The Recycapple Candle

[Nifty]

to be sure they were soaked in wax before pouring the candle.

All the wicks I've been using have been from existing candles. In fact, I thought the easiest / most reliable thing to do would be to use an existing candle (tall skinny one) and put it in the middle of a jar, then pour melted candles around it... but this hasn't work in all the different ways I've tried it... and I have NO idea why.

I'm going to re-melt a few candles right now and see if I can get things to work. Any other tips / suggestions?

I have a MILLION candles of different sizes and shapes, so if there's a wick / candle type I can use for combining all into one, that would be awesome!

(melting on my wood stove in a pan of water)

 

[Lazy Gardener]

So, you are melting old candles down to try to combine them into a new candle? My first thought was that if you are using parrafin, without adding any stearic acid, perhaps the wax is not hard enough, the melting temp is not appropriate to candle use. But, if you are recycling candles, that is not your issue.

I guess this ol' bird is fresh out of ideas.

 

[flowerbug]

All the wicks I've been using have been from existing candles. In fact, I thought the easiest / most reliable thing to do would be to use an existing candle (tall skinny one) and put it in the middle of a jar, then pour melted candles around it... but this hasn't work in all the different ways I've tried it... and I have NO idea why.

I'm going to re-melt a few candles right now and see if I can get things to work. Any other tips / suggestions?

I have a MILLION candles of different sizes and shapes, so if there's a wick / candle type I can use for combining all into one, that would be awesome!

(melting on my wood stove in a pan of water)
View attachment 12907

i'm pretty sure that size/type of wick does play a role. since i'd never looked into it more i checked out the wiki page for them. there is indeed an art/science to it a bit more than than i expected. if you are using thin taper wicks in a fatter candle you might need more than one.

 

[Nifty]

Ok, as an experiment, I took a tea candle and then poured some melted wax from old candles around it into a little jar, and once solid lit the candle.

Seemed to be working fine... but then it got to the point where it seemed that the wax was drowning the flame:

 

[Hinotori]

I used to do some candle stuff decades ago. Wick size and type needs to be adjusted for wax type and candle width. That effects how well it burns. Wicks were often soaked in borax water then dried before use. It makes them burn with less smoke.

Paraffin is the worst for smoke and indoor pollution. It's a petroleum product. Most of the plant waxes are very clean. Beeswax is good.

I haven't actually used animal fats, but I have made button lamps and oil lamps with olive oil and a cottonball twisted into a wick. Short wicks for that or it smokes.

 

[Hinotori]

I only have beeswax, bayberry, and soy candles here. The first two have their own nice scent. Real bayberry is hard to get and expensive. Pale green.

 

[Nifty]

I've been experimenting. I took a "Taper Candle" (box from IKEA) and broke it in half, put the halves in a jar and poured in the melted candles.

Seems to be working well.

... the other experiments... not so much.

 

[flowerbug]

I've been experimenting. I took a "Taper Candle" (box from IKEA) and broke it in half, put the halves in a jar and poured in the melted candles.

Seems to be working well.

... the other experiments... not so much.


View attachment 12913

View attachment 12914

most of those look like those little tea light candle wicks which may not really be able to do much at all.

 

[Nifty]

most of those look like those little tea light candle wicks which may not really be able to do much at all.

Yeah, you are correct. I'm going to try re-melting the others and putting 3 of the taper candles in the new one... that should solve the problem

 

[flowerbug]

Yeah, you are correct. I'm going to try re-melting the others and putting 3 of the taper candles in the new one... that should solve the problem

the one with two in it seems to be working ok. i'd be a bit worried with that much heat and wax and well, flames... if those break i hope you have them on a safe surface...