Anyone else recycle candles?

Gray2233

Gray2233

Gray2233

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Bit of an odd topic I suppose, but I'm wondering if anyone else does this.

I quite like to light up a nice (very masculine of me, I know) candle or two when I've a night off and I'm enjoying a couple of drinks. The thing is, some candles are a little on the expensive side, and there's often a ton of leftover wax, the big jar candles or pillar candles are the most guilty of this. So I figured a little while back that I'd look into reusing it, I went online and bought a pack of 100 + candle wicks for around £2. I already had a milk-pan that's easy to pour from, and I ordered some reusable molds on the internet.

Unfortunately the molds have yet to arrive and as I have an excess of candle wax and a desire to reuse it I've decided to use some old cardboard gravy containers I hadn't got around to recycling, I figure they're about the right shape and should be easy to cut away. I have the wax melting now on the hob, lowest heat as it has a low melting point.

Anyone else do this, or am I overly bored and stingy?
 
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I tend to find that with decent candle they burn quite evenly and there's not too much wastage.

Agree with how expensive they can be though, it's silly! My wife likes some of the Rituals ones and they're about £25 each and i know they're nowhere near the most expensive.
 
Nope, we do that too! Though I didn't do it was well as you! I bought a box of the candles you'd have on a dinner table. Would snap them to the desired length, put them in an old jam jar and pack the jar out with wax from all of the good candles that I would break up.
 
Just an observation but with a decent candle, you shouldn't have any leftover wax.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
That's great. I like the idea of doing it...we have a lot of nearly finished candles that we're unlikely to get right to the end of.

Where have you bought the kit from?
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I already owned a pouring pan, although you can get them for a tenner.

Candle wicks you can buy in bulk for dirt cheap from the rainforest or auction websites, same for the reusable molds of which there's a huge variety. I'm actually thinking about buying some wax in bulk and just making my own from scratch in general. You can get 2KG bags depending on the type of wax for £8-15, and if you like them scented there's plenty of options out there for cheap.

Feek said:
Just an observation but with a decent candle, you shouldn't have any leftover wax.
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The larger Yankee (jar) candles always have a ton left in for me, as do the larger pillar (church) candles. The pillars are best for burn time but there's always a chunk leftover unfortunately. I've bought a bunch of different brands at different price points and shy of buying the thin dinner candles there's always excess.
 
Gray2233 said:
from the rainforest or auction websites
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OcUK don't sell candles so you can say Amazon and eBay without any fear of retribution or suspension. However, by saying rainforest, you do open yourself to ridicule ;)
 
I put the wax into those large jars that candles come in, then when it's full melt the wax in a pan of simmering water. by immersing the jar.

The tricky part is keeping the wick straight and steady as the wax cools down. I've found poking the wick through a straw, then resting the straw on the jar as it cools, helps.
 
Gray2233 said:
Bit of an odd topic I suppose, but I'm wondering if anyone else does this.

I quite like to light up a nice (very masculine of me, I know) candle or two when I've a night off and I'm enjoying a couple of drinks. The thing is, some candles are a little on the expensive side, and there's often a ton of leftover wax, the big jar candles or pillar candles are the most guilty of this. So I figured a little while back that I'd look into reusing it, I went online and bought a pack of 100 + candle wicks for around £2. I already had a milk-pan that's easy to pour from, and I ordered some reusable molds on the internet.

Unfortunately the molds have yet to arrive and as I have an excess of candle wax and a desire to reuse it I've decided to use some old cardboard gravy containers I hadn't got around to recycling, I figure they're about the right shape and should be easy to cut away. I have the wax melting now on the hob, lowest heat as it has a low melting point.

Anyone else do this, or am I overly bored and stingy?
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scented candles are a scam. we use oil burners now where we get the unscented tea light candles from ikea you get a pack of 400 or something like that for a quid. you then top up the top of the oil burner with water and then add 2 drops of oil or fragrance. the cost comparison compared to candles would be HUGE. Jo Malone is what £25 for a candle? I don't think yankee is much cheaper either.

you can use essential oils or just chemicals if you are one of the hippy types that believes in the properties of essential oils or just wants the smell or not.

the next step would be buying a clay bowl or plant pot, filling it with cooking oil and a wick. that will burn for a week for the cost of £1 and then add some scent to it. throw in some cinnamon sticks or chemicals / essential oils. or use coconut oil and you don't need anything to add to it.
 
Feek said:
OcUK don't sell candles so you can say Amazon and eBay without any fear of retribution or suspension. However, by saying rainforest, you do open yourself to ridicule ;)
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Good to know.

Luckily I'm almost immune to ridicule or I'd never have made this thread! :D

I've just ordered the following:

1x 1kg Yellow Beeswax Pellets: £13.92
1x 2kg Eco Soy Wax: £10.79
1x Youliy Silicone Honeycomb Candle Mold: £5.73

The following I already have (some I'm waiting on delivery for):

1x Pack of 50 20cm Candle Wicks: £2.50
1x Cylindrical Candle Mold: £5.11
1x Metal Candle Wick Centering Device: £1.76

You can actually get the rolls of candle wick ready to use where you just cut off how much you need, I'll probably pick some up once I'm done with my current batch of wicks.
 
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Gray2233 said:
I mainly just enjoy the look of candles lit at multiple points around the room, find it a nice relaxing glow, I can take or leave the scent.

Wouldn't fancy a pan of potentially burning oil sat in the corner of my living room personally.
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that's not how it works. the oil doesn't get very hot. you can dip your finger in it no problem.
 
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