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Travel candle. A universal Indian candle, like a camping stove for any tourist. How to make a tourist candle

Travel candle. A universal Indian candle, like a camping stove for any tourist. How to make a tourist candle

" article. Earlier, in the article "How to make wax candles" we already mentioned how you can make your own candles from beeswax(or paraffin - whatever you have on hand 🙂). Today we will talk about wickless candles - a slightly different type of candle. More and more aromatic.

Herbal candles without a wick burn because the role of the wick is played by the dry herb that is part of the candles. Accordingly, if you add few herbs, the candle will burn poorly. If you put a lot of herbs, the candle will burn with a small torch. Well, if you put in as much as you need, you’ll get what you need!

Herbal candles without a wick are great for scenting rooms instead of incense sticks (by the way, we previously had an article related to scents: “Aromas that stimulate the chakras”). Their advantages are that they do not smoke (if you extinguish them, then, of course, smoke will come out), they emit a thin honey aroma with an admixture of the ingredients that are included in them. Candles can be given any shape.

The procedure for making herbal candles without a wick with your own hands is very simple.

Beeswax is melted and mixed with herbs and other inclusions that you wish:

  • St. John's wort,
  • thyme,
  • sagebrush,
  • mint,
  • oregano,
  • Melissa,
  • sage,
  • etc.

The resulting mass is mixed, and as it hardens, figures are formed from it. After hardening, you can drop it onto the candle. essential oil or oils (this is not necessary) and set it on fire. The candle burns out completely, but one must take into account that the wax flows down as it heats up, so it is better to use a stand.

You can also make your herbal candles more beautiful by using a mold. To do this, in the same way as in the previous case, heat the wax in a steam bath. Grind the herbs in a mill (or coffee grinder). Add ground herbs to the melted wax. For a glass of wax, about a third of a glass of herbs. But it is better to experiment with the proportion first to achieve optimal combustion.

We make a funnel bag from the glossy cover of a glamor magazine. We secure the bag to the jar, for example, with tape. Pour the wax with herbs into a bag. Let it harden. After a couple of hours, we unwrap the bag and the candle is ready to be lit.

DIY herbal candles without a wick are a very original gift :)

Based on materials from http://aauumm.ru/post194449862/


The original mini-bonfire is also called taiga, Indian, Swedish candle. Thanks to the peculiarities of making Finnish candles and the use of intense flame, they successfully replace traditional fires on hikes, at picnics and evening gatherings in the yard. You need a minimum of tools and skills, 5-20 minutes of simple effort, and you will get a source of vertical flame with a burning duration of half an hour to 7 hours.

4 ways to make a Finnish candle

Using any method, a Finnish candle is made with your own hands from chock, sometimes replaced by a block of wood logs. Acceptable use small stumps, if only one piece of log is required. The duration of combustion depends on the length and diameter of the workpieces.

Method 1. Candle with paraffin wick

  • Burning time: from 30 minutes.
  • Production time: 20 minutes.

Tools and materials:

  • drill with drill 20-30 mm;
  • saw (manual, electric or diesel engine);
  • sawing sawhorses;
  • lighter;
  • block for a candle;
  • a block of larger diameter for counterweight;
  • paraffin or wax;
  • paper or newspaper.

To get a fire with vertical burning, just light the wick. We recommend installing Finnish candles away from trees on paved or concrete areas, cleared ground, fire-resistant tiles, or a metal stand to prevent the surrounding vegetation from catching fire.

Method 2. Candle made from logs

  • Burning duration: up to 2.5 hours.
  • Production time: 7-10 minutes.

Tools and materials:

  • axe;
  • a log or four logs.

Manufacturing sequence

The whole lump is split into four equal parts. The logs are installed vertically in the form of the original log. When a Finnish candle is made from ready-made firewood, logs of the same length and cross-section are selected, which together form a solid log. The design provides good air flow, but is not wind resistant enough.

Method 3. Three logs

  • Burning time: from 7 hours.
  • Production time: 5 minutes.

Necessary materials: 3 logs of the same height. No tools required.

Manufacturing sequence

Simplest a way to make a long-burning Finnish candle with your own hands. The blocks are installed in a circle with a small gap between them. Then a fire is built in the inner “well.” Unimpeded access to oxygen contributes to an intense flame, and thanks to large diameter the burning time is extended.

