# Prepping / Emergency Preparedness > General Emergency Preparedness >  Emergency Candle/heat source

## hunter63

Don't know if this for real....or if it would be practical if it did work....just thought it was an interesting idea.

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## Wildthang

Just think HUnter, if you made one of those using old recycled bacon grease, the house would smell like bacon for 45 days.............yum :Smartass:

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## MrFixIt

I'll try to test a smaller version (read less weight).
Looks legit...

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## hunter63

Heh, heh, heh.......Good point.

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## hunter63

> I'll try to test a smaller version (read less weight).
> Looks legit...


I'm thinking this may need some work.....
Piece of string...What kind of string?......candles need "wick" material in my experience. ,,,need to be sized so as to not drown the flame.

What is the cost of Crisco?
What is the cost of decorator candles at yard sales?
Who carries chop sticks...or has them laying around?

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## welderguy

I actually have a couple of the disposable chop sticks at home, get them with take out orders I just throw them in a drawer with the spork packages i get.

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## Rick

> Just think HUnter, if you made one of those using old bacon recycled bacon grease, the house would smell like bacon for 45 days




I know your comment was tongue in cheek but it actually won't. Here's a tut where I make bacon candles. You'll notice that was back in 2009. I just threw them away last month! The bacon fat had gone rancid and dried out a bit but they still had no odor either burning or just sitting idle.....which is kinda like me come to think of it. 

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...t=bacon+candle

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## edr730

Grease in a cup or any size needs tending much more than burning cooking oil.  As Hunter stated the wick falls over and drowns. At least all that I have used so far. I've had best luck drilling a hole in a stick and floating it in the grease or wrapping a string around a piece of stick. Second best was a wire that stands up to hold the wick. I've used a cedar stick and braided basswood inner bark, but without any more success. It has to be adjusted every 15 min or so, but it would keep you very warm in a chair with a blanket over your lap and the heater below you. It will burn and it works. As you constantly touch the grease with your hands everything gets black and dirty. They've had grease burners since the beginning of time that worked better than mine. But, I've used simple grease burners and looked at the old burners on the internet. I've used them a few days until I get tired of playing around and I start using alcohol again.

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## hunter63

Some youtubes .....
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...2B55F1D471A4B1

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## Batch

> Who carries chop sticks...or has them laying around?


For a limited time only. They are allowing you to substitute any thin relatively straight object, like a stick or a kabob thing-a-mabob. But, the flame produced will lack that Asian mystique.  :Smile:

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## hunter63

> For a limited time only. They are allowing you to substitute any thin relatively straight object, like a stick or a kabob thing-a-mabob. But, the flame produced will lack that Asian mystique.


Bhohahahahah......You do know that there are people out there in the world that would say, " I can't do this....I don't have any chop sticks".......Or start a thread, "What are the best chop sticks to make one of these"..........Then read the ad at the top of the page..."Get your chop sticks at Amazon dot com."

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## Batch

Yes, I do. LOL

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## aflineman

> Who carries chop sticks...or has them laying around?


I carry them in my BOB.

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http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___51842#

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## Winnie

Making a wick is simple enough. Cut some paper into 1/2", then roll them diagonally to resemble rope make a strong salt solution and soak the paper 'wicks' in it then dry in a cool oven and viola wicks. The salt  slows down the burn of the paper.

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## edr730

The satellite is too slow to watch a video now. But all the videos that say to stick a wick in a tub of crisco and light it or attach a little piece of metal to the wick and try to float will end up the same. They'll burn a while and go out. 

If there is a stick that will burn all by itself it would be interesting. I've tried without luck. I have beat on sticks with a hammer and shredded the tip, but still no luck. I've wove string in the shredded stick and it will burn until the stick falls over, which is about an hour. Probably longer in big tub of Crisco. I've only used animal fat so the results may be a little bit different. But I know that even hard wax will end up putting out the wick.

If you wrap a floating stick with a small piece of wire and then wrap the string around this stick and wire it will maintain the same level and stop the smoking which occurs when the wick gets too long. The stick and wire can still fall over if not done properly. 

It looks like Winnie has solved the falling over wick problem with her method. I am curious how well the wick will burn down and if smoking is minimized to some degree.

