Introduction: Use the Sun to Melt New Crayons

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About: I'm a Mum, an adventure guide, a radio tech, an avid inventor of cardboard box/toilet roll style fun, with the occasional grownup thing thrown in too.

We had a bunch of old broken crayons that were too small to use properly and a very hot day.

So to make use of both we melted the crayons into new stronger multi-coloured crayons.

Step 1: Gather Items

If you want to do this too you will need

  • crayons (ideally old broken crayons)
  • a silicon mold
  • a very hot day* (or a mildly hot day and a car)

*hot day not pictured.

Step 2: Peel Paper From Crayons

If any of your crayons still have the paper wrapper on them peel it off so that there will not be paper in the middle of the new crayon.

Step 3: Put Crayons in Mold in the Sun

Put your crayons in your mold and put them in the hot sun.

The first time I did this it was 42°C/107°F and they melted within half an hour.

The second time it was only 22°C/71°F so I put them in the car window in the sun and it took a few hours.

Some crayons melt into liquid while others became soft and malleable but maintained their shape unless they were pushed gently.

Step 4: Cool Crayons and Remove From Mold

Take your liquid crayons into the shade to harden and dry, once dry remove them from the mold.

The new crayons should be ready to draw with.

Don't use your mold for anything edible until it has been well cleaned.