DIY Network

New Life for Old Candles Melt them, mold them and make them beautiful. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-503

No matter how burned-down, beat-up or lopsided they are, never throw away candles. Michele Beschen can help you B. Original with those charred pillars and votive nubbins and transform them into beautiful new candles you'll love.

Scroll down for her how-to, and start heating things up with Michele Beschen.

Turn trashed candles...

Into these treasures.

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Materials:

old candles
hammer
chisel
double boiler or slow cooker
wax dye
waxed candle wicks
cooking spray or wax-release spray
candle molds or containers
small rocks
paint strainer or cheesecloth

	Figure A
	Figure B

• Save up all those bits of old candles, damaged candles and candle wax. This is an especially good project for rejuvenating candles that have been left in the sun or otherwise over-melted.

• Heat up a double-boiler or slow cooker. Michele Beschen rigged up a double boiler by filling an electric skillet with water 1" deep then placing a smaller pan in the water.

• Use a chisel and hammer to break candles and wax into small pieces for easier melting (figure A). Try to melt candles of similar colors together, or experiment with different colors to see what comes out. Don't mix wax from citronella candles with wax from regular candles.

• Place the wax chunks in the double boiler or slow cooker to melt (figure B). A double boiler will melt the wax fairly quickly.

  Safety Alert: Never leave the double boiler or saucepan unattended – there is a risk of fire from the hot wax. Slow cookers can be left unattended briefly.

• Remove old wicks, labels or other debris from the wax as it melts. A bamboo skewer works well for picking items out of the wax.

• To change the wax color, shave a little candle wax dye into the melted wax. These dyes are available at hobby shops.

• Choose fun molds for the new candles. Hobby shops sell standard candle molds, but Michele Beschen likes to find funky molds around the house. Shot glasses and sake cups make great little tea lights (figure C); other glass containers work well for larger candles (figure D).
  

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• If you plan to remove the candle from the mold, make sure to spray it with cooking spray or wax release spray so the candle will pop out easily.

• If using a pre-waxed wick, pour a layer of wax into the mold, stand the wick in the wax and pour in the rest of the wax. When pouring the recycled wax into a mold, always pour it through a paint strainer or cheesecloth to remove any additional debris.

  Note: If you're not using pre-waxed wicks, which stand up on their own, secure them to bamboo skewers resting across the top of the mold.

• Set the new candles on a level surface and let the wax harden overnight.

• For this project, Michele Beschen sprayed a large bowl with cooking spray and placed a layer of small stones in the bottom (figure E). She poured a layer of wax over the rocks, straining through a paint strainer, then positioned her wicks in the wax.

• With the wicks in place, she strained the rest of the wax into the mold (figure F).