More heat is generated than with other taiga candle designs. It also ensures the greatest stability of a disposable oven. Disadvantage (the flame can be blown out by the wind. Tip: as it burns out, move the logs to the center to maintain the burning intensity.

Method 4. Primus

  • Burning time: up to 3 hours.
  • Production time: 20 minutes.

Tools and materials:

  • axe;
  • saw (optional);
  • wire;
  • a log or several logs.

Manufacturing sequence


This design provides intense hot flame. In the first two hours after ignition, you can cook or boil water on the mini-oven. The optimal size is considered to be when the length of the block is twice the diameter. You can create mini-bonfires with a height of 20-30 cm.

Tip: if you plan to cook, then make a Finnish candle with two shorter logs to improve air flow to the flame. Useful uses of a disposable stove in the household

The design represents a vertical furnace pyrolysis combustion. The peculiarity of this type of flame is the simultaneous combustion of both wood and the resulting wood gas. As a result, less soot and ash are formed, and the heat transfer of the flame is higher. Even a two-hour use of a Finnish candle helps solve many problems of arrangement and relaxation.

Culinary uses of Finnish candles

In the absence of summer kitchen and on hikes disposable ovens easy to adapt for the following tasks:

  • cooking in cauldrons;
  • singeing carcasses poultry, game;
  • boiling water;
  • heating food.

Unlike a stationary summer kitchen, a Finnish candle can be used anywhere on the site, or taken with you on a picnic or on a trip.

Landscape decoration

Mini fire pits are useful for temporarily illuminating dark areas without landscape lights. They create a warm cozy atmosphere and can complement the decoration of outdoor seating areas for special events. Finally, the spark plugs will be replaced street fires and fireplaces will help you relax by the fire during your evening relaxation.

Repair and construction use

Concentrated combustion has determined the advantage of using a Finnish candle compared to conventional fires for the following work:

  • firing, heating of metal;
  • melting of roofing felt or lump bitumen;
  • firing and drying various surfaces and blanks.

Easy to manufacture, disposable ovens are compact, simple device, intense combustion and easy transportation. This enhances the attractiveness of Finnish candles for home or tourist use.

Video instructions for making a Finnish candle

Anyone who is involved in tourism, fishing or hunting has probably already found a lot for themselves in various ways making fire, for kindling a fire. But on a hike you need to be prepared for any turn of events and rapid changes in hiking conditions. A camping candle, which is easy to make with your own hands, will help you warm up from a sudden frost or disperse the deep darkness.

Camping candle in a tin can:

But when you go on a hike, even for a short time, you never know what might happen along the way. And fire is the main source of heat and light, but it is not always possible to collect enough brushwood to build at least a small fire. It is quite convenient and relatively easy to take a ready-made mixture for combustion with you on hikes, fishing and forays. The so-called camping or tourist candle will help you warm up very quickly or scare away wild animals, it will give you enough light to collect brushwood and make a normal fire.

Making a camping candle with your own hands is quite simple; you will need an iron tin can (I used an iron can with a lid, from a skin cream), paraffin and corrugated cardboard.


Cardboard, iron can, paraffin

It is very convenient to use an iron jar of cream, sweets, or just a tin can as a container for a candle; in short, almost anything you have on hand will do.


Example, iron can with lid

You need to cut the corrugated cardboard into equal strips of thickness suitable for the depth of your tin can.


Cut cardboard into strips

These strips must be placed evenly throughout the can; they will act as a wick. They need to be connected according to the honeycomb principle; for this it is necessary to make cuts and insert one strip into another.


How to make a cut in cardboard
Fill the jar with cardboard strips

Cardboard strips laid out in this way form something similar to a honeycomb; with this arrangement of a camp candle, it is convenient to fill them with paraffin, it is easy to set them on fire, and when they light up, they have the greatest efficiency.


The resulting tin can with honeycomb and paraffin
Pour paraffin into a container

It is advisable to pour paraffin exactly to the edges of the jar (just be careful that it does not overflow), because after cooling it will have some shrinkage, this is not scary, but on the contrary, it is quite convenient.


