I bought an old coffee maker at the thrift store for about $4 and use it to melt bits of old candles with. I made molds from plastic container of different shapes and sand molds from the dollar store. I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the container to put the wick through and use duct tape to seal the hole, tie the wick to a pencil layed across the container to hold the wick in place and pour the wax in to set.
When I'm done with it, I let it cool and put it away in the closet. No need to clean the coffee pot out, just keep for the next time you want to use it. If you want, pour the unused wax in a sour cream container and save it for next time you use that color wax. No more messy wax in your double boiler or on your stove top!
This sounds like a great idea, but I have one concern. How hot do these appliances get? Can you regulate the temperature? Parafin will explode into flames if heated at too hot a temp and can easily cause a house fire. Please use caution.
I place scented candles in a votive holder on the hot plate of a coffeemaker to melt the scented wax instead of burning the candle,( turn the coffee maker on after you put the candles on the cold surface) the fragrance fills the whole house once the wax is melted, the wick will fall in but a candle last for such a long time because your not burning it.
It might be possible to use a "hot pot" for this purpose also. If you're not familiar with a "hot pot," it's an electric pot that you put water in and it heats it up. These are especially good for college students to use to make that late night cup of instant coffee or tea or for making hot chocolate. Haven't tried it myself, but it might be less expensive than even a used coffee pot. I know I've seen "hot pots" at thrift stores for $1.
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