Mint Tin Candle

THIS IS MY FIST INSTRUCTABLES SO PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
This is my guide to a fun little mint tin candle.
This is a fun little project that takes about 5mins to make.

Step 1: Items Needed

All you need to make this is
A small mint tin (Altoids tin)
Glass jar or anything else to melt your wax in
Four tea light candles
Box of matches
Little bit of glue

Comments

[apexmarine]

Safety Matches Importers
Your idea to make Mint tin candle with matches is so pretty. But you should close the box after the wax become cool for avoiding the match sticks fire. Many companies provide good safety matches with different sizes.
www.apexmatch.com/cardboard-safety-matches.htm

[spark master]

clear enough and the glued matches was a very nice touch, but put them in a little plastic sealable bag, with another striker.that has a flap from the original box so it can be kept unexposed to either wax or match heads.

nicely done

[careyfisher]

Nice! Also, use "strike anywhere" matches; then you don't have to worry about the striker getting wet.

[suesci]

Can you use paraffin that is used in canning for some of the candle wax?

[maka]

Yes... or even all of it. The only caveats I have to offer are:

a) Wax has a low flashpoint - Gulf Wax's MSDS gives its flashpoint as 200°F. Please use a double-boiler/hot water bath to heat it, as described in this i'ble to help avoid a wax fire. Have an accurate thermometer and appropriate safety equipment nearby, and NEVER leave your melting wax unattended even for a few moments.

b) My experience has been that candles made with the cheap paraffin such as canning wax are FAR more smoky (and the smoke is unpleasant-smelling) than those made with higher quality paraffin or other waxes.

By the way, if your wax accidentally catches fire, do NOT pour water on/into it. I know it's the automatic reflex, but it will act as an accelerant and can cause an explosion. Instead, use baking soda and/or a cover of some sort to smother the fire, after turning off the stove. The fire should gradually die down and put itself out.

[suesci]

Thanks for all that info. I have used melted wax to seal jelly about 40 years ago. I melted the wax over water as described and, yes, as a former science teacher I do know about suffocating the fire rather than pouring water on it. I always have the appropriate lid next to the range and salt handy. I did not know about the odor or smoke and will keep that in mind.

[Lt.Greg]

Correct Maka - wax can be dangerous to use if you're not careful. As a former Safety professional, my advice would be don't be afraid to try this, but definitely "plan for" a fire. Keep something nearby, such as the lid for that pan (so it fits tightly) and probably a small fