The Recycapple Candle

[tortoise]

Ugh....

So, back to the drawing board? How hot is "too hot"? I can even use my laser thermometer to get a good heat reading.

I want to be careful, but I also don't want to be making decisions where there isn't really a legit danger.

Depends on the glass. I know mason jars tolerate 90 degrees of thermal shock without cracking.

 

[Nifty]

Oh! My husband suggests buying some wick and some of the cool silicone candle molds you can get off Amazon. No glass to worry then. Just have a plate under.

All great advice, thanks!

Any good links to products you suggest?

 

[flowerbug]

That's one of the main reasons I have olive oil lamps for emergency lights, especially for the bedroom. If they get tipped over, the oil smothers the flame and it goes out. They can give a decent amount of light- enough to read by, and you can use other oils- I've heard of people using castor oil or cod liver oil- although they sound like they wouldn't smell that great. You can use rancid oil too- the fuel itself might stink, but the burning fuel won't. My only problem is that olive trees won't grow here. I plan on experimenting with sunflower seed oil, since I have an oil press and sunflowers grow easily.

Here's some more information about oil lamps and some simple DIY lamp ideas: https://www.primalsurvivor.net/vegetable-oil-lamp/

for as little as we need emergency lighting i am willing to use and LED lamp and the computer's UPS backup battery as power for when we need it. i haven't had to use it yet. i do have some old railroad lanterns that i could use if i had oil in them. i've used them before when i've been camping and liked them because they were enclosed, but the fire hazard i would rather just use and LED light now instead. my flashlight will go almost a whole week off one D cell battery, etc.

 

[flowerbug]

if you already have a computer UPS (a battery pack which allows you to run the computer for some period of time when the power fluctuates or goes down) you already have a battery that you can plug a LED light into which should last a good long time (the lamp i have here is all of 8watts so that's a very tiny amount of drain on a bigger battery pack) - it will light up the whole room easily enough.

 

[flowerbug]

I saw a neat idea a year or so ago. Lay in a few high powered solar landscape lights. Put them out to charge in the day, then bring them inside, stick the posts in a bucket of sand, or a jar, and you'll have light for the night. Next morning, rinse and repeat.

i'm not sure what those run, but for the money there might be better ways to get the same effect/result. they do have battery packs and small solar panel setups available and the price may be cheaper or better in terms of what you get for the price (in terms of power, reliability, quality, etc.). i do know that i've seen a lot of those solar patio gizmos fail after a fairly short life because they are so exposed to the elements and the cold (which play havoc on a lot of battery technologies). my own experience is that they're cheaply built and have a lot of plastic which can break easily. we have one up in the lighthouse and i'm not even going to bother replacing it.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Nicely done. My asthma doesn't tolerate candles. I miss having them around. When power goes out, we do use them occasionally. I've heard that the soy based candles burn very well and are not as problematic for respiratory issues.

That's a great idea. I can't stand the smell of candles too. It reminds me of something morbid. making it smell different will be great for a change. I'm thinking of Peppermint, Bergamot, and Strawberries.