How To Melt Crayons In Silicone Molds The Easy Way
Do you have a bunch of unused crayons at your home? This is one of the coolest crafts to help you recycle & reuse those crayons. Learn how to melt crayons in silicone molds to make new colorful and fun-shaped crayons in less than 15 minutes!
These DIY crayons are perfect for treat bags, Valentine’s party favors and gifts. The best part is you can make any shaped crayon molds you want over and over.
What readers say:
“Very easy to follow, the tip to get the paper off was really helpful”
BEth
Supplies You’ll Need
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Crayon Mold Tip: Prepare Ahead!
Silicone baking molds like ours always go on sale once the holiday is over and you can find them in so many fun shapes. You should not try to reuse these molds for food items in the future.
Other crayon molds to consider buying
- Amazon: Letter molds for personalized letter crayon gifts
- Michael’s: Holiday molds or even these fun flower molds
- Walmart: Awesome truck silicone molds
How To Make Crayons In Silicone Molds
Step 1: Take The Wrapper Off
Peel the crayon wrapper off of the crayons. Soaking in warm water for 10-15 minutes can help with the process.
Some of the papers will honestly just fall off. For stubborn crayon wrappers, rub your hands over the paper to completely remove them.
Step 2: Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: Fill Molds
Place broken crayon pieces in molds. Overfill the molds (especially if they are smaller hearts). The crayons melt to fill every empty space.
Step 4: Place In The Oven
Put silicone mold on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven.
Step 5: Cook For 8-12 Minutes Until Fully Melted
For the small molds, cook for 8-12 minutes. Make sure to watch for when they are fully melted. You do not want to overcook them.
Step 6: Pull Out Of Oven & Let Cool
Once you see that the crayons have fully melted, pull them out of the oven immediately. The wax will be very hot and liquid. How long your newly formed crayons need to cool will depend on the size of your molds.
If one crayon isn’t melting easily, you can take it out of the oven and stir with a toothpick. The hot wax will help melt that stubborn piece.
After 20 Minutes…
In the image below, you can see that the melted wax has solidified and was cool to the touch after about 20 minutes.
Step 7: Remove Them From The Mold
Once one is completely cool to the touch, you can carefully push it out of the heart mold.
Adult Supervision Needed
Warning! My kids were very excited to see the crayons.
Even with me standing right there they were tempted to touch the pan or melted wax. It all looks very cool, but make sure you don’t let anyone touch the hot surfaces and hot wax.
Be careful when handling the baking sheet and crayon molds. Also, don’t leave them unattended because you never know who might get curious.
Notes On Melting Times
- Our large molds took about 12 minutes at 300 F and took about 30 minutes before I was comfortable pulling the crayons out of the molds.
- Make sure that your new crayons are fully cooled. Do not rush this part. You don’t want to break your awesome creations.
We also tried to melt the crayons at 200 degrees F, but it just was taking too long. We found the sweet spot at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember just like with baking all things can vary, so just keep a close eye on your melted crayon wax as it is happening.
Factors That May Change The Crayon Melting Time
- The size you cut or broke your crayons. Small pieces will not take nearly as long to melt as larger pieces.
- Your molds are different sizes.
- Your oven runs differently than mine (sorry not really a baker to tell you why).
- The brand of crayons or even colors used. In past crayon projects, we have found that certain colors have a higher melting point than other colors.
Other Tips
- You can attempt to make a rainbow crayon, just be careful because the darker colors can overtake the brighter ones.
- Similar colored crayons or ones next to each other the color wheel seemed to work better.
- Consider adding white crayon pieces when filling your crayon molds. It can create a cool design in your DIY crayons.
Don’t have silicone molds?
- If you don’t have silicone molds you could try melting crayons in old mini muffin tins or using old metal cookie cutters.
- Consider making new crayons in cupcake liners. We give you the complete tutorial in the link.
Crayon Making FAQs
Even the youngest children can help make decisions about the colors they are using in this fun project. Our oldest was able to even understand that red and green might not work out too well because they are opposite on the color wheel.
