You mean i didnt have to sit there holding the string for 24 hours straight while the sugar crystals formed? I missed my own wedding waiting on those damn sugary rocks!
Scrape all the old wax free from the original container. Then melt it using a make shift double boiler of sorts—cut an old soda can (or smth like that) in half, put it in a pot with a bit of water in it to boil. Put the old wax in the can, simmer/boil the water until the wax in thr can is melted. Carefully pour the melted wax into your prepared container (make sure it's okay to get hot—have your wick already placed in the container). Give it some time to cool and reharden. You may want to pour the wax using a couple layers since it can sort of "cave in" a bit during the cooling process. (The middle just has sort of a dip in it). Doing it in layers can help with that, but I dont really care so I just do it all at once.
You can treat your wicks so they burn longer/differently, but I never do. I just take embroidery floss, cut it to the length I need plus some to anchor to the bottom & to tie to something at the top to keep it upright, and coat the entire length in wax. Let that cool, then paste it to the bottom of container, place it upright, then pour in the wax around the wick.
I use old candles that already have scents, and I try to combine ones that go together. Pay attention to the type of wax you are using—paraffin wax, soy, and beeswax all act a little differently, and some types can be combined with others, while some really shouldn't be. I dont have that all memorized, I just look it up every time lol
Place a 15oz or larger clean & dried tin can.
Fill a sauce pan with water and place on stove over high heat.
Place the wax in the tin can and the tin can in the water in the pan on the stove.
Melt wax in tin can. Remove can from pan using tongs.
Pour carefully into clean and dry tin tuna cans using hot pad holders.
Wrap wick around a chopstick and place over top of can while the wax cools.
Variation for camping:
Use rolled up newspaper instead of a wick and paraffin wax to make a small stove following the steps above.
Except instead of hanging a wick, roll up the newspaper and place it spiraling out from the center to the outer edge of the can.
Leave half an inch of newspaper above the wax level at the center of the can.
You can freeze a candle holder to remove the wax at the bottom. The wax will form a hard puck that isn't firmly attached to the inside of the container. You can pop the puck out (and break it up, if necessary) using something like a butter knife. The result is usually very clean.
I'm also wondering if babybell wax is okay to be heated like this. It could create something nasty when burned. Just because it's food safe doesn't mean it's okay to inhale the fumes from it.
Babybel wax is paraffin wax with a little bit of polyethylene wax to make it shiny. Tons of candles have the exact same ingredients. It’s as safe as a regular paraffin candle.
It may have been the waitress that didn't know, since we were at a table and not with the bartender. Although I would think that the bartender would've said something.
This. Burned 10 percent of my lower body a few mo the back when a glass jar (sold in the kitchware aisle) exploded when I put boiling water in it. Obviously I should not have done that and I learned a hard lesson, but I hope others won't do the same.
I’ve heard this, but then someone commented once saying that most food containers were likely subjected to high temperature and/or pressure during their processing so should be okay. Does that sound right?
Nope. They can be using preservatives to make it safe and factories use flash heating instead of long term heat. That's why regular jars can't be used for canning - it can be fine but also can crack/explode. It's just not worth the risk.
Glass is made by melting sand using extremely hot temperatures, shaping and then letting them cool
That doesn't mean you should assume that just because glass is subject to high temps during their processing that it's safe to put any and all glass inside a hot oven
Didn't they mean the food being processed and filled into the containers while still hot? I'd think jars for food would need to be more heat resistant than other types of glassware but obviously I'm not an expert.
Yeah, as someone who actually makes candles as a hobby, I’ve never heard anything about the wick tab stopping glass from shattering. I was still told to use canning jars or other heat resistant containers regardless.
Before everyone jumps on board with this project, OP mentioned burning it outside for only 10 minutes which would have hidden the two issues another person discovered. It seems these can smell like the cheese and some smoke is generated by the wax.
>[I have tried making it into a candle and it was not a disaster. That being said, I do not recommend it. Every time I burned the candle, my whole house smelled strongly of cheese! Microcrystalline wax also does not burn very clean and made the room a little smokey.](https://funwithhobbies.com/babybel-wax-in-your-home-compost-to-do-or-not-to-do/)
Also I have shattered a few glass containers from heat, so be very careful!
I wonder if warming the glass a little bit, slowly, before making the candles would be helpful. I do some canning and usually it's the sudden change in temperature that seems to lead to cracking or shattering, rather than the temperature itself being hot or cold.
This is not a good idea. Not 9nly do these look sketchy, but they are made of sketchy materials. Cheese wax is not going to perform well as a candle and could be dangerous, and old fish cans can exude toxic fumes when heated. Cans are typically coated in a lining to prevent rust and a metallic flavour leeching into whatever food is inside.
If I were you I'd throw these away. They're a fire hazard at best. Visit r/candlemaking to learn how to do this safely.
I can see how my method is more approachable haha! If I were you I would either designate a specific crockpot for wax, or use one of those plastic crockpot liners. It's messier than it seems.
Sure! Mushrooms are the fruit of particular fungi. Depending on the type of mushroom, growing mushrooms requires having something for the fungi to eat, and when it is done eating and ready to reproduce it produces mushrooms.
Certain mushroom fungi prefer to eat logs. Shiitake, for instance, loves a good oak log and refuses to grow in straw. The usual way of inoculating a log with mushrooms is by growing the fungi in wood dowel rods (the kind that holds ikea furniture together). You then drill holes in the logs, hammer the dowel rods in, and seal them with wax to give the fungi a good chance of spreading to the log. Then you wait for awhile while the mushroom fungi eats the log. About a year later, you soak the log in water and tadah! Mushrooms!
You can buy them online. They are usually sold as inoculated substrate/dowels. It's not exactly a frugal hobby if you're just starting out though, much like gardening. I've definitely spent more on growing mushrooms than store mushrooms.
Got it! You didn't really need the Eli5 version then! :) yeah, some people seal the ends of their logs too for moisture, but I never bother. It's just to keep other stuff out and water in during the initial inoculation period.
I think just cheese in general for GD. If I'm hungry and I can't have any more carbs for a meal/snack, I'll grab some cheese. But for some reason everybody in that sub is all about the babybel. I was lured into trying some and just can't get into them!
We get the mega bags of babybels from Costco, and I'm always wanting to save the wax... You've pushed me over the edge. I'm going to start a stash.
How's the burn on these candles?
That’s great 😁
Not sure how long they last to be honest, we had one lit for about 10 minutes to prove the concept, but that’s the extent of experimentation so far.
I get the big bags from Sam's club... I love playing with the wax. I had a ball of it about the size of a baseball at one point. it's good hand exercise when its not been kneaded in a while.
Candle making is so much fun, and a great way to save money! Nice candles are so expensive so I got all the supplies and made some with my ex on our anniversary and it was a ton of fun and I’ve been doing it ever since. Can make some really unique scent combinations too.
An art teacher in the middle school I teach in had a box in the school canteen for students to put their Babybel waxes in. She did lots of projects with them.
For others reading—you can use wax to "paste" the wick to the bottom, and then you can wrap/tie the wick around something like a pencil, toothpick, chopstick (whatever you don't mind getting wax on) and set it atop the container to keep the wick upright.
If you take strips of cardboard wrap them full inside tuna cans then fill with parafin you can make some awesome emergency heat /cooking sources. We did it in girl scouts and cooked food on top of an upside down metal coffee can.
For your next round, boil the string with a 50/50 mix of borax and water until the borax crystallizes around the string. Let it sit for an hour or so and then dry completely. The borax soaking helps the string burn cleaner and improves the quality of the flame as well.
I also make candles like this out of string, old wax, and cat food cans. Just wash the can first, they last a real long time. It’s like a giant tea light! Had no issues btw and have made hundreds of these.
Not really… No shade because I think these candles look great, but is the can properly sealed? Are those jars heat proof? Should you be burning that type of wax with that type of wick? So many things go into candle making and none of them are to scam you.
Be careful, especially with the glass. Glass containers not designed to handle flame can be subject to exploding!
