How to Melt Broken Crayons Together

Use old crayons by melting them.

Often as children use crayons, the points become dull, crayons break in half and the labels wear off. When the crayon box contains these broken and well-used crayons, repurpose them to give them an extended life. The colors of these crayons are still vibrant and bold, so melt broken crayons together to create bright crayons that children will enjoy using for art projects.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable oil
• Muffin tin
• Old crayons

Instructions

1. Coat the insides of the muffin tin with vegetable oil.

2. Remove all the labels from the crayons and discard them. Break the crayons into 1-inch pieces.

3. Place about 12 to 14 pieces of crayon into each muffin tin. Mix up the colors to make interesting crayon combinations.

4. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the muffin tin into the oven.

5. Monitor the melting process carefully. After between five and eight minutes, the crayon pieces will melt. Remove the muffin tin immediately when the pieces liquefy.

6. Allow the melted crayons to cool completely.

7. Invert the muffin tin after the crayons have cooled. Tap on the bottom of the tins, and the blended crayons should fall out.

Tips & Warnings

• Try using a mini-muffin tin and about half as many crayon pieces to make smaller crayons.

• The Crayola website advises that crayons melt at temperatures between 128 and 147 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not heat crayons past the melting point or irritating fumes may occur.

References

• Crayola: At What Temperature Do Crayola Crayons Melt?
• Crayola: Melted Crayons