So, today being Sunday, and having cleared the mill of that whopping big lump of Ali, and with Windows MovieMaker making a right meal of that video I mentioned elsewhere... I had no choice but to crack on with this machinable wax (Who am I kidding? I've been looking forward to doing this all week!).
First task, shopping:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/01-Ingredients.jpg)
Candles: £3 each
Freezer bags: £1.14 each
All from Tesco, obviously...
The coloured stick is from an old artist's set I have lying around. No idea why, as I can't draw for toffee. Still, that means all the coloured sticks are intact
![:lol:](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/kranke_200-1.gif)
I added about 1/2 the blue one that you see to the melt. But I'm getting ahead of myself here....
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/02-Equipment.jpg)
The equipment is: An old toaster oven I have lying around. It's not been used in donkeys years, but seems to work OK. A brand new 20cm saucepan (less than £7 for a set of 3 from Tesco - bargain), and a jam thermometer (good for 200C/400F). The strange looking "funnel" device next to the saucepan came with the jam thermometer. With a spout type arrangement on it, it'll be ideal for refilling the various oil applicators I have, from the always-too-big oil containers... I think I've spilt more hydraulic oil than I've used...
OK, I'm rambling. On with the show... First, weigh the candle & the plastic:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/04-WeighPlastic.jpg)
Apply some simple mathematics:
![:lol:](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/kranke_200-1.gif)
And (with some rounding) we arrive at the conclusion that one box of plastic bags is almost exactly the right amount of plastic for 1 candle. Result!
So, melt the candles:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/06-MeltCandle.jpg)
Until they look like this:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/07-MoltenCandle.jpg)
The greenish tinge is that wax crayon. Goodness knows why it went green. You may also notice a slight issue here..... my 20cm saucepan is FAR too small to hold 2 candles AND 2 boxes of plastic bags. Doh! I transferred half the wax to a spare pan, then started adding the bags.
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/08-AddPlastic.jpg)
The PDF says "they will dissolve quite slowly". They weren't kidding. This was nearly an
hour later:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/09-SlowlyDissolves.jpg)
Fortunately, only another 20 mins required (ish):
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/10-UntilDone.jpg)
Although, in fact, there is some undissolved plastic in there still, which appeared when I poured it:
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/11-FirstBatch.jpg)
Those blue lumps are they. Still, we'll see how it goes... maybe I'll just use the 2nd batch (which went a lot quicker, as I just dumped as much LDPE in as I could, as fast as I could, and only stirred it occasionally) - that seemed to use all of its plastic up properly.
So, here they are, 2 slabs of machinable (?) wax... Still too warm to machine, I'll try them out tomorrow.
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/13-Finished.jpg)
PS: If you plan on using decent saucepans, don't use metallic tools! Like a screwdriver, or the thermometer, to stir your liquid, as you WILL damage the finish! And your beloved (if applicable) will NOT be best pleased with you!
![](http://www.lister-engine.com/pics/mwax/12-WreckedPan.jpg)
As far as making this stuff at home
1? Go for it. Provided you don't spill it, it's very clean. The only odour is a faint smell of candle wax - there's no molten plastic smells, and no smoke either. Very spouse-friendly
1 It occurs to me that, if you have a gas hob, you may be wise not to use it... I don't know how flammable the vapours which come off the pot of wax are, but I'd really rather not chance finding out...