Did you know you can make new crayons from old crayons? Yes-and it’s so easy! With this DIY crayon craft you’ll learn how to melt down your old wax crayons and pour them into silicone molds. Use them for arts and crafts or gifts!
How to make your own crayons
Making your own crayons is a fun craft to do with your kids and you can finally make use of all those broken pieces of wax crayon that are collecting dust in the bottom of your pencil box.
There are several different ways to melt down the crayons. You can use an oven, microwave or a stove top. We will go over each of these methods.
If you want to get really serious about DIY crayons you can try this cool tutorial on making soil crayons from the earth!
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Supplies needed
- 24 pack of crayons
- Owl Silicone mold- I like this one
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Sturdy cookie sheet
You can use a brand new package of crayons or just dig out the broken ones from the bottom or your kids pencil box. This is a good way to use up those random broken crayons.
DIY crayon molds
Owl shaped crayons not your thing? You can make this craft in other shapes! Try using one of the molds below instead!
What is the best way to melt crayons?
You can melt them in the oven or microwave or on the stove top. Be careful when handling melted wax, which can burn the skin very quickly upon contact, and avoid overheating the crayon pieces or the wax could splatter inside of the microwave or oven.
How to make DIY crayons in the oven
- Preheat your oven to 325F.
- Peel the wrappers off all of the crayons.
- Sort the crayons by color.
- Break the crayons into small pieces that will fit inside your mold.
- Place broken crayon pieces inside each cavity of your mold.
- Place the silicone mold on a sturdy cookie sheet.
- Melt the crayons in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until completely melted. You can use a toothpick to ensure there are no lumps remaining in the crayons.
- Allow the crayons to cool completely before attempting to remove from the mold.
How to melt crayons in the microwave
- Place each color set of crayon pieces into a microwave-safe vessel to use for melting, like a glass bowl or disposable microwave-safe container. Using a disposable container allows for an easier cleanup.
- Set the microwave to the high-heat setting and place one of the containers filled with crayon pieces on the center of the turntable in the microwave.
- Heat the crayons for about three minutes, stopping the microwave to stir the crayon wax with a spoon at every one-minute interval.
- Repeat to melt each container of crayon wax.
- To remove the new crayons, lay out a towel or sheet of waxed paper and turn the molds upside down on top of it. The crayons will pop right out. Store your crayons in a plastic baggie or storage container.
How to melt crayons on the stove:
- Fill a pot with water and place it on the stove on high heat.
- Place another pot (an old one that you don’t mind melting wax in) in the first one to create a double boiler.
- Put the crayons in the top pot. They will melt and because the top pot is being heated by the boiling water below the wax will not burn. It will still get very hot so be careful.
- Once the wax is melted pour it into molds using the methods described above and let the wax cool.
DIY crayons from old crayons
Learn how to make crayons by melting down old crayons and letting them cool in silicone trays.
Materials
- • Pack of crayons or old broken crayons
- • Silicone mold
- • Non-stick cooking spray
Tools
- Oven
- Baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Remove the wrappers from of the crayons.
- Sort the crayons by color.
- Break the crayons into small pieces that will fit inside your
mold. - Place broken crayon pieces inside each of the molds.
- Place the silicone mold on the baking sheet.
- Melt the crayons in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until
completely melted. You can use a toothpick to ensure there are no lumps remaining in the crayons. - Allow the crayons to cool completely before attempting to remove
from the mold.
Notes
Use caution when working with hot wax and do not let children use the stove or oven without supervision.