Yes, make sure that you are purchasing silicone molds that say oven-safe. Our molds said they were oven-safe, freezer-safe and heat-resistant up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some of the cheaper molds you may find are only ice cube trays and are not labeled as oven-safe.
You could use a heat gun, microwave, or even a blow dryer to melt crayons. However, the oven is the easiest way.
Our past experiences confirmed that Crayola crayons are the most vibrant and easiest to melt. Some of the other brands of crayons take a little bit longer.
Follow us on Pinterest, YouTube, or Flipboard for more free art and craft ideas!
Related Easy Crafts
- DIY Christmas Tree Crayons: Follow a very similar tutorial to make fun stocking stuffers below!
- How To Make Slow Cooker Playdough: Easily make this recipe in your crock pot without cream of tartar.
- Homemade Oobleck Recipe Without Cornstarch: Just another boredom buster that kids love!
Without even realizing it our children were discussing the primary colors, similar colors and color theory trying to guess how their new crayons may come out. It truly is so much fun and doesn’t cost much to do.
My family honestly couldn’t believe how awesome our homemade melted crayons looked once we could peel them out of the crayon molds!
Do you like this art project? Please give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.
How To Melt & Make Crayons Molds
Equipment
- Oven
- Cookie Sheet
- Cup of warm water
Supplies
- Old crayons
- Silicone Molds these are similar to the ones we used
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place peeled and broken crayon pieces in molds. Overfill the molds (especially if they are smaller hearts). The crayons melt to fill every empty space.
- Put silicone mold on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven.
- Place in oven and cook for 8-12 minutes. Time may vary.
- Once you see that the crayons have fully melted, pull them out of the oven immediately.
- The wax will be very hot and liquid. How long your newly formed crayons need to cool will depend on the size of your molds.
- Once one is completely cool to the touch, you can carefully push them out of the silicone mold.
Video
Notes
- Adult supervision is required! Don’t leave young children unattended with hot wax.
- Pull out crayons as soon as you see the wax fully melted.
- The hot wax will take around 20-30 minutes to harden and cool.
- Cook time will vary depending on the size of your broken pieces and your oven settings.
- If there is one stubborn crayon with the melted wax, you can use a toothpick to stir the wax in the mold.
How do you clean any leftover crayon residue when you are finished? Thank you!
Hi Nicole. We only use our silicone molds for crayons so we just reuse them. However, I would think you could chip off the dried wax and wash with really hot water to get them clean again.
Do your crayons work the same as they did before you remade them into heart shape crayons? I feel like I’ve done this before and the crayons just didn’t work the same. They were crayolas. Have you ever experienced this?
Hi Chelsey. I think due to the shape sometimes the crayons work differently. The curved edge of the hearts makes them a little harder to use, but our kids love seeing the rainbow colors that they get.
This was a fun activity to do. Thanks
Hi Shanah. I am glad you had fun making your own homemade crayons!
Very easy to follow, the tip to get the paper off was really helpful!
Hi Beth! Yes, soaking the crayons is a must!!!!! I am glad your crayon-making was a success.
Have you had trouble getting the crayons out of the molds? Do the molds get stained?
I’ve done this before in metal tins but I love the idea of using fun shapes.
Hi Kathleen. The molds actually are pretty easy to get the crayons out of. There is definitely a little wax left on the mold, but you could easily get them clean. I only buy mine on sale and use them to make new crayons, so I don’t worry about getting them completely clean. Good luck with your crayon making!
We don’t have an oven at school. Do you think this could work in a microwave?
Honestly, I don’t know 100% if silicone molds can go in a microwave. You would also probably have to worry about splatter in the microwave and that could make a mess. I would love to hear if you figure this out, but I personally haven’t tried in the microwave.
Love these Crayon Molds! I made them with the kids I babysit and they were a hit. Great tutorial.
Thanks, Courtney! I am glad you loved melting crayon molds!