The resulting camping candle

Such a camping candle will be stored for a long time, will not become damp, and even if moisture gets in, the paraffin will not let it through to the cardboard, although I do not recommend keeping it in water and dampness. Lighting such a candle is not difficult; this can be done with ordinary matches or a lighter. The flame will be bright and quite powerful. I haven’t tried setting it on fire yet, but I’m sure that the burning time should be enough to not only warm up, but even heat up water or cook something from dry rations.

If you are using a regular tin can for your candle, I recommend covering it plastic cover or iron (so that moisture does not get there), which can be bought at any hardware store. You can also bend a special holder for a mug with water out of wire, which can also be useful in hiking conditions.

Example of covers and holder

If you use an iron lid, then such a camp candle can act as a heating pad. All you have to do is light a candle, let the flame warm up the jar a little, and then close it tightly with an iron lid, thereby extinguishing the flame. The paraffin will retain heat for a while, and you will be able to warm up a little. Good luck with your fishing, hunting and tourism.

This camping candle will help you quickly start a fire, with which you can easily cook food and boil water while camping.
There are times when you urgently need to light a fire, but there is either no firewood at all, or it is wet from the rain and is in no way suitable for starting a fire. In these cases, this camp candle will help you out. A kind of analogue of dry alcohol for tourists.

Its advantages:

  • - does not take up much space in the backpack,
  • - will not leak, since it does not have liquid flammable fuel,
  • - easy to manufacture and does not require expensive components,
  • - waterproof and will not get damp, which is very important,
  • - shelf life is unlimited,
  • - safe, as it is not explosive and does not spontaneously ignite,
  • - big time combustion, which is excellent for cooking.
Great item for winter fishing, where there is no firewood at hand.

What do you need to make a candle?

  • - tin can;
  • - any corrugated cardboard from boxes;
  • - paraffin candles, household candles or briquettes of paraffin or wax.
Tools:
  • - regular scissors or a round knife as in my case, a ruler, a pencil, a container for melting paraffin.

Making a long-burning camp candle

Take a tin can and place it on cardboard. This is necessary in order to determine the width of the strips into which we will cut the cardboard. There are two indicators here: if you take the width of the cardboard a little wider than the can, then the flame will burn more intensely, and if it is smaller, then the combustion will be a little worse, but more economical. It's up to you to decide which goals to use. I took a slightly wider can.
In general, cardboard will act as a wick in this candle.



Cut strips of corrugated cardboard.


We roll these strips into a “snail” and insert the jar.



You don’t need to insert it tightly, rather everything should be loose. Just put a rolled round piece.


Take a ladle or pan. Place candles or paraffin briquettes. Melt on fire.


Since I took candles, the wicks float in the paraffin. You can remove them, they are not needed.
Pour paraffin into a jar with cardboard in several batches.


We pour it in for the first time and wait a little while the paraffin (wax) flows down the can and is absorbed into the cardboard. Then we repeat several times until the jar is completely filled.




At the final stage, we insert a wick made from the same cardboard into the center. With it you can quickly light a candle.
Leave to cool. Despite its size, it will take a long time.


Candle tests

I will place a pot of water on the bricks and put a candle at the bottom. When traveling, you can take long tin cans instead of bricks.

When hiking or traveling as a “savage”, on a picnic or fishing, there is always the question of preparing hot food. Someone makes a big fire, someone drags a primus stove or a packet of dry fuel with them.

I want to introduce you to one old method, or rather a device, with the help of which you can cook food, heat yourself, or illuminate your way. According to legend, it was borrowed from the North American Indians by the colonialists of Christopher Columbus. That's why it got the name " Indian candle».

The principle of operation of the Indian candle is extremely simple. As in a samovar, combustion occurs in the firebox, and the draft is provided by a pipe. A sort of mini-oven. But in an Indian candle, the role of both the firebox and the pipe is played by the fuel itself - a log that is hollow inside. The inner walls of the log itself are burning.

From my travel experience, I can safely say that an Indian candle is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to prepare hot food.

Anyone can make an Indian candle in a few minutes.

To make it, you need to take any log with a diameter of 10 cm or more. Up to 30-40 cm. Preferably without knots, so that it can be split fairly evenly. The tree type does not have of great importance, but it should be remembered that resinous trees “shoot” and give off a lot of sparks. It is not recommended to use a Christmas tree or pine candle for heating. Birch burns hot and does not shoot, but its flame is strong and you need to be careful. In addition, birch bark contains a lot of tar and the flame smokes a little, especially at the end of combustion. An almost perfect candle is made from well-dried aspen. It burns extremely evenly, the flame is light and colorless.