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## Winnie

It burns very slowly as the salt slows down charring. I blew it out after an hour (the kitchen smelled of doughnuts and made me hungry) and there was little difference in wick length. There was a little smoking but not enough to worry about.

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## diddap

you can buy nice candle wicks. Mop strings work, if you "float" them on pcs of cardboard.

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## Sarge47

Just thinkin' out loud here; why not just buy up some emergency candles and save yourself a lot of work. Less energy spent and cheaper too?... :Confused1:

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## diddap

you might have a point, if they will function when stuck down into the Crisco.  I don't eat paraffin. How about you? But i"ll eat Crisco. So swapping out something that's dual use, for something that's single use only, might not be such a hot idea.

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## tundrabadger

Hey, they used to make candles out of tallow, right?   Same basic idea.

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## Old GI

Once upon a time in the grand duchy of Indiantown Gap military reservation, two rather inventive ROTC cadets used a birthday cake candle inside a pup tent* to mitigate sub-freezing temps.  It heated it up so fast that it didn't last long.  So, the moral of this fairytale is it doesn't take much to warm up a small confined area.  Just make sure it's properly vented.

*Known to some as a GP Tiny or two shelter halves connected in the proper way to create a tent and, yes, that was the last time I had to go that route; a poncho lean-to served me well for years.

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## Tokwan

I have a few emergency candles I diyed and placed them strategically around the house. Its one of those candles using a can, cardboard boxes and some fat. Its those candles that you roll u strips of carton boxes, squeezed or push them into a tuna can and dropped either wax or fat generously to fill up the gaps and the cardboards..works well and used twice...still lots left and looks like it can burn forever..never actually timed them.

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## RangerXanatos

In a test I conducted, a single tea candle can burn for over 4 hours in ideal conditions.

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## hunter63

> I have a few emergency candles I diyed and placed them strategically around the house. Its one of those candles using a can, cardboard boxes and some fat. Its those candles that you roll u strips of carton boxes, squeezed or push them into a tuna can and dropped either wax or fat generously to fill up the gaps and the cardboards..works well and used twice...still lots left and looks like it can burn forever..never actually timed them.


Ah yes the Boy Scout one pound coffee can stove.......I think the rest of the unburned cardboard was still in the bottom of the can when we cleaned out MM house for when I was a scout......

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## Tokwan

Yep...it turned out to be a very reliable source of heat and light. Its simply to make, a cheapo, and helps reduced trash. 
It is also cheap and ever ready..N need to check and replace batteries. I think I have at least 8 around the house. 

As for the emergency light I would wanna use out of the house..would be those soda pop cans similar to a penny stove. Instead of alcohol, I use used motor oil and a wick. I also added a wind shield from another soda can...

(How's my attempt to speak more American than English?)

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## crashdive123

Your English is just fine and I'm betting better than anybody's Malay.

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## Sarge47

Yeah, stay on here and you'll soon blend right in!  Just remember, however, our language is different in various parts of the country.  Go down South and you'll see what I mean.  Go to Boston, Brooklyn, or the Ozarks and they'll really mess you up!  LOL!.... :Glare:

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## Old Professor

An old frontiersmen trick I read about works well with a emergency candle to keep a person warm in sub freezing weather. Dig a small, fairly shallow hole. Place lit candle in the hole. Sit cross legged over the hole and wrap a blanket around your shoulders. Your face is out side the blanket but the rising hot air keeps it warm too.  My variation of this trick is to use a heavy duty Space Blanket (the reusable kind). Lighter to carry and water proof as well.

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## kyratshooter

> An old frontiersmen trick I read about works well with a emergency candle to keep a person warm in sub freezing weather. Dig a small, fairly shallow hole. Place lit candle in the hole. Sit cross legged over the hole and wrap a blanket around your shoulders. Your face is out side the blanket but the rising hot air keeps it warm too.  My variation of this trick is to use a heavy duty Space Blanket (the reusable kind). Lighter to carry and water proof as well.


Works well when using a candle lantern also.  Less chance of open flame causing a problem.

It really does produce a lot of heat in the confines of a good wool blanket.

