question about candles

O

Outdoors

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May 24, 2001
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Specifically, the long burning multi-wick ones. I have one of the coughlin 3 wick candles. It's ok, but tends to melt if kept in the trunk, even here in the temperate northwest. I'm wondering if there are any other candles out there that are less likely to melt. Anyone tried the nuwick candles?

Patrick
 
I've had nuwicks for years and they always seem to be OK. One has sat in a box in my car trunk for 3 years now through summer heat and winter cold and its still OK (I just checked).

My problem with them is that the wicks don't last long enough. The wicks will consume themselves long before the candle wax is used up. At least this is true if the candle is used in short cycles, like an hour or two of burning then extinguish and cool prior to the next use.
 
Thanks for the reply, Matthew. I had wondered about the lifetime of the wicks. I suppose one could always add some regular candle wicks, as the moveable ones are used up.

Patrick
 
Outdoors:
I make my own by rolling up some cotton string inside of a stainless steel pipe cap (size to suit) and then pouring in some melted bees wax until it covers the cotton string. The only problem I have had was a little smoking when firt lighting the bees wax soaked wick. I suppose you could also use parafin in place of bees wax. I just happened to have some 2# block of the bees wax and it works well for me as well as soaking up cotton balls for tinder.
:cool:
 
Muzzleup,
how does the beeswax stand up to the heat over there on the Banana Belt side of the Sound? :D My parafin candle melted into an artistic looking wave after a few months in the car. :( Good thing I had it in a ziplock!

Patrick
 
How about a bottle of liquid parafin instead of wax? This is what is used in oil lamps. As long as the bottle stays intact you don't have to worry about leakage. Just pour as much as you need whenever you need it. Would this work?
 
Patrick;
The bees wax is harder then parrafin and is less prone to melting in the car.
YEAH, the bannana belt....we just had about 3 inches of snow the other day.
The REAL bannana belt is in the Squim area...its against the law there to even say the word "rainy day". :rolleyes: :eek:
 
DanielL:
parafin oil might work. I have issues with it since one of my "leakproof" camping oil lamps leaked all over my gear. I think some of my gear still smells like oil, and it's been a good ten years!

Muzzleup:
I'll have to try some beeswax candles. I was planning on getting some to make up some lip balm anyway. Sorry to hear about the snow :p I spent last wednesday in the snow in Pierce Co. It was lovely (not really). Whenever the weather gets sorta bad here, I just remind myself "You could still be in Chicago". Always seems to work!

Patrick
 
Outdoors -

Having the liquid parafin leak all over everything would also be my greatest concern. Any ideas for a leakproof container? Can you buy 1 quart metal cans with a screw-on top? I'm thinking of a can like paint stripper would come in.

Here's an idea if you want to use a wax candle. Melt your wax, put a wick into a new pint or half-pint can and pour in the melted wax. After it hardens, put the top on and store it in your car. The only trick is to be sure that it does not tip over. You would not want it to melt and re-harded while laying on it's side. You would lose your wick.
 
The only trick is to be sure that it does not tip over. You would not want it to melt and re-harded while laying on it's side. You would lose your wick.
Click to expand...

Well, there's the rub. That's exactly what happened to my current candle. As for the oil, still a non-starter for me, though I do like to use oil lamps at home. Or I did, before I had a toddler :D

Patrick
 
Brigade Quartermaster sells a "micro-crystaline" wax candle (actually 2) for around $10.00. They're around 3 or 4 inches tall, and fairly fat, and are supposed to burn for upwards of 50 hours, and NOT melt. Single wick, but the wax is supposedly compressed, and this plus the crystaline nature of the wax makes it burn longer and resisrt melting. I've never tried one, just thought I'd mention it. I'll probably buy some one of these dyas, just for GP.
 
Spare wick is a good thing to have in your kit anyway.
for a ok replacement wick for candles in tins try using a old fashion
pipe cleaner. cut what you need coil it up and there you go. I would recomend that you first dip them in some melted wax to get them started. Don't want to burn all the fuz before any wax melts to start the process. come to think of it a few pipe cleaners could be used for many things in a kit,just like a twist tie. maybe even a part of a fish lure. I am going to put afew in my kit.
I have made my own tin candles and these pipe cleaner wicks will work.
Frediver<><
 
Frediver:
great tip! My Dad quit smoking his pipe a few years ago and sent me several pipes and a bunch of cleaners. I'll have to add a few of the cleaners to my kit.

VShrake:
I know the candles your referring to. Im not sure how well they'd work for heating water etc, since they are taller and thinner and would get shorter as they burn. I guess I could always use one replace the wax in my existing tin can candles, though. There's an additive that is used to harden candles, though the name escapes me at the moment.

Thanks, all.

Patrick
 
Originally posted by Outdoors There's an additive that is used to harden candles, though the name escapes me at the moment.
Click to expand...
IIRC that is stearic acid.
 
If you wanted to use them for emergency cooking and heating, instead of light, I suppose you could put them in an empty soup can or something. I'm sure you could find a size of can that would fit fairly well. And as the candle burns down in the can, you could use the awl from your SAK to cut breathing holes so the candle continued to burn properly as it got further down the can. I would imagine that a can would contain and increase the heat of ANY candle. Might make an interesting project someday, now that I think about it.

Of course, you could also include some Esbit fuel tabs in your car kit. Those won't melt or anything, and are quite stable so far as I know, and don't give off toxic fumes, so you could use them in a confined space. Of course, I have never found any place that sells them, but there's got to be somewhere to buy them...
 
RokJok,
that's the chemical I was thinking of. I believe it's generally used an a solid (crystaline) form.

Originally posted by V Shrake
Of course, you could also include some Esbit fuel tabs in your car kit. Those won't melt or anything, and are quite stable so far as I know, and don't give off toxic fumes, so you could use them in a confined space. Of course, I have never found any place that sells them, but there's got to be somewhere to buy them...
Click to expand...

V Shrake,

Esbit :D ;)
I have a few in the back of the car right now. Candles are a backup.
Cabella's has the Esbit fuel from time to time, as does Campmor. Sportco, north of Tacoma, has them on the shelf (last time I was there, anyway). Big 5 up here in the Sound has them sporadicaly, as does SportMart. If you want some and can't find any, let me know, I'll pick up a box or two for ya.

Patrick
 
Cool. Thanks for the offer, Outdoors. For now I'm content with trioxane, and I'm keeping my ear to the ground for some Esbit tabs. It just seems weird that with as many catalogs as I get, nobody has any for sale. But if I do need some, I'll keep you in mind. Thanks a lot, dude.
 
Hey guys....last x-mass I got the wifey a candle making kit that has now turned into a buisness.good grief I hate making candles..lol.If any one here has any ideas for containers and would like to give em a shot let me know here in this thread.I will find the container and fill it with the wax we use and of course the proper size wick.Ill send you cost of shiping.....simply reinburse me after you have received em.

Let me know.
 
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