Making Old Crayons New Again

[mom-from-missouri]

If you have kids who color alot, and have a bucket full of broken crayon bits-try this before you buy more crayons.
Take a muffin pan and lightly grease the cups. Seperate the broken crayon bits by color, and remove any paper on them. Drop the crayon bits into the muffin cups. Slide into a warm oven and left the peices melt together. Keep an eye on them-the idea is to melt, not cook them. Remove from oven, and let them completly cool. Turn upside down and tap out of the pan.
What results are round crayon cookies--which are actually easier for some children-(preschoolers or handicapped) to hold.
I do this after I bake or cook so my oven is already warm.
By the way, ever notice when you go out to eat they give your kids brand new crayons each time with their coloring sheets?? That is because in most areas, sanatation laws prevent them from reusing the crayons from one dinner guest to the next. So, be sure to take those crayons home with you.
These can be great stocking stuffers too.

[keeneye]

Is it okay to put them directly in the pan? Do they leave any residue, or should I use an old pan only for this? Can you do this in the paper cupcake inserts, or will they stick?

[akaivyleaf]

I would do it with an old pan that you won't be using to cook food. They say crayons are non-toxic but why tempt fate.

I've done the same thing with candy molds in the microwave for other shaped crayons. Kids in Vacation Bible School love them. I generally get tasked for making crayons every year. I do varigated colors.... Pink on the top, green on the bottom, you can get very creative.

[mom-from-missouri]

I lightly grease an old pan. They will stick to paper muffin cups.

[keeneye]

Originally Posted by akaivyleaf

I do varigated colors.... Pink on the top, green on the bottom, you can get very creative.

How do you do that without having the colors run together?

[mom-from-missouri]

You put each color in a seperate cup of the muffin tin-all greens go in one, all blue in another...

[akaivyleaf]

or as I do when I make variated... I put crayon pieces together in clumps in the same mold. Remember I use candy molds and the microwave (on half power- should have said that in my first post). I can place the crayons where I want them and when they melt the melt down before they spread out. There is usually a very clear delineation between the colors. Other times I've done shavings and its truly variated throughout.

[PrincessPerky]

My Mom used to make them without separating the colors, made a swirl crayon.

I however am a crayon snob. I only use crayola or equivalent. I like restaurants that use nice crayons (when I can afford to go) but cheap crayons don't work well for 1 year olds, so we pitch 'em.
I am always curious how they make them and what is the difference between crayola and the other kinds. wondered if it was a simple thing I could add in or not. So far my research has onlyled me to a machine that uses premixed colors and a neat way to make a crayon ball.
Wait found it howstuffworks Or anyway it says how and what crayons are made of, it doesn't say why some crayons dont work as well as others.

[akaivyleaf]

The quality of the wax they use? Like parrifin versus, just plain ole wax maybe? I don't know, just guessing off the top of my head. There can't be that many ingredients to a crayon... Maybe the pigment- whatever they use for color is different? I'm kind of with you, I like crayola but I've noticed that when I melt down other brands with Crayola there is little difference in the final color.