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## MrFixIt

> An old frontiersmen trick I read about works well with a emergency candle to keep a person warm in sub freezing weather. Dig a small, fairly shallow hole. Place lit candle in the hole. Sit cross legged over the hole and wrap a blanket around your shoulders. Your face is out side the blanket but the rising hot air keeps it warm too.  My variation of this trick is to use a heavy duty Space Blanket (the reusable kind). Lighter to carry and water proof as well.





> Works well when using a candle lantern also.  Less chance of open flame causing a problem.
> 
> It really does produce a lot of heat in the confines of a good wool blanket.


Thank you both for sharing that lil' tidbit!

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## neondog

> you might have a point, if they will function when stuck down into the Crisco.  I don't eat paraffin. How about you? But i"ll eat Crisco. So swapping out something that's dual use, for something that's single use only, might not be such a hot idea.


Wax is not really a single use item. It is similar to hot glue if used in a cool environment for constructing a makeshift snare. You can use it to reduce friction on a sled or increase friction in your twine. It will protect steel from oxidation, seal small leaks in water vessels and I just discovered today that if wax is melted and then allowed to cool on top of a polished surface, it does a good job of reflecting light. If the polished surface is a half ton monument in a forgotten park or cemetery, that makes the wax a much handier signal mirror that the surface used to form it. An abandoned vehicles windshield could also be used to create a wax reflector and unlike a glass mirror, if the wax one is damaged, you still have what you need to make it again.

Melt your wax and throw in some fresh berries and when it cools the berries are safe from insects and if held at temperature long enough, will likely keep as long as a jar of jam. Better than eating a gallon of berries in two days. If you consume a little wax while eating the berries, no sweat. While paraffin cannot be digested it is considered edible by the FDA. It simply passes through you unchanged. It is actually used in many food items like candy to put a shine on the outside. Google "paraffin wiki."

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## TXyakr

Excellent points neondog!

I have used simple very cheap "tea candles" in a <$2 aluminum cook pot (from thrift store) under my tarp to reduce the condensation moisture and add a bit of warmth. Here is a photo I posted earlier (I think?) to prevent the candles from blowing out I stacked "dry" river stone around the candles which heated up and continued to radiate heat after the candles burned out. Homemade candles, multi-wick in a tuna or pet food can work better (may post a photo of that someday, probably not). This and other techniques have been used for hundreds of years NOT MY ORIGINAL IDEA OBVIOUSLY!

candlepot2.jpg

As a teenager I also used about a 1/4" of wax to coat the tops of random glass jars of fruit jelly/jam when I ran out of mason jars with new lids (was overseas and had to import that stuff). This worked just fine. In the wilderness I have used disposable aluminum bottles like those sold with beer and soda.
DrPepperBottle.jpg

Because top is small, you need less wax. Can also heat up blade, knife, hatchet etc beside fire and seal a mylar bag with food in it. Obviously should sterilize container and food to destroy all bacteria and other pathogens before sealing the container. I have never tried this in a thick plastic water bottle rated at well over 200F but it might work. A cheap plastic water water bottle would be a "FAIL".

Necessity breeds creativity. If you live next to a shopping mall and have mommies' credit card you may be less creative, just sayn'.

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## roxanwright

Great idea! And the idea with old recycled bacon grease! Yum. I need to cook some bacon now, Wildthang's reply made me crave for some bacon!

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## NightSG

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Oh great; something else for my backpacking shopping list.  The BOB already has a simpler variant of this.

I got back to using chopsticks right after my divorce; my roommates would use up every clean fork in the place, but they had no idea how to use the big jar of sticks on the counter.  Easier to wash, too.

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## jdbushcraft

> you might have a point, if they will function when stuck down into the Crisco.  I don't eat paraffin. How about you? But i"ll eat Crisco. So swapping out something that's dual use, for something that's single use only, might not be such a hot idea.


That means when you need a candle you will have one and when you need lard you have it.  "Can't have light.  We used the crisco." Or, "Can't fry the fish.  We burned the crisco.". If you want a candle buy a candle.  If you no longer have access to candles, THEN improvise.  Why make improvising the main plan?

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## NightSG

> "Can't fry the fish.  We burned the crisco."


If you're catching meat, you have another source for fats to burn.

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## Rick

That sort of depends on how fast they are. If you're chasing rabbits you'll burn a lot of fat. If you're chasing turtles...not so much.