In any case, it is good to use dead wood (but not rotten wood). Otherwise, the candle or its preparation will have to dry for a long time.

So, we cut a piece 15-40 cm long from a log. If you plan to use a candle for cooking, then it is better to take short but thick pieces. Then it will be possible to place the dishes directly on the candle, and it will stand stably on the base. If lighting is important, then it is better to take a longer and thinner piece. To make it comfortable to wear. And if heating is required, then you need to take a thick and long piece. This candle can burn for many hours.

1. The log is split lengthwise approximately in the middle. This is why it is important to use a part of the log without knots. They are very easy to split. If you come across a hollow log, it’s generally perfect option! This is a ready-made Indian candle; you just need to cut it into pieces 20-30 cm long and clean out the rotten insides of the hollow.

Using a hatchet, the core of the tree is cut down so that a channel with a diameter of 5-7 cm is subsequently formed.

2. Both halves are folded again and fastened together in any way. For example, wire, adhesive tape, nails, glue... Thus we got wooden pipe. It is important to ensure minimal gaps at the junction of the halves. Otherwise, it is through these cracks that the candle will quickly burn out.

3. To light a candle, a little birch bark (birch bark) is stuffed into the pipe. At the same time, make sure that the free passage of air through the pipe is not blocked, otherwise there will be no draft. If there is no birch bark, you can use several splinters. The spark plug itself is installed so that there is a small gap at its lower end for air to enter. For example, on stones or a couple of logs.

4. The birch bark is set on fire and pushed with a splinter inside the pipe approximately to its center. If it is at the top of the pipe, the candle will burn for a long time, but with a weak flame. This mode is good for heating or warming up small amounts of food. And if you push the birch bark almost to the very bottom (or light the candle from below), then the candle will burn faster, but the flame will be strong. This mode is good for cooking or lighting.

5. When a candle burns, it is enough to simply regulate the flame strength by blocking the access of air from below the candle (for example, with earth or snow). For cooking, a flame height of 10-15 cm is sufficient.

6. The candle can be used as a torch. Wood is an excellent heat insulator, and even a very burning candle can be held freely by hand, lighting your way, or you can install several of these torches to illuminate a tourist camp.

7. To heat food, keep it hot or for heating, it is important to be able to switch the candle to intense smoldering mode. In this case, the candle smolders from the inside with virtually no flame. At the same time, quite hot smoke comes out of it. This is achieved by blocking the air from below the spark plug.

8. It only takes a few minutes to heat up, for example, a can of canned food even in winter. It is enough to place the jar on the candle so that there is a small gap for the smoke to escape. If you need to cook food in a pan, then place it on a couple of wood chips - spacers, like on a burner gas stove. If there is a cauldron, it is simply suspended above the candle at a height of 5-10 cm.

Sometimes, to allow air to enter and gases to escape, appropriate cuts are simply made at the ends of the candle. But this is only possible for candles with a diameter of 20-25 cm or more. Tall and thin candles are not stable and are not worth the risk.

When using a candle as a heater in a tent, care must be taken to remove combustion products.

And absolutely proper heating looks something like this. A burning candle is left outside. A short one is suspended above it at an angle. metal pipe. The higher end of the pipe is inserted into the tent. The candle heats the pipe and, accordingly, the air in it, which enters the tent. This way the tent is heated hot, but fresh clean air, not smoke.

Once a candle is lit, it is not necessary to burn it to the end, until it dies. As soon as the food is cooked, the candle is extinguished by blocking the air from both below and above. For example, by covering it with some non-flammable object such as a pot lid or throwing a damp cloth over it. Thus, with the help of one Indian candle you can cook food several times.

Of course, such a candle is much heavier than a primus or a packet of dry fuel. But dry fuel is quite expensive. And unlike a primus stove, which must be carried on both ends of the trip, and also fiddle with a stinking canister of fuel for it, a candle has a one-way ticket. It dies, providing us with hot food, warmth and light.

But when traveling by car or other motorized vehicles through wild, and especially treeless and mountainous places, a candle will serve you faithfully. Spend a little time making it and you will always be full and warm.

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