home made candle lantern?

[pure_mahem]

Has anyone tried making a home made version of the UCO candle lantern out of one of the various alluminum bottles avialable out there or am I having an original idea here? I have not built one yet but have certainly got the creative juices flowing. Really looking forward to seeing other peoples ideas on this. Anyone had success on this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=019

[Tennessee Viking]

Might be on the similiar means. But I did something with a coke can for a school project. With tin snips, I cut the top and a front section off. Then made a handle out of the scarp, wrapped the handle with duck tape, and used nuts and screws on the exposed ends to fasten to the can. Used a tea candle in the base.

If you use a candle use another candle, you might want to put foil behind the candle.

[Dances with Mice]

Has anyone tried making a home made version of the UCO candle lantern out of one of the various alluminum bottles avialable out there or am I having an original idea here? I have not built one yet but have certainly got the creative juices flowing. Really looking forward to seeing other peoples ideas on this. Anyone had success on this?

http://www.imrisk.com/teacandle/teacandle.htm

[zelph]

http://www.imrisk.com/teacandle/teacandle.htm

Good information in the link, thank you!

DMW, what clear plastic is the most heat resistant for this type of application, in your opinion?

I have a small plastic tea candle holder thingy thats used as a nite-lite type application maybe. Maybe votive use? Need to make my way through the stuff in the garage to find it, I'll post photo asap. Has an aluminum lid with large holes.

[Dances with Mice]

Good information in the link, thank you!

DMW, what clear plastic is the most heat resistant for this type of application, in your opinion?

I have a small plastic tea candle holder thingy thats used as a nite-lite type application maybe. Maybe votive use? Need to make my way through the stuff in the garage to find it, I'll post photo asap. Has an aluminum lid with large holes.

Probably polyester ("PETE" recycling symbol). It's the plastic used in most soft drink containers. It's also the clearest. Polypropylene & polyethylene (PP & PE) melt at very low temps, PETE may soften and warp but won't melt.

There's also an easier candle lantern - take a 16 oz plastic soda bottle and cut off the top couple of inches. Turn the top around and stick it back into the bottle, creating downward facing funnel in the bottom of the bottle. Jam a stick candle into the mouth of the bottle (the bottom of the funnel). Now it's an open topped lamp.

[zelph]

Probably polyester ("PETE" recycling symbol). It's the plastic used in most soft drink containers. It's also the clearest. Polypropylene & polyethylene (PP & PE) melt at very low temps, PETE may soften and warp but won't melt.

There's also an easier candle lantern - take a 16 oz plastic soda bottle and cut off the top couple of inches. Turn the top around and stick it back into the bottle, creating downward facing funnel in the bottom of the bottle. Jam a stick candle into the mouth of the bottle (the bottom of the funnel). Now it's an open topped lamp.

Thanks for that info. I'll be looking at bottle bottoms now

I'm cleaning my garage today, Ill find the little gizmo that I mentioned.

[Dances with Mice]

BTW, that web page came about because of a W-B thread. I tried to find the thread but couldn't locate it. I might be the tipi-tent user mentioned on the page. The cut-off soda bottle with a bit of foil behind it works great inside a shelter.

I built the pepsi candle holder and it worked ok with a couple problems:
Once lit it's hard to blow out. The can heats up and it's not easy to lift the globe to put out the candle.

The can heats up! A lot! I worried about hanging it from a line, it really needs to hang from a chain.

Playing with fire inside tents is really not recommended. But the can lantern makes a nice hand warmer on a cold morning. Be aware that I use a Black Diamond Megalite without a floor and with much headroom and great ventilation.

[Dances with Mice]

Now here's something else to throw into the mix - the soda can candle was incredibly fragile. It would crush easily. That's another reason I quit using it. The original post mentioned the new aluminum bottles - like the aluminum beer bottles Skids has used for some stoves. One of those would be much more durable. I'm pretty sure nobody's played with the idea, so the field's wide open.

At one time I was thinking of a design of a hanging candle holder made with a cut off, clear water bottle section as the middle and then separate metal top and bottom connected by wires running outside the water bottle portion. It would be more durable and collapsible for easy packing. I never carried out the concept because I never got a round tuit.

[zelph]

Did'nt find it.

Had an idea to make one out of a small/short baby bottle. They are made of lexan and should hold up well. Very stout I might add. I have to wait till Mon. to get some at the thrift store, they have them there all the time.

It's gonna work, I'll make it based on the design of the gizmo.

[atraildreamer]

Now here's something else to throw into the mix - the soda can candle was incredibly fragile. It would crush easily. That's another reason I quit using it. The original post mentioned the new aluminum bottles - like the aluminum beer bottles Skids has used for some stoves. One of those would be much more durable. I'm pretty sure nobody's played with the idea, so the field's wide open.
At one time I was thinking of a design of a hanging candle holder made with a cut off, clear water bottle section as the middle and then separate metal top and bottom connected by wires running outside the water bottle portion. It would be more durable and collapsible for easy packing. I never carried out the concept because I never got a round tuit.

