Emergency Candles - Birch Bark Wick and Fat Candle
What do you do in a power cut if you run out of candles? How can you make emergency light? I have done lots of 'making light' experiments over the years, check out my blog posts here.
Having no TV results in evening experiments with 'what burns?' This one was done a few weeks ago but just got to wifi fast enough to upload a video. So, if you've been on one of my self-reliance craft retreats you will know that you can make wicks from garden twine and from nettles and use a variety of household oils and fats as the fuel source for a candle. Here is my latest experiment with a sliver of birch bark for wick, stuck into a bit of rapeseed fat. As the fat melts, the bark floated so for a longer lasting candle hold the bark up straight with some wire. What can you see around you that you could make light from... Think Container, wick and fuel....
Thank you Goo pot desserts for your endless supply of candle vessels. Anyone local to me if you don't reuse these... Bring them to me to turn into candle experiments!
You can also use tuna tins, half orange peels, old tins and jam jars, clay pots, and even the earth itself as the vessel for your fuel.
See other blog entries for different ideas on how to make light using various household and garden items.