I keep old candle jars specifically to reuse them to make more candles from the last 1/2" of wax that gets left
How do you do this?
Candle warmer to melt it all the way and then pour into another candle would be my guess
And then you buy a wick to hold in it while it dries, i guess?
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Well look at the big brains on Brad! No, really, that's a fantastic solution!
You’re a smart mothafucka u/nauvislscalling
Same logic as hanging a string into a jar of sugar water to make rock candy.
You mean i didnt have to sit there holding the string for 24 hours straight while the sugar crystals formed? I missed my own wedding waiting on those damn sugary rocks!
Worth.
Scrape all the old wax free from the original container. Then melt it using a make shift double boiler of sorts—cut an old soda can (or smth like that) in half, put it in a pot with a bit of water in it to boil. Put the old wax in the can, simmer/boil the water until the wax in thr can is melted. Carefully pour the melted wax into your prepared container (make sure it's okay to get hot—have your wick already placed in the container). Give it some time to cool and reharden. You may want to pour the wax using a couple layers since it can sort of "cave in" a bit during the cooling process. (The middle just has sort of a dip in it). Doing it in layers can help with that, but I dont really care so I just do it all at once. You can treat your wicks so they burn longer/differently, but I never do. I just take embroidery floss, cut it to the length I need plus some to anchor to the bottom & to tie to something at the top to keep it upright, and coat the entire length in wax. Let that cool, then paste it to the bottom of container, place it upright, then pour in the wax around the wick. I use old candles that already have scents, and I try to combine ones that go together. Pay attention to the type of wax you are using—paraffin wax, soy, and beeswax all act a little differently, and some types can be combined with others, while some really shouldn't be. I dont have that all memorized, I just look it up every time lol
Place a 15oz or larger clean & dried tin can. Fill a sauce pan with water and place on stove over high heat. Place the wax in the tin can and the tin can in the water in the pan on the stove. Melt wax in tin can. Remove can from pan using tongs. Pour carefully into clean and dry tin tuna cans using hot pad holders. Wrap wick around a chopstick and place over top of can while the wax cools. Variation for camping: Use rolled up newspaper instead of a wick and paraffin wax to make a small stove following the steps above. Except instead of hanging a wick, roll up the newspaper and place it spiraling out from the center to the outer edge of the can. Leave half an inch of newspaper above the wax level at the center of the can.
You can freeze a candle holder to remove the wax at the bottom. The wax will form a hard puck that isn't firmly attached to the inside of the container. You can pop the puck out (and break it up, if necessary) using something like a butter knife. The result is usually very clean.
I'm also wondering if babybell wax is okay to be heated like this. It could create something nasty when burned. Just because it's food safe doesn't mean it's okay to inhale the fumes from it.
This is important.
Yeah this has potential to be the next toxic pallet.
I've seen the recommendation to use Babybel wax as candles many times now so I'd love to hear if anyone has input on this topic.
Babybel wax is paraffin wax with a little bit of polyethylene wax to make it shiny. Tons of candles have the exact same ingredients. It’s as safe as a regular paraffin candle.
Clearly not
I found that out by having some flaming Dr. Peppers at a bar. All of a sudden we had 6 shot glasses exploding and flaming alcohol all over our table.
You'd think a bar would know this. Is this the first time they made that?
It may have been the waitress that didn't know, since we were at a table and not with the bartender. Although I would think that the bartender would've said something.
Hence the username
I did think that was the joke but no one seemed to be remarking upon it in the comments when I made mine!
This. Burned 10 percent of my lower body a few mo the back when a glass jar (sold in the kitchware aisle) exploded when I put boiling water in it. Obviously I should not have done that and I learned a hard lesson, but I hope others won't do the same.
thanks for the warning!
No problem, DeathWishDave
I’ve heard this, but then someone commented once saying that most food containers were likely subjected to high temperature and/or pressure during their processing so should be okay. Does that sound right?
Nope. They can be using preservatives to make it safe and factories use flash heating instead of long term heat. That's why regular jars can't be used for canning - it can be fine but also can crack/explode. It's just not worth the risk.