Once, for a car camping trip with the family, I made some candle lanterns out of the small tomato sauce cans. I used the short, squat, 8 ounce cans, but I suppose the narrower, taller tomato paste cans would work as well. The cans are a little heavier than an aluminum soda can, but more durable, being made out of steel, but you can cut through the sidewall fairly easy. I used my SAK to do the cutting. Try not to cut yourself on the sharp edges!

You don't want to open the can with a regular can opener. You want to keep the top & bottom of the can intact. Use the can opener blade of a SAK pocketknife to put a few slots into the top, side edge of the can (not the top of the can), for some air flow to get rid of the CO2 & heat build-up, and keep water out if it rains. This can get a bit messy, at this point. Punch a hole in the bottom of the can and drain the sauce out of the can. Cut a piece out of the side wide enough to get the tea light candle onto the inside base of the can when you hold the candle sideways, but not so wide the candle will slide out when lit. You can easily attach a wire bail to the can using the slots you punched around the top edge of the can.

Put a piece of foil inside the can, opposite the cut slot, to act as a reflector.

I hung a few of these on the sides of trees around our campsite. They worked quite well, but they do get hot, and will rust after a while.tomato sauce can 1 04272020.png

[Dances with Mice]

iss ok. in prepperation for thiss projedt I just empted four 16 oz Budweisses in the aluminuminum bottels.

What wasd the question?

[zelph]

iss ok. in prepperation for thiss projedt I just empted four 16 oz Budweisses in the aluminuminum bottels.

What wasd the question?

The resulting candle lite should be verrrry interesting

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

::: Dino whispers this is an interesting idea so as not to hurt DWM's head :::

[JAK]

I would like one that can be used to simmer tea while I am reading. I find one tealight is not quite bright enough for reading, unless you get the reflector working very well and aimed just right. Any ideas on getting a relector to project more downwards? DWM ? DWM ? oops. sorry to disturb you.

[Roland]

Has anyone tried making a home made version of the UCO candle lantern out of one of the various alluminum bottles avialable out there or am I having an original idea here? I have not built one yet but have certainly got the creative juices flowing. Really looking forward to seeing other peoples ideas on this. Anyone had success on this?

Thirty years ago, I used a lantern, like the one you showed. I don't use it anymore. It gets so hot, I don't feel safe using it the compact tents of today.

Though I have never made one, Tinny has an interesting design he calls the Waterlite. While the candle flame may produce as much heat as the lantern I retired, Tinny's shade is water-cooled. You can make one with goods found in your recycle bin.

Here are a few videos, showing Tinny's Waterlite.
Waterlite users guide
www.minibulldes ign.com waterlite

Tinny is an interesting character. Check out the rest of his video clips, here.

[Skidsteer]

There is a discussion of various oil lamps on this thread that might serve as an alternative.

I built an olive oil lamp out of a Rockstar energy drink can that works well.

[oops56]

Well a made a 2 in 1 stove after reading about oil lamp its now a 3 in one.This stove starts out on alchol then when its al burnt out the oil wicks take over and it will simmer for over 30. min or more.



Now when the alcohol is done burning the oil wicks take over plus you could just use it as a lanter oh the stove is a cat stove there is a a small cap in the middle of stove were the wick sits in oil i use two holes of the cat stove poke wicks out about a 1/4 in.

[Fly Rod]

Thirty years ago, I used a lantern, like the one you showed. I don't use it anymore. It gets so hot, I don't feel safe using it the compact tents of today.

Though I have never made one, Tinny has an interesting design he calls the Waterlite. While the candle flame may produce as much heat as the lantern I retired, Tinny's shade is water-cooled. You can make one with goods found in your recycle bin.

Here are a few videos, showing Tinny's Waterlite.
Waterlite users guide
www.minibulldes ign.com waterlite

Tinny is an interesting character. Check out the rest of his video clips, here.

I have made Tinny's waterlight and also used a Renuzit Air Freshener can (two actually) to make a UCO candle lantern using an old flower stem vase as the globe. Then I bought a real UCO. Spend the $15 at Walmart. You will save the cost of Band-aids.

[Dances with Mice]

Rockstar! Energy candles! They're great! I've made a bunch of them tonight. I'll be making them all night! I don't feel like sleeping. This week!

Is it ok to tie a loop in the wick? Like an overhand knot? What happens if you tie an overhand knot using an underhand motion does it then just become a knot? Or not?

[zelph]

Rockstar! Energy candles! They're great! I've made a bunch of them tonight. I'll be making them all night! I don't feel like sleeping. This week!

Is it ok to tie a loop in the wick? Like an overhand knot? What happens if you tie an overhand knot using an underhand motion does it then just become a knot? Or not?

2 litre mtn dew with a can of redbull added as a kicker has the same results
I was going too fast the other day to include how humerous your post was.

It's so funny it's cool!!!!!!!