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## Wildthang

> An old frontiersmen trick I read about works well with a emergency candle to keep a person warm in sub freezing weather. Dig a small, fairly shallow hole. Place lit candle in the hole. Sit cross legged over the hole and wrap a blanket around your shoulders. Your face is out side the blanket but the rising hot air keeps it warm too.  My variation of this trick is to use a heavy duty Space Blanket (the reusable kind). Lighter to carry and water proof as well.


Sounds like a good way to get a hong fire going, and that's not pretty!!!
Rick digs hole, puts candle in hole and lights it, he crosses legs and sits on hole, covers up in a wool blanket! Hong catches fire, Rick passes gas, explosion is heard and he is launched like a Bottle Rickit :Smartass: 

So is this method really safe for Old Farts :Confused:

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## Rick

Bottle Rickit. Man, you took a long road around the mountain to wind up there.

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## Wildthang

Just for you Ole Buddy!

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## hunter63

Just got inducted to the Order of the Blue Flame.....Yeah, so????

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## Rick

There is probably very little that will get you moving faster than that. I have not done it....yet. I've seen it done a time or two. In the daytime it's a What The... moment as you try to figure out what all the dancing is about. At night it's beautiful. Well, from where I was anyway.

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## hunter63

http://bibliosity.blogspot.com/2013/...lue-flame.html

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## crashdive123

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## Rick

I was thinking more along the lines of this. Just go to 4:50....You should see this at night!

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## hunter63

Yeah....So, like,... what's the matter with that?....Doesn't everyone do that?....LOL...Y'all been peeking.

I can relate.......takes the fuzz off the flannel shirt.......
Hello, 911?....Yeah....again.

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## Grizzlyette Adams

ha ha ha! The visuals in this thread...are just killing me (but not as much as it would be to the Bottle Ricket)!  

All kidding aside, the title of this thread caught my attention. Some time ago, I played around with homemade "oil lamps" made with old cooking oil, Crisco, etc. and was pleasantly surprised how well they worked.

Thinking about the oil lamps of Bible times led me to a crap-ton of experiments involving a variety of materials:

*Wicks:* Cotton (NOT cotton/nylon blends) shoe strings, yarn, and packing string. (I never got around to twisted newspaper or thin strips of twisted t-shirt material.)

*Oil:* I tried both fresh and outdated cooking oil (vegetable oil, Crisco, olive oil). I tried used cooking oil left from frying fish and chicken. I even tried sticking a "wick" into a hole that I nail-punched in the top of an unopened can of tuna fish (packed in oil not water). 

To keep the tip of the wick lit and out of the oil, I wove it into a "stand" made with wire (paper clips worked fine, too).

All worked! Now I use my (reclaimed-oil) lamps during ice storms and other extended power outage events. It $aves my kerosene and battery budget from blowing all to heck.

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## Rick

You can also use bacon grease. 

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...+grease+candle

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## Wildthang

> You can also use bacon grease. 
> 
> http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...+grease+candle


Yes bacon grease is the best! It makes your house smell like bacon, that makes you crave bacon, and you cook more bacon! So you keep getting more bacon grease for your candle. It ends up being a never ending cycle!

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## hunter63

Perpetual motion.......?????

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## NoStrangeFireHere

2015-09-17.jpg
2015-09-17 (1).jpg

We sell these at the little survival store I operate. Its a few matches and fatwood in some paraffin.

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## hunter63

Here is some I make.....
Fatwood sawdust, paraffin in egg carton segments......these are with out cotton ball (fuzzy butt) sticking out of wax......

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Version 2
Rolled up newspapers tied with cotton string....dipped in wax.... add 2-3 strike-anywhere matches in center.

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## NoStrangeFireHere

Those seem like they would be perfect for carrying around. One time use. Great idea

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## hunter63

> Those seem like they would be perfect for carrying around. One time use. Great idea


If you stick a dry or light PJ rubbed cotton ball in the top of the wax....will catch a spark.......

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## Grizzlyette Adams

> You can also use bacon grease. 
> 
> http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...+grease+candle





> Yes bacon grease is the best! It makes your house smell like bacon, that makes you crave bacon, and you cook more bacon! So you keep getting more bacon grease for your candle. It ends up being a never ending cycle!