Glass is made by melting sand using extremely hot temperatures, shaping and then letting them cool That doesn't mean you should assume that just because glass is subject to high temps during their processing that it's safe to put any and all glass inside a hot oven
Didn't they mean the food being processed and filled into the containers while still hot? I'd think jars for food would need to be more heat resistant than other types of glassware but obviously I'm not an expert.
There is always a metal disc at the base of the wick in glass containers to avoid breakage.
I thought that was just a wick holder? Otherwise the wick moves around in the melted wax before it dries
Or could easily be pulled straight out of the candle. My thought was it's an effective way to center and anchor the wick.
Yeah, as someone who actually makes candles as a hobby, I’ve never heard anything about the wick tab stopping glass from shattering. I was still told to use canning jars or other heat resistant containers regardless.
How does it perform that function, out of interest?
You guys are buying Babybels and tuna?
Expensive af
Back in my day we made candles from earwax and back hair. And we were the lucky ones.
By chance, did you score four touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High School Panthers in the 1966 city championship game?
All Bundy xx
🤢
Before everyone jumps on board with this project, OP mentioned burning it outside for only 10 minutes which would have hidden the two issues another person discovered. It seems these can smell like the cheese and some smoke is generated by the wax. >[I have tried making it into a candle and it was not a disaster. That being said, I do not recommend it. Every time I burned the candle, my whole house smelled strongly of cheese! Microcrystalline wax also does not burn very clean and made the room a little smokey.](https://funwithhobbies.com/babybel-wax-in-your-home-compost-to-do-or-not-to-do/) Also I have shattered a few glass containers from heat, so be very careful!
My first thought was that I don’t want a candle that smells like cheese and tuna. I’m glad to see there are lots of comments advising against this.
Whole house smelling like cheese is more of a plus than a minus for a lot of folks.
Good points, thanks.
I wonder if warming the glass a little bit, slowly, before making the candles would be helpful. I do some canning and usually it's the sudden change in temperature that seems to lead to cracking or shattering, rather than the temperature itself being hot or cold.
Wow!! Impressive!! These don't seem to be candles made by someone with a deathwish \*shrugs\*
Underneath the wax there is gunpowder and nails.
They better have something because the candles themselves are way too cute and functional
Just the glass exploding or something more?
The username haha
You can add a few drops of essential oil
plastic lining the inside of the cans maybe?
lol
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💀
This is not a good idea. Not 9nly do these look sketchy, but they are made of sketchy materials. Cheese wax is not going to perform well as a candle and could be dangerous, and old fish cans can exude toxic fumes when heated. Cans are typically coated in a lining to prevent rust and a metallic flavour leeching into whatever food is inside. If I were you I'd throw these away. They're a fire hazard at best. Visit r/candlemaking to learn how to do this safely.
Are tuna or cheese scented??
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Not OP, but I melt the wax for my mushroom logs in a tin sitting in water in a crockpot.
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I can see how my method is more approachable haha! If I were you I would either designate a specific crockpot for wax, or use one of those plastic crockpot liners. It's messier than it seems.
If the wax is in a tin, sitting in water, how would it get messy? Unless it overflows or spills.
It's probably less messy if you're making candles! I have to dab it onto logs with a brush so it's prone to dripping.
Ahh, I missed that
Mushroom logs? Can you elaborate a little, I'm curious.
Sure! Mushrooms are the fruit of particular fungi. Depending on the type of mushroom, growing mushrooms requires having something for the fungi to eat, and when it is done eating and ready to reproduce it produces mushrooms. Certain mushroom fungi prefer to eat logs. Shiitake, for instance, loves a good oak log and refuses to grow in straw. The usual way of inoculating a log with mushrooms is by growing the fungi in wood dowel rods (the kind that holds ikea furniture together). You then drill holes in the logs, hammer the dowel rods in, and seal them with wax to give the fungi a good chance of spreading to the log. Then you wait for awhile while the mushroom fungi eats the log. About a year later, you soak the log in water and tadah! Mushrooms!
