How to Create Cheap Light During a Power Cut
Burn crayons as candles., Make a candle from petroleum jelly., Create an oil lamp., Make your own wick., Identify other flammable materials., Make a torch., Improvise a battery., Build your own simple generator., Ignite steel wool.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Burn crayons as candles.
Most crayons make fairly good candles, if you leave the paper wrapping on as a wick.
A typical crayon burns for about half an hour.
It may help to break the tip off the candle before lighting it. -
Step 2: Make a candle from petroleum jelly.
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) burns easily and for a long time.
The most efficient way to use it is to rub it onto cotton balls or other flammable materials, placing them on aluminum foil or another fireproof material.
For a long-term light source, light a candle or homemade wick stuck in a small container of petroleum jelly. , Pour vegetable oil into a container.
Drop a cotton string into the oil to use as a wick.
Light the tip of the string and add a new string each time the old one burns out.
If you do not have any cooking oil, look for goods packed in oil, such as canned fish.
Pour out the oil into a fireproof container. , If you do not have a cotton string, search for any long, thin, flammable material you can use instead.
Here are two options using household materials:
Rub a cotton ball between your palms to make a long strand.
Peel half of an orange and remove the fruit.
You should be left with the white central "stem" attached to the bottom half of the peel.
Pour oil into the "bowl" of the peel and light the stem to make a candle. , Soak a cotton string or homemade wick with animal fat or alcohol to make a candle, or stick the string in a stick of butter.
If none of these are available, you can even burn fat- or oil-rich foods such as Brazil nuts.
For a candle that can burn for weeks, stick a string in a can of shortening (Crisco).
In indoor areas with poor ventilation, stick to candle-sized fires only.
Large fires in enclosed spaces can cause death by carbon monoxide poisoning. , Wrap a rag around the tip of a sturdy stick or metal rod and cover it with gauze or wire mesh.
Dip the tip in vegetable oil and light it for a long-lasting light source. , You can make your own low-powered battery with two types of metal and any acid.
Read this article for more detailed instructions.
This is usually enough to power an LED light, connected to both ends of the battery.
You can even make a battery out of a potato or lemon.
Link several of these organic batteries in a series to increase the power. , If you have a magnet and a length of wire, you can create your own hand-cranked generator.
While not the easiest solution, it does give you something to do while your electronics are off! , Place clean steel wool in a heatproof bowl.
Rub the terminals of a charged battery against the wool to ignite it.
Blow gently on the wool if necessary to help it along.
This won't burn for long, so it's mainly useful to light other items if you're out of matches.
The wool and bowl reach very high temperatures.Take care not to burn your fingers, and do not touch the bowl for at least ten minutes. -
Step 3: Create an oil lamp.
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Step 4: Make your own wick.
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Step 5: Identify other flammable materials.
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Step 6: Make a torch.
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Step 7: Improvise a battery.
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Step 8: Build your own simple generator.
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Step 9: Ignite steel wool.
Detailed Guide
Most crayons make fairly good candles, if you leave the paper wrapping on as a wick.
A typical crayon burns for about half an hour.
It may help to break the tip off the candle before lighting it.
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) burns easily and for a long time.
The most efficient way to use it is to rub it onto cotton balls or other flammable materials, placing them on aluminum foil or another fireproof material.
For a long-term light source, light a candle or homemade wick stuck in a small container of petroleum jelly. , Pour vegetable oil into a container.
Drop a cotton string into the oil to use as a wick.
Light the tip of the string and add a new string each time the old one burns out.
If you do not have any cooking oil, look for goods packed in oil, such as canned fish.
Pour out the oil into a fireproof container. , If you do not have a cotton string, search for any long, thin, flammable material you can use instead.
Here are two options using household materials:
Rub a cotton ball between your palms to make a long strand.
Peel half of an orange and remove the fruit.
You should be left with the white central "stem" attached to the bottom half of the peel.
Pour oil into the "bowl" of the peel and light the stem to make a candle. , Soak a cotton string or homemade wick with animal fat or alcohol to make a candle, or stick the string in a stick of butter.
If none of these are available, you can even burn fat- or oil-rich foods such as Brazil nuts.
For a candle that can burn for weeks, stick a string in a can of shortening (Crisco).
In indoor areas with poor ventilation, stick to candle-sized fires only.
Large fires in enclosed spaces can cause death by carbon monoxide poisoning. , Wrap a rag around the tip of a sturdy stick or metal rod and cover it with gauze or wire mesh.
Dip the tip in vegetable oil and light it for a long-lasting light source. , You can make your own low-powered battery with two types of metal and any acid.
Read this article for more detailed instructions.
This is usually enough to power an LED light, connected to both ends of the battery.
You can even make a battery out of a potato or lemon.
Link several of these organic batteries in a series to increase the power. , If you have a magnet and a length of wire, you can create your own hand-cranked generator.
While not the easiest solution, it does give you something to do while your electronics are off! , Place clean steel wool in a heatproof bowl.
Rub the terminals of a charged battery against the wool to ignite it.
Blow gently on the wool if necessary to help it along.
This won't burn for long, so it's mainly useful to light other items if you're out of matches.
The wool and bowl reach very high temperatures.Take care not to burn your fingers, and do not touch the bowl for at least ten minutes.
About the Author
Patricia Davis
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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