Glass Bottle Tiki Torch

Tiki brand torches are nice for backyard BBQs, but if you are roughing it in the woods, at a campground or a hiking trail then you most likely won't need an expensive name brand oil torch. I like LEDs for inside of my tent, but for the outside I like to use citronella oil instead of fluorescent lanterns. Fluorescent lamps remind me of the office life I’m vacationing from. Also, citronella smells like the outdoors and adds to the overall feel of camping. The lamp I use combines recycling and camping. I use glass beer bottles and cotton wicks from an old mop head to make a reusable oil lamp.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE, RATE, AND COMMENT!

Step 1 You Will Need:

Beer bottles (not the twist-off type)

The caps (removed carefully without damage)

Cotton string (thicker the better)

Philips screwdriver

Hammer

Oil (citronella or used cooking oil will work)

Bottle capper (optional)

Comments

[chokapi]

Thanks for the share. However, I beseech each and every one of you - don't take this camping! Unless you are 'car camping,' taking glass with you can be dangerous for you, the next camper, or the little beasties out there.

Perhaps one option is to use one of those aluminum beer bottles. Coor's even has one with a large, screw-off top. And the aluminum in these bottles is thicker.

[frankvanw1]

tjesse: Great tutorial. One thing though; you forgot to mention you should drink all the beer out ot the beer bottle. Here in my neck of the woods we have to drink Canadian beer, pity.

[Kaniduh]

I made mine out of the stainkell steel Coca-Cola bottles you can get. The problem I have been having is I used an piece of old mop head string for the wick and the citronella when it isnt little just wicks out of the bottle and leaks all over the place.

[moneyfuskie935]

Wowza! Even I can make this!

[milk and cereal 0977]

peanut oil does not work for us

[ktphoto]

I'm so glad I stumbled on this tutorial! I am making all hand made and recycled gifts this year, and I could not for the life of me figure out what to make my father for Christmas! But when I saw these torches, I knew he would love them. He's got a thing for tiki torches, even in the winter. I'm using large Perrier water bottles, which have screw on caps and are a really fun shape! I just have to buy some wick replacements and oil, both of which Walmart carries in the craft area of the store. I was actually wondering how you snuff out the flame. Is it easily blown out or should I buy some sort of cap to attach to the neck? Thanks so much!

[xox]

Hi,
I've just tried mine with the same cotton string style as you, and regular cooking oil for fuel. filled the bottle half way but my wick just burns for 1min and dies. any idea what could be wrong ? Great Instructable, thank you. I'd love to make it work. have a good one!

[tjesse]

If your wick doesn't melt then it is cotton or something natural at least. You can try making the wick longer. If that does not work then I would use tiki oil. I have tried used cooking oil and like the tiki oil better. I hope you can get it to work because I still use mine and get compliments all the time.

[xox]

Oookay, i guess i'll do some fuel arrangements. I also saw some websites talking about dipping the wicks into salted water for hours. I'll try that too.

Thanks a lot tjesse (I'm a Jesse too!)
good evening!

[tjesse]

I tried salting my wicks. It worked well but I live in Florida and the wick soaked up water from the high humidity down here. They went from bone dry to soaked overnight, so I didn't put that in the instructable.

[moha1th ART]

great idea for camp said!!really good

[madonfishin151]

wow thats such a good idea

[ccooley1]

here is a torch for ya, crown cap style, original bottle cap :)
~Cooley

[tjesse]

Nice! What did you use to cut the hole, and what did you use for a wick and oil.

[ccooley1]

The hole i used my dremel to drill (didn't wanna tear the cap up real bad), wick was kinda a bust.... it ended up being nylon blend (damnit) and for fuel i just used gas+oil mixed at 100:1.

[tjesse]

That's not an oil lamp. That's a bomb. I hope this is a joke. You don't light two stroke gas in a glass bomb casing.

[ccooley1]

yeah dude, i aint that dumb lol, i acutally used rubbing alcohol, reasoning the same as the tp/coffeecan/alcohol warmer. light with no scent for hunting. cant wire an old trailer (moved at too old of an age) once you make it a hunting cabin in MI. i apologize for not clueing you in on my wiseassness for everyone that thinks these are molotovs..... the wick wouldn't stay lit through the toss.... jus sayin....