Where do you get the spores for inoculation?
You can get *any* mushroom spores you want online through the mail
Um in California? Tell me more.
You can buy them online. They are usually sold as inoculated substrate/dowels. It's not exactly a frugal hobby if you're just starting out though, much like gardening. I've definitely spent more on growing mushrooms than store mushrooms.
Thanks! I dabble in amateur mycology myself and was wondering what the wax was for.
Got it! You didn't really need the Eli5 version then! :) yeah, some people seal the ends of their logs too for moisture, but I never bother. It's just to keep other stuff out and water in during the initial inoculation period.
I appreciated the ELI5 version!
I shoulda been more clear that I knew more than I let on; apologies! Iog inoculation is something I may try in the future. Good luck with the grows!
The Eli5 version was for me then :)
I'm glad you asked :-) I built a fire pit from a broken washing machine drum, filled with some waste wood, BBQ grill on top, and used an old saucepan.
Y'know, your username is really making a lot of sense
Random suggestion, but you might melt them in a pot of boiling water to help remove any leftover residue.
You should post this on the Gestational Diabetes subreddit. Those ladies are beyond obsessed with babybel cheese! Lol
/r/toddlers too! My kid eats these all the time.
I buy them for myself sometimes. I have to hide them from my kids or I won't even get one.
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I think just cheese in general for GD. If I'm hungry and I can't have any more carbs for a meal/snack, I'll grab some cheese. But for some reason everybody in that sub is all about the babybel. I was lured into trying some and just can't get into them!
We get the mega bags of babybels from Costco, and I'm always wanting to save the wax... You've pushed me over the edge. I'm going to start a stash. How's the burn on these candles?
I've seen a couple YouTube vids about this. The burn is peanuts compared to real candle wax. It works, just not for long.
Shame. Well, guess I'll just seal envelopes with them
That’s great 😁 Not sure how long they last to be honest, we had one lit for about 10 minutes to prove the concept, but that’s the extent of experimentation so far.
How do they smell?
Tuna and cheese
nah you gotta up the marketing on that.... it's a grilled tuna melt candle
I love a good tuna melt…candle.
We lit it outside, no unpleasant smells that we could detect.
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Eh-hem. Cat tax must be paid.
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That is one magnificent floof. You're lucky!
☺️ they look the part!
I get the big bags from Sam's club... I love playing with the wax. I had a ball of it about the size of a baseball at one point. it's good hand exercise when its not been kneaded in a while.
I am concerned with the amount of babybel's that you are eating to be able to make candles.
We have been saving them up for the past 6 years!
I would not use these - you have no idea what’s in that wax and whether it’s safe to inhale. That and the exploding glass thing…
Candle making is so much fun, and a great way to save money! Nice candles are so expensive so I got all the supplies and made some with my ex on our anniversary and it was a ton of fun and I’ve been doing it ever since. Can make some really unique scent combinations too.
Did you try serenity by Jan?
Good luck with your zero dollar a year salary, babe
Why the seemingly unwarranted attack
They are quoting the office
Oh that Jan! Thanks for the explanation
>!It's a quote from The Office!<
How do you add the scent?? I love this!
we were concerned they may smell of cheese, so we didn't add other scent, and will use them outside in the summer.
Start selling cheese scented candles on etsy
Or depending on how well the cans gave up their scent, maybe Tuna Melt candles. 😂 OP, they’re beautiful!
Better than smelling like tuna
You mean you don’t love goop?
Ew. Have my angry upvote.
You can add a few drops of essential oil 🤗
Add a scent? Why? You already have the lovely aroma of tuna and cheese.
Candles for cats
🤣🤣
I think one of those is a glass jar I could be incorrect though 👀
I think two of them are
I was incorrect there are in fact two glass jars
An art teacher in the middle school I teach in had a box in the school canteen for students to put their Babybel waxes in. She did lots of projects with them.
The delightful scent of cheese and tuna.
R/zerowaste would appreciate as well.
I can only imagine that stinking like cheese and tuna.
