Melting & Casting Process for Upcycling Candle Remnants

The Project

SecondLight aims to solve the waste of candle wax. Currently, many tons of leftover wax are disposed of because they would no longer burn a whole evening, the candles no longer look nice or the wick can no longer be ignited. The result is that raw materials are spent to make new candles.
Secondlight solves the problem by collecting the wax remnants from restaurants, private individuals, churches, etc., processing them and casting them into new candles. This is done in collaboration with a workshop for the disabled. In this way, the people with disabilities who work there can pursue a varied, exciting activity while simultaneously casting new candles.

The Problem

The candle remnants are melted in a pot. This pot has a tap from which the melted wax is poured into the molds. The tap has a diameter of about 1 cm. However, due to various impurities in the wax residues such as old wicks, plant material, packaging, etc., the tap regularly clogs up, so that a wire must be used to free the tap from the residues again. This delays the process.

The Challenge

A technical or process solution is needed to either free the wax from the impurities in a simple way before or after melting but before casting. We have already experimented with a grid in front of the tap. Here, the stopcock did not close, but the grid also requires cleaning during casting. We would be very grateful for any suggestions for solutions!

Author

L_Bruhns