[tjesse]

I just don't want some kid to show up to his scout trip with gas in a beer bottle. I know that oil is safe because of the many other applications on the market. I have a firepot that uses alcohol, but I still wouldn't use it in this application. I'm glad that you are going to use my idea and I will gladly send you a 3 month pro membership. By the way how does the nylon blend hold up, it surly is not scent free.

[tjesse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail

[Dream Dragon]

Damit!

Yet another project I was thinking of making an "instructable" about and someone else beat me to it. They say that "Great minds think alike and your method is nearly identical to my own, including using the screwdriver to make a star shaped hole. Well done!

I have some interesting SHAPED beer Bottles and lot's of Crown Caps with holes in. Anything made of natural fibre should work as a wick, though cotton is probably best, I was going to use strips of old clothes. I think I recall something about soaking a wick in salt for better burning characteristics but that my be more appropriate for "Candle" type light's I'm not sure.

One thing that I WAS wondering about was whether the wick could pull the oil all the way up from the bottom of the bottle, have you found this to be a problem? Have you burned a lamp all the way to the bottom?

Another good reason for using Citronella oil is that it has a repellant effect on insects, it may not be perfect (like most natural products) but it's certainly an improvement on nothing at all

[tjesse]

I’m glad you like it. Not all natural is as absorbent as cotton, but you’re right even wood can be used. You might want to experiment with that. As far as the depth, cotton has no problem getting the oil to the top. I would even think a wine bottle would work.

[DoctorOfAwesome]

So is there any other way we could get the membership? What if i dont have a bottle capper for that method?

[tjesse]

Absolutely! That is completely optonal, actually I want someone to prove it can be done without the capper. I understand that this is an odd tool to own. The pop off crown cap will snap back on IF it is removed without bending it.

[DoctorOfAwesome]

what if i post a picture of the torch i made? will that do me any good? :D

[tjesse]

If you made one, post it, I would like to see it.

[Dream Dragon]

I don't have a crown caper, but I have got the caps to clip back on. The trick is in getting the cap off without damaging it too much a little dense. It's a question of not lifting any one side too much. Lift a little, rotate, lift, rotate a bit more...

Maybe I'll get around to Instructablizeing my take on the idea.

[Toastalicious]

It also doubles as a Molotov Cocktail :D

[architexture]

Dude, this is a good instructable. Props!!

[tjesse]

Thanks, what I'm missing is a hammock!

[architexture]

;) clever!

[3rdmike]

Top notch. As far as DIY and adaptive reuse goes, you have covered them both with this -ible. These are the kinds of projects this site was built on--simple, yet brilliant in execution--and it is always encouraging to see one posted.

[tjesse]

Thank you, I'm happy to see it is on your favorites list. I would also like you to know that I read your comment in my head using the voice of professor Frink from the Simpsons.

[That One Eegit]

this is really cool

[tjesse]

Thanks, I really appreciate that.

[jbussé]

because everyone has a bottle capper lying around =D ...
I used pincers, worked just as well...little bit of paint came off =[

[tjesse]

I just looked up what that was and I think that is a great tool for this! Thanks for the post, and I would love the see a pic of the final product.

[tjesse]

Channel locks will work. The capper is optional, but you see them at garage sales sometimes.

[tjesse]

I will give a 3 month pro membership to the first person to post a picture of their new torch using a crown style cap as shown in the instructable.

[DonaldCollis]

I don't want to be a buz kill but there is a major problem with this project. When your bottle is used up all of the oil it looks like you would have to remove the cap somehow and then maybe make another cap.

It would be easier to use a screw on cap like the ones shown above. That way when your out of oil you just unscrew fill and go.

[tjesse]

Yes, you will have to remove the cap and refill the bottle and put the cap back on. I don’t see the major problem. You don’t need a capper to do this; I got one cheap so that’s what I use. You can get one online for the price of one name brand tiki torch. If you remove the cap with care it will snap back on with a little pressure. I posted screw off options in the comments, but I like to use the beer bottles I have. When re-purposing things into something it was not designed to do, it requires a little bit of work, but for me it is worth it to have something unique and useful. It’s not for everyone.