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How to Preserve Leaves With Paraffin

While tree leaves are green in the longer days of spring and summer, the shorter periods of daylight in the fall bring a change. When fall arrives, the chlorophyll, which feeds the leaves and makes them appear green, begins to break down and other color pigments are more apparent such as yellow, red-orange, red, maroon or purple. Many people choose to preserve the eye-catching fall leaves and mount them on the pages of a book, or incorporate them into arts and crafts projects. One way to preserve leaves and their rich hues is to dip them in paraffin wax.

Things You'll Need

1/4 lb. of paraffin wax
2 clean metal cans (one can should fit inside the other one with room to spare)
Warm water
Pot holders
Newspaper
Leaves with stems intact (not dried)
Wax paper

Instructions

- 1
  Place 1/4 lb. of paraffin wax in the smaller metal can. Place the smaller can inside the larger can.
- 2
  Fill the larger can with warm water, within 1/2 inch of the outside rim of the smaller can. Fill the smaller can with warm water, within 1/2 inch of its inside rim.
- 3
  Place the cans on top of a stove burner on a medium-heat setting. Heat until the paraffin has melted. The paraffin will float on top of the water when melted.
- 4
  Remove the can from the heat with pot holders, and place it on a folded newspaper, several layers thick.
- 5
  Hold the leaf by the stem and dip it into the liquid paraffin. Pull it out, and place on a piece of wax paper until the wax hardens to the touch. Repeat for each leaf.

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