the same thing the original pine candle did. It definitely was not worth trying to salvage wax from that particular candle.