Emergency Candles

Emergency Candles 

It's a good idea to be prepared for anything, but in a situation where you've been caught short, it's those that can adapt who will survive.

In this article we're going to show you how to make 6 forms of emergency candles with stuff you may have around your home.



These aren't going to be pretty, but they will give you light and heat. These designs are based around the same idea as the candle and when looking for materials to make your candle from remember - wax and fat are your friends.

STAY SAFE. Remember to take necessary safety precautions, as fire can cause damage to you, others and property.

Emergency Wicks

 

Candles need wicks to maintain their flame, so here we have three improvised wicks you could make.

Cotton string: You may have this to wrap presents, do crafts or tie up a roast. But they make great little wicks.

Cotton strips: Find an old t shirt or similar piece of material that you know is 100% cotton and simply cut a strip to use as a candle wick.

Soft tissue paper: In a pinch you can use toilet paper, paper tissues or even kitchen roll. Their absorbent qualities mean they are good wicks. Simply twist the paper to make a wick.

If you want your wick to stand up then use a metal paper clip. Bend the clip so it has a steady base and a point that sticks out. Skewer your wick over the part that sticks out and your wick will stay up.

Old Candles

The first candle you could make is simply from old and small candles. You may have a candle holder with a candle that's mostly burnt down or have a stash of tea candles, even birthday candles. Well on their own they may not be much use, but if we add them together we can make a new candle.

Simply take a piece of Aluminium foil and press it over the top of an object to make a bowl. I'm using the top of a vinegar bottle. Then scrape or break your bits of candle into your Aluminium bowl. When you've added enough, use a lighter to melt the wax by holding the flame under the Aluminium bowl. When it becomes a liquid pool it's time to add your wick. You could use one you make or one you've salvaged from a candle.

The shape of the Aluminium means it won't easily fall over, it also acts as a barrier between the heat and flammable surfaces. If you've only made a small candle it will also float on water.

Materials Needed:

• Old or broken candles
• Aluminium Foil
• Wick
• Lighter or other heat source to melt wax
• Bottle or other object to make a bowl mould from 

(Optional)

• Emergency Wick Stand 

Shoe Polish Light

 

Probably the simplest of the things you could do is use shoe polish - no wick necessary. Simply light and you'll have instant light and heat, it also comes in it's own holder. The only down side to this is the uncontrolled flame and smell it gives off. You can even use the lid to put the flame out again.

Materials Needed:

• Tin of shoe polish 

Butter Candle 

 

If your into cooking, chances are you have a stick of butter lying around. But did you know you could use it as a candle? Simply cut your stick of butter in half, put a hole in it with a spoon handle and insert one of your wicks. Just remember to smear the exposed part of the wick with butter before lighting.


You can even keep it in it's wrapping, as the flame should be far enough away to avoid burning the sides or you could wrap it in Aluminium foil. One thing to note is this only works with butter with a high fat content. If your using a low fat butter, chances are your out of luck and your butter won't stay lit.

Materials Needed:

• Butter with high fat content
• Wick
• Spoon or something similar to punch hole in butter 

Baby Bell Candle

 

This one provides a snack AND a candle. Open your Baby Bell as usual, but instead of discarding the shell, squeeze it around one of your wicks. Now take some of your Aluminium and wrap it around, then flatten the bottom to make a holder. Now your hands are free to snack on the cheese.

Materials Needed:

• Baby Bell
• Wick
• Aluminium foil 

Crayon Candle/Crayon Fire Starter

 

This candle is made from crayons with the paper wrapper removed. Sandwich your wick between three crayons, wrap inside Aluminium foil and your done. All our results with this type of candle proved to be poor. Lighting a crayon with the paper wrapper still attached proved to be a bit dangerous, but it did make a good fire starter.

Materials Needed:

• Crayons
• Wick
• Aluminium foil 

Everything Candle

As the name suggests this candle uses a bit of everything. Either because you want to make a bigger candle or because you only have small amounts of material to work with.


This type of candle is made using a similar method to the first type of candle we made. So we start by making our Aluminium holder and then add our broken candles, some crayons and cheese wax. Heat until melted and then add your wick.


Avoid using the oil and shoe polish in the mix, as this will give you an unstable and possibly dangerous result.

Materials Needed:

• Cheese wax
• Crayons
• Old or broken candles
• Aluminium foil
• Wick
• Bottle or something similar to mould a bowl from

(Optional)

• Emergency Wick Stand 

Cooking Oil Light

 

You can use any of your emergency wicks with this, but thick wicks work best - the cotton strip in particular. To make this simple small oil lamp, take the metal lid from a jar and pour in some vegetable oil. I'm using olive oil but other vegetable oils will work too, what is important is their high fat content. It's the reason these lamps burn so well.


Now dip your wick in some of the oil. Take the top you saved from your cola can battery and feed the wick through the top. Feeding the wick through the can ring pull and lip prevents it from falling into the oil.

You can easily refill the light back-up when the oil runs out, to put out the flame just use another jar lid.

Materials Needed:

• Cola can top
• Wick
• Metal jar lid
• Cooking oil

Candles are affordable and are really useful to have around the home, so make sure you buy some in advance. But if you ever get caught without, hopefully you'll be able to adapt with what you've learnt.

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Remember to take necessary safety precautions, as fire can cause damage to you, others and property.

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