How to Make an Easy Candle Extinguisher!

This instructable is how to make an easy and cheap candle or fire extinguisher. This can only extinguish small flames like candles because it's only a small extinguisher.

Step 1 Materials

1) A candle
2) Matches or a lighter
3) A ping pong ball
4) Scissors
5) About 1 foot of floss or string
6) Tape
7) A pen (make sure this isn't your favorite pen because we will be breaking it apart)

Comments

[manish15]

Nice. And here's another way to put out a fire :
http://scimad.com/invisible-fire-extinguisher/

[Kerek]

Have you ever caught one of those orange ping pong balls on fire? They burn very quickly. I do not recommend their use as an extinguisher.

[NightHawkInLight]

Well, this was a good thought, but there's something I think you may not know about ping pong balls that makes this project a little...Ironic might be the right word. Hazardous might be another.

Ping pong balls are actually not made of your typical plastic. They are made from a plasticized form of nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is a very useful chemical that is used for everything from high quality wood varnish, fingernail polish, and ping pong balls, to, well...(here's the noteworthy part) It is the primary ingredient in smokeless gunpowder.

Though the form of nitrocellulose that is used to make ping pong balls is not as explosive as what is made for use in gunpowder, it is still extremely flammable and will burn vigorously. If you had held it over the candle just a moment longer it would have burst into flames. Take the other half of the ball that was left over outside and light on fire to see what I mean.

This project might make for a rather dangerous prank, but it's certainly not safe to use for extinguishing a flame...

[blackcat2]

Thats true. :(
What i did that sort-of fixed it though was putting some electrical tape inside the bowl of the ping pong ball. I'm not sure if it helps or not but i've been using the same candle extinguisher many times (for tests and what-not) and it hasn't lit up (yet?).
Thanks for telling me though, it's good to know! :)

[NightHawkInLight]

You may also find it interesting that my profile picture is an image of a video in which I am igniting a special form of nitrocellulose in my hands.