Tag Archive: candle

Make a candle out of Crisco or Olive Oil.

ITEMS NEEDED

1 Can Crisco

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1-3 Wicks (need to be longer than height of can, cut to match)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1)  Open a can of Crisco. The bigger the can, the better.

2) Insert the candle wick into the center of the can of Crisco. If the can has a large diameter, multiple wicks can be inserted. Leave a quarter of an inch of wick showing above the Crisco to make sure the flame is a manageable size.

3) Even out the top of the Crisco so the candle is smooth.

4) Light the wick and enjoy the candle.

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WATCH THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE THIS VERY CANDLE!

If you’re worried about the possible combustion of the shortening container which is made of Aluminum foil covered cardboard, transfer the shortening into a #10 can, a large can like is used in tomato sauce or is used in large cans of vegetables. Use 1/8″ to ¼” cotton rope / twine weighted / tied at the bottom of what will be your wick with an old washer / nut or a short nail. Only use cotton line / twine or rope for your wicks, no cotton blend stuff, cotton only.

Virtually any hardware store or hardware / camping / boating section of a store will carry 100% cotton line / rope. Any large margartine tub 3 Lb lid will fit a #10 can perfectly.

Common lard will also work in a #10 can with a cotton wick for your candle fuel.

You can use whatever you want for a wick, a string will work just fine, its all a matter of how much work you want to make for yourself and the metal base just makes it easier, trying to push a string centered down the candle so it will not not burn at odd angles would be difficult.
To use home cotton string and make it into a good wick this is what i do.

1. Cut three strips of cotton string to the length of the candle plus 4 inches.

2. Mix 1 tbsp. salt, 3 tbsp. boric acid and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Soak the strips in the mixture for 12 hours. Soak more strips if you are making more candles.

3. Dry the strings by hanging them or laying them out in the sun. Drying times depends on how warm the air is.

4. Braid three strips together tightly. Tape the end of the three strands to a flat surface to keep the braid from unraveling at one end. It also makes it easier to pull tightly.

5. Saturate the wick by dipping it in wax. Dipping the wick in wax makes it stiff. The wax coating also makes lighting easier. Use scissors to hold the wick to avoid burns. Let the wick dry.

6. Tie the wick to the metal or paper piece. This piece holds the wick in place when the wax is poured.

Another option is to make candles out of Olive Oil.

It’s a good idea to be able to know how to create your own light sources in case you ever need them. This is a simple candle that you can put together with things that you already have laying around the kitchen (besides the wick, but I’d recommend keeping that as a regular stockpiled item anyways!)

What you need:

  • Jar
  • Olive Oil
  • Wire or Paper Clip
  • Wick

Depending on how long you want your candle to burn you can pick different thicknesses of wick. The one I used here is the one I had on hand but I think for next time I will get some thicker wick or even lantern wick so it provides for light and burns longer.

Cut the wick a couple inches long. Wrap part of the wire or paper clip wire around one end of the wick. Wrap it tight enough that the wick can’t fall down but no so tight that you can’t move the wick up when you need to.

Bend the wire so it hooks onto the side of the jar.

Here’s a close up of the wick in the middle. You don’t want too much sticking above the oil because it needs to be able to soak the oil all the way up the wick to burn.

Add your olive oil and that’s it! To save money on olive oil you could buy the expired oils from surplus stores.

The awesome thing about this candle/lantern is that olive oil burns clean and doesn’t smoke. You can make these lanterns in any size of jar that you have on hand (the one I used here is a half pint). You may want to stick with a wide mouth jar though to make it easier to fix the wick when you need to. Also, if you want them to be scented you could just add essential oils (or even dried or fresh herbs!) right to the oil.

Via: greatnorthernprepper , littlehouseliving

 


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