I have recycled the wax from candles many times to make new candles. You just need a saucepan and a mold. Old pretty tea cups make great candle holders. You should be able to buy new wicks from a craft store or just use a natural cotton string. Mixing bowls make good molds for larger sized modern looking candles. You could add extra wicks for this shape. Any mold shape that you use just wipe a very thin layer of vegetable oil over the inside with a tissue.

Heat the waste wax slowly on a gentle/medium heat. Fish out all the dead wicks. Be carefull don’t get burnt. This is a good time to add some scented oils if you wish. Measure the wick length for the whole height of the candle, add extra for the top. Soak the wick in the melted wax until it absorbs the wax. Hang the waxed wick over the mold tied around a chopstick, wooded spoon or skewer. Ensure it is hanging straight down to the bottom.
Slowly poor the melted wax into the mold and let set overnight. Trim wick. Pull out of the mold by wick. Should look reasonably professional. The larger width candle mold shapes may result in a sunken appearance in the middle. You can always re-melt and try a smaller shape.

I have always found my homemade candles burn with a slightly more dynamic flame so you do need to light them in a safe place.

You can also revive unburnt candles that have become dirty and dusty by quickly dunking them in a pot of boiling water. Clean candles!!

DONT make your plumber rich by pooring excess melted wax down the sink. Just don’t do it!
Clean up your tools with lots of boiling water.

Hi!

The best use is probably a “buddy burner”- a large wick candle using corrugated cardboard, old tins and wax stubs. It is refillable with wax so is known as the everlasting candle in our house. Instructions are detailed at link but is basically a swiss roll of corrugated cardboard in a 200gm fish tin with melted wax to fill up. Keep lid as snuffer. IT IS SMOKEY. IT GETS HOT. IT WILL NOT BLOW OUT EASILY. IF LEFT IN RAIN WILL SPLUTTER++ NEXT TIME IT WARMS UP.

Sorry put link in wrong box–

http://www.justpeace.org/buddyburner.htm

Reuse the wax to make garden candles ( doesn’t mattter if they are a bit smoky out there- you can add citronella oil (from the chemist) to keep bugs at bay too. All you need is some wick string from the craft shop (soak this in the melted wax first before pouring the wax and it will burn better. You can use terracotta plant pots for the containers - cover hole first though!

If it is wide pot you’ll need multiple wicks.

Of course you can recycle wax!

Either melt the wax down to make the candle or cut the wax into cubes and fill the mold with the chunks - add molten wax.

Tip: I find that adding a wax embedded wick to a slab of solid wax a LOT easier than trying to keep the wick straight and taut when the wax is molten.

I just use a screwdriver (flathead) as a drill.

I have a passion for candles and have recycled with much success but now that I have these soy candles there’s nothing left to rcycle. They burn much cleaner and smell better. My candle of choice these days is Kathy Ireland Spa candle

i have lots of old candles, & my husband is allergic to the scented candles.
Is there ANY projects for using the candle wax,BESIDES making more candles from the old ones?
Any ideas will be appreciated!
Thanks,
Elaine

With old wax you need to get rid of, you may sell it on ebay to the fact that some ppl look for that kind of stuff to make other candles.
Also another ideal is to fill in mouse holes or bug holes in house with mush wax, they wont eat threw it, or go threw.Or even try art teachers for projects. Just a few thoughts to share with you.

I make fire starters from them.
Save your cardboard egg cartons. Fill each cup and the top with dryer lint.
Melt your saved wax/candles in a clean can (I don’t recommend coffee cans due to the rim) in a larger pan of medium-hot water.
Pour the melted wax over the lint, drenching each cup so that it sticks to the cardboard.
You’ve now recycled 3 items and can get a wood or charcoal fire started easily without the danger & smell of lighter fluid.

Melt them down into muffin tins and you will have kockey puck sized wax pucks. Then sell them to your local skateborders so they can wax up their curbs.

[…] covered candles and their wax about a year ago but Chris Petescia has emailled with a more specific query about paraffin-based […]

You can easily melt down all your left over candle wax which i did a few months ago and now i make all my own candles. I use a website at http://www.4candles.co.uk to get all the candle making materials that i need.

Can I melt the wax in a double boiler if it is still in the glass jar it came in? I don’t want to break it - I want to melt/remove the wax, add a new wick and repour it back into this jar. Thanks!