Emergency Candle/heat source

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.

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.

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

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Originally Posted by 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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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......

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?)

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

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:

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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Originally Posted by 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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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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Originally Posted by 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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Originally Posted by kyratshooter

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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Thank you both for sharing that lil' tidbit!

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Originally Posted by 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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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."

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!

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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.
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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'.

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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Originally Posted by aflineman

http://www.campmor.com/wcsstore/Camp...51842_alt3.jpg

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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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Originally Posted by 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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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?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by jdbushcraft

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

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

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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Originally Posted by 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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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:

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

Just for you Ole Buddy!