How to use old crayons?

[pretty cheap jewelry]

This one really has me stumped (for years).

What should I do with half used crayons? I am NOT willing to put them in a pot on the stove and melt them down into new things

Any ideas?

[tinapbeana]

well, if you've ever tried making candles, you can put chunks of cut op crayons in to add color.

if it's the melting/hot wax thing in general you're against, try buying some artists gloss medium. shave the crayons (knife or pencil sharpener) and sprinkle them on an old coaster. spread the gloss medium on top and allow to dry: makes a nifty coaster for cold drinks.

[poundwise]

Not to be a smart aleck, but why are half-used crayons not used for coloring?

[pretty cheap jewelry]

They just seem to accumulate and accumulate and ... you get the idea.

We have a tin full and theres still more.

You get them in restaurants waiting for your dinner, there are last year's box that were given in school...

More ideas please?

[baking23]

You could heat them up until they're just warm enough to moosh together and make one large multi-colored crayon. Or donate them to a preschool, they might do this with the kids, or girl scouts, etc...

I've used a little at a time for fire starters, I save teh wax-covered paper cups from the bathroom put in cotton dryer lint and put in a few crayon pieces. Cover with melted old candles. tadah, fire starter. However a word of warning use only a little wax at a time because it can melt, and catch on fire, at the same time. If you have bricks in your hearth it can start to drip out those grooves and set your house on fire, so use caution!

[pretty cheap jewelry]

I suppose the wax will end up inside my fireplace though, my husband would have a cow.

Yes I am a G.S. leader and will donate some, THX

[lrjohnson]

Amy Dacyzyn in the Tightwad Gazzete recommends "scribble cookies": put some in a muffin tin, bake on low until melted.

I can see that using complementing colors (purples blues pinks) (oranges reds yellows) could make nice scribble cookies.

[LuxLiving]

Put down a sheet of wax paper (wax side up) and then let kiddos shave or grate multiple colors of crayons on top of it - cover with another sheet of wax paper (wax side down), cover with a towel and iron on a low setting until things begin to gel/melt together slightly. Trim into decorative shapes w/scissors and punch a hole and add some decorative ribbon for hanging as a kiddie's project SunCatcher/Christmas Ornie. Mom should do the ironing portion of this project for little ones.

[scfr]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Put down a sheet of wax paper (wax side up) and then let kiddos shave or grate multiple colors of crayons on top of it - cover with another sheet of wax paper (wax side down), cover with a towel and iron on a low setting until things begin to gel/melt together slightly. Trim into decorative shapes w/scissors and punch a hole and add some decorative ribbon for hanging as a kiddie's project SunCatcher/Christmas Ornie. Mom should do the ironing portion of this project for little ones.

I remember making ornaments at my grandma's house this way. They are so pretty. You may want to use old towels, and put one under as well as on top, just in case any of the crayon shavings ooze out. And when you use the iron, use dry heat (no steam) and pick the iron up and down instead of sliding it around.

I remember seeing an article in Martha Stewart's magazine ages ago where she used just red and pink and white crayon shavings and cut out heart-shaped ornaments for Valentine's Day. They were lovely.

[PrincessPerky]

so red and green for christmas right?

warning, non crayola crayons will not melt the same as crayola...yes I am a crayon snob!

if possible try to keep the same brands together, the wax content/color content will make a difference when melting for art.

and tell your friends a box of crayons is NOT a great gift! actually I have three kids, so once I got THREE boxes of brand new crayons for a gift, I let them open one, and the other two were given away..no reason they need that many new ones (one kid is still just one year old!)

[kealina]

[quote=PrincessPerky]so red and green for christmas right?

warning, non crayola crayons will not melt the same as crayola...yes I am a crayon snob!
QUOTE]

i have to agree that crayola crayons are great... i loved them as a kid so i must be a crayon snob too...

i like the idea of scribble cookies and the idea of donating them somewhere kids can use them. my MIL is a nurse and she's spent her own money to put together little "play packets" for children when they come into the ER clinic... some scratch paper, crayons, etc... or even to a school would be good since i know that their budgets can be tight....

[PRICEPLUS]

We played a game as kids called "Skelzzies". There was a board drawn on the ground with numbers and you would use bottle caps filled with crayon wax. You would flick the cap using your index finger coming off the thumb in a flicking motion!

Caps with crayons were de' rigeur. I used to mix yellow and blue to get a nice swirl pattern. The crayons were melted with a match underneath the cap. Heat too long and you get green. It was a great playground game! It also gave us a use for the odds and ends of a worn down crayon!

[pretty cheap jewelry]

Oh my gosh, never heard of this. (And I am guessing we are pretty close in age). Thanks for the very cool image and your time. :>

[vishenda]

Originally Posted by poundwise

Not to be a smart aleck, but why are half-used crayons not used for coloring?

precisely my point too!

[PRICEPLUS]

pretty cheap jewelery, it was a great game and all the kids in my neighborhood played it along with any game you could play with a Spaldeen!(the pink rubber balls used to play stickball!)

[pretty cheap jewelry]

Hmm, on second thought, maybe we are not as close in age as I think??

Or maybe it is just the new york state of mind (I'm from NE Ohio the heartland).

I'll study this a little more...

[PRICEPLUS]

How old do you think I am?

[crazyBMB]

There is a product on the market that melts the used/broken pieces crayons and forms them into new ones. It's great for making fun mixed-up colored ones or if you have a very large bunch it can be used to remake single colored ones for classes, schools etc.....instead of buying new ones.

[PrincessPerky]

make sure you only use crayola crayons to melt into crayons with that machine! (voice of experience)