diy recycling crayons -- any success stories?

[melonpan]

ive heard that it doesnt always work: if you melt crayon bits sometimes the new recycled crayons wont draw.

have you melted down your broken crayon bits? were you successful in creating crayons that actually work?

just wondering if this is worth the trouble.

tia

[Naranjadia]

Ours worked.

And every time I think that it was a waste of time, my kids grab one of the crayon disks (we did them in cupcake tins) and uses it. :)

[m448]

Noncrayola brands tend to separate when melting so you get pockets of colorless wax. Crayons brands works much better. I soak the crayon bits in water to slip off the label.

[Melaine]

I also read that washable crayons do not work as well. We had no trouble making the muffin tin ones but I have to say they really didn't get that much use at my house. I think my girls are too perfectionist and want the color they want, not a surprise mix.

[m448]

Melaine, the last time I made them I had so many I sorted them into basic color groups (so the various yellow shades together, another for reds, etc) and they came out quite beautiful. It light help for the girls.

[Melaine]

Melaine, the last time I made them I had so many I sorted them into basic color groups (so the various yellow shades together, another for reds, etc) and they came out quite beautiful. It light help for the girls.

Ohhh that sounds lovely. We will have to try it that way. I think those would get much more use.:)

[almostamom]

The last time we melted crayons, we did it in heart shaped muffin tins and put them in Valentine's Day goody bags.

Linda

[alien_host]

If you score the label w/ an exacto knife, they peel off really easily. I score them and have DD take of the wrapper.

We made hearts for valentine's two years ago. I might make them again this year.

[clc053103]

We have the Crayola Crayon Maker- it makes a game out of it and shapes it into crayons. On sale for $19.99 at tru.

But of course, totally not necessary!

[salsah]

haven't tried recycling, but we shaved old crayons to use for a "stained glass" art project. dd1 loved it.

dd (using pencil) drew a picture on wax paper and then she sprinkled the crayon shavings on to the wax paper. I covered it with another piece of wax paper and then I ironed it to melt the crayons.

[s7714]

We've always had great success melting down crayon bits, but I only do Crayola ones. I've tried keeping Rose Art ones separate and melting them, but they didn't seem to work well post melt down. I'm sure we occasionally get a generic brand one mixed in with the Crayola bits however. I've heard about washable ones not working as well either, but haven't paid much attention to if we've melted those down or not.

A family member gave one of my DDs the Crayola Crayon maker for Christmas. My DDs seem to like the fact it makes actual crayons instead of misc. shapes but that could just be the novelty of the new toy itself. (BTW, you have to purchase the light bulb the unit uses separately...that was a little annoying to discover Christmas day when my DD was begging to make some crayons!) I can't say I prefer it as cleaning the unit up after using it requires far more labor than just wiping out a silicon oven mold!

[bubbaray]

Could someone please post instructions? This sounds like a craft that even *I* could pull off.

What do I need? Obviously crayons, preferably Crayola brand (got that). Do I need special tins to put them in (ie., ones I don't cook with)? What about a pot to melt them in -- or do I do it in the microwave?????

HELP!

[melonpan]

thank you all for replying. i will DEFINITELY recycle crayon bits then.

i will also be careful to recycle regular crayolas.

i just didnt want to embark on this and waste my time with crayons that wont draw.

thanks so much again!

[m448]

Melissa I just grab the bag of broken crayon bits and soak them in cold water. After a while (not sure how long) most of the labels should slip right off. Some are more stubborn and a nail works well. Then put the pieces in a mini muffin tin and put in the oven at a low temp (I think I did 210) to melt the wax. Gently slip the pan out of the oven and allow to cool. To make it easy to pop the crayon cakes out you can slip it into the freezer after it's solid.

I did the regular rounds and yes I have a little old tin just for crayons so I don't have to worry about cleaning it up well. Some people use star molds to have a couple of points on the crayon cake. I mentioned that the last time I did this (and because we buy the 24 packs of crayons) I had enough shades/variety to make color family cakes (all reds, greens, blues, yellows, etc.) which came out very pretty. I even did a black/grey then a brown one too. I would avoid adding too many pieces of white to a cake unless you use colored construction paper as the kids get frustrated when they sweep the cake across the paper and the white doesn't show.

[bubbaray]

Thank you! :)

[s7714]

Could someone please post instructions? This sounds like a craft that even *I* could pull off.

What do I need? Obviously crayons, preferably Crayola brand (got that). Do I need special tins to put them in (ie., ones I don't cook with)? What about a pot to melt them in -- or do I do it in the microwave?????

HELP!

I've read versions where you melt the broken bits in a pan or in the microwave ahead of time before pouring the melted wax into molds, but I've found it to be easier to just throw the bits in a silicon mold and put in in the oven. (I only use the silicon mold for crayons, no food.) I've used the lowest oven setting (200-ish I think?) all the way up to 300. I think the lower temp. is better, because although it takes longer, you don't end up with a over heated wax smell.

[alien_host]

I used these instructions: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crayon-hearts-671639/

But I used a Wilton silicone pan. I've made snowflakes and hearts. I tend to use new crayola crayons b/c they were so cheap at BTS time. Like a PP, I tend to put similar colors together....reds/pinks, yellow/orange, green/blue etc. I leave out black, brown, and grey because they can make the whole crayon too dark.

Definitely place the silicone pan on a baking sheet first (line with foil or parchment in case of spills).

[SoloMelody]

I got a whole LOT of crayons at a garage sale for $1! And we got a lot of crayons with the staples deal ;)

So off to do this.