Thursday, November 13, 2008

Emergency Candle

Well, at least in Iowa it is starting to feel like winter. That is OK with me. I like winter. But, it has some challenges that we as outdoors people need to be ready for. You know the old "Be Prepared", or "The 6 Ps" Proper, Preparation, Prevents, Piss, Poor, Performance. One of the things I keep with me when I am out and about is a homemade emergency candle.




Why a candle? Well you can start a fire, use it for light, and with the flame this candle puts out you can cook. The one above is made out of an Altoids tin, a piece of cotton belt, and old votive candles. A really easy project. Just be careful melting the wax. Use a double boiler, which is a large pot with water a smaller pot with the wax that will sit in the larger pot. This way the wax will not get over 212 degrees.This is how it looks lit.




That should get a fire going!!! If you do use one of these for a stove, be warned, they kick out a lot of soot. Now go eat some mints and make a candle!!!!!

5 comments:

Mark said...

Hey! I like that. That is a great idea, in an Altoid tin. I remember my early days, living off the streets, cooking a can of soup over a candle...whatever worked.

Anonymous said...

I carry something very similar. I used corigated card board for a wick, beeswax, and a larger tin. Woks great but it can be a bugger to light. My only real qualm with mine is how long it takes to cool down. But the lid fits tight so I can put it in my pack and it doesn't spill melted wax.

Rabid Outdoorsman said...

Nice idea! Now that deer season is over I have a chance to look over all of my gear and see what worked and what didn't work over the course of the year. On my list is rebuilding and refining my small survival kit . . . you have provided step one!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's cool!
I do the same with paper 16ga. shells.
PMZ

Fenlander said...

I also make these using old boot wax tins and carry one as an emergency cooking stove. Nice post again...keep up the good work mate.