Yes bacon grease is the best! I carefully hoard it in the fridge and reserve it for sauteing certain foods and for making gumbo roux. Use it for firelights? Never! Or else I would go insane and run out into the ice storm...and end up like an old Eskimo that has been set out on the ice to die...

What IS it about that smell that makes us weak in the knees?????

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## Grizzlyette Adams

I am definitely trying the ideas from posts #51 & #52!!! Garage sales and thrift stores practically give candles away and would be an almost-free source of wax.

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## hunter63

> I am definitely trying the ideas from posts #51 & #52!!! Garage sales and thrift stores practically give candles away and would be an almost-free source of wax.


You are correct....all pretty colors and scents as well......
My original rolled paper fire starters, tied with string, was and idea from Field and Stream (I think) for back in the 1070's...and we used  broken crayons for wax......
Still have a couple of those.

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## Grizzlyette Adams

> You are correct....all pretty colors and scents as well......
> My original rolled paper fire starters, tied with string, was and idea from Field and Stream (I think) for *back in the 1070's*...and we used  broken crayons for wax......
> Still have a couple of those.


My oh my, you ARE a wise old sage!  lol

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## hunter63

Wisdom is not making the same mistake twice.......
But it wasn't for mistakes...nothing would be done.

Just old enough....LOL.

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## Rick

I learn a lot more from my mistakes than I do from my successes, which is probably why I'm so smart. I make a lot of mistakes.

By the by. Bacon candles don't smell like bacon.

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## NightSG

> I can relate.......takes the fuzz off the flannel shirt.......


Cotton sweater, lighting the grill.  Folks far enough back to just watch said it was a really cool effect as the flame traveled up my arm then all around my torso.  Fortunately, it burned out a couple inches behind the flame front, so it didn't even manage to singe my hair.

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## roxanwright

That will work! We have created those emergency candle before when we were out for a camping, we put in some lavender oil for a great smell.

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## TXyakr

> I learn a lot more from my mistakes than I do from my successes, which is probably why I'm so smart. I make a lot of mistakes.
> 
> By the by. Bacon candles don't smell like bacon.


That is good to know.

As long as they don't attract varmints like raccoons, skunks and bears etc. I have always just kept to clear bee's wax. Because in addition to burning at night I am concerned that if it melts in the sun it may leak out of its metal container, out of the plastic bag it is in and get on my backpack etc. Some places I camp it gets over 100F in the day and below freezing at night.

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## hunter63

Been using bees wax candles in my candle lanterns for years....actually try to only use them......they don't drip as much as paraffin wax candles.
....Can't say I ever had a problem with them melting...of course we don't typically get 100 degree temps too often....but then again the trucks and trailers are sitting in the sun get pretty hot????

Candle ends are carried around in fire kits, or just your pocket....light the candle and get alight and fire.

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## jdbushcraft

When the world ends, pull your toilet up and there is a big ring of wax there.

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## crashdive123

If you are relying on the wax ring under your toilet for candle power you are woefully unprepared and may as well accept the inevitable end.

Besides - a place to "go" ranks much higher on comfort needs than a "crappy" candle.

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## hunter63

I don't need to see to use the toilet.....toilet ring stays.
Besides, ever pull one up?....... they generally come off with a putty knife, and rubber gloves....LOL.

I do not believe they are made of bees wax any longer.

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## Wildthang

A good emergency heat source can be made with 3 tea candles in a 1 lb coffee can. It puts out so much heat that you can't hold your hand over the can. Those little candles are very cheap and will burn up to 4 hours. It will literally take the chill off of a small tent if the drafts are kept to a minimum!

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## Wise Old Owl

> I know your comment was tongue in cheek but it actually won't. Here's a tut where I make bacon candles. You'll notice that was back in 2009. I just threw them away last month! The bacon fat had gone rancid and dried out a bit but they still had no odor either burning or just sitting idle.....which is kinda like me come to think of it. 
> 
> http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...t=bacon+candle



Yes I agree with this,,, but I recycle bacon grease to use instead of lard... I guess it tastes better... I like it.

No Smell at all.

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## Wise Old Owl

> If you are relying on the wax ring under your toilet for candle power you are woefully unprepared and may as well accept the inevitable end.
> 
> Besides - a place to "go" ranks much higher on comfort needs than a "crappy" candle.



Thanks for the belly laugh...

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