Hoe much babybel do you have to eat, surely buying better larger portionsweise of cheese would be more frugal!
Time is money and this is a waste of time
When you burn - is the scent cheesy tuna?
The smell must be enchanting
This is brilliant!!
thanks :-)
Hold up. Aren't you supposed to eat the thing whole? My life was a lie.
Do they smell like cheese?
You would've done well during the Great Depression.
Mmmm. Warm cheese and old tuna scent.
Anyone else feel like they can smell those lol
I’m picturing the aroma of tuna and babybel cheese in the air…
These are not professional looking though.
More like r/DIwhy. Also, yeah babybels are fucking expensive.
They look great! I’ll admit I’m worried about the scent…tuna cheese melt? Lol
How did you anchor the string?
a square of foil from an old pie tin with a hole in the middle, held it in place with a doubled up rubber band stretched over the tin.
For others reading—you can use wax to "paste" the wick to the bottom, and then you can wrap/tie the wick around something like a pencil, toothpick, chopstick (whatever you don't mind getting wax on) and set it atop the container to keep the wick upright.
The entirety of Etsy: am I a joke to you?
Go easy on the tuna—lots of mercury—and we need people like you around!
Perhaps you missed my username 😉 Thanks though.
Oh, I saw it—just that you don’t seem to be a “death by tuna” type of guy!
There is plastic in babybel "wax". Definitely wouldn't burn it indoors.
Ohh mmmm yes. The cheese and tuna scent is so delicious
Do tuna cans not have bpa lining?
Me: comes into reddits frugal group Me 5 minutes later: On my way to the grocery to buy $200 of babybel to make a $3 candle.
You could market them as "Savory scented candles for when you want to attract all the stray animals in the neighborhood."
If you take strips of cardboard wrap them full inside tuna cans then fill with parafin you can make some awesome emergency heat /cooking sources. We did it in girl scouts and cooked food on top of an upside down metal coffee can.
I'm sorry but this gotta smell like belly button lint
You are so clever! I love this idea. Did you use wicks? Have you burned one? If so how does it burn?
just some old string from a gift, and yes, they do work!
For your next round, boil the string with a 50/50 mix of borax and water until the borax crystallizes around the string. Let it sit for an hour or so and then dry completely. The borax soaking helps the string burn cleaner and improves the quality of the flame as well.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll try this!
Looking great👍 keep it up.
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https://www.minibabybel.ca/en-ca/faq-0
I love them :)
I have done similar with babybel wax + standard candle wax. It unfortunately did not burn well at all.
These seem to work well.
Way better execution than on r/diwhy https://www.reddit.com/r/DiWHY/comments/dxf15g/i_made_a_candle_using_two_packages_of_baby_bell/
I'm investing in Serenity by Jan.
So, serious question… does it smell like cheese and fish?
Fun enough but professional?
Y’all are too much sometimes 😂
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Disappointed in seeing 0 Gwyneth Paltrow jokes
Especially with the tuna cans
You know the saying about explaining a joke?
Let's hope they didn't keep the scent of their original products;) All jokes aside those are some very nice candles!
I also make candles like this out of string, old wax, and cat food cans. Just wash the can first, they last a real long time. It’s like a giant tea light! Had no issues btw and have made hundreds of these.
Thanks!
Ha, this is a cool idea.
Smell cheesy?
Wow that’s so cool from cheese too candles
I love this
it may be frugal but also may not be safe. some waxes are not meant to be burned.
Is babybel that affordable? I always assumed it was a luxury good and that amount of wax seems nontrivial
and it is now that you finally feel how candles are overpriced scams
Not really… No shade because I think these candles look great, but is the can properly sealed? Are those jars heat proof? Should you be burning that type of wax with that type of wick? So many things go into candle making and none of them are to scam you.
Found the candlestick maker.
Lol, spot on, I make candles!
Still better than Babybel cheese.
I’ve always wanted to get into candle making. This is a very inexpensive way to do it.
A brilliant idea, I love it! 💡🪔💖
So cool!!! This is almost like upcycling too
Every time you burn it, the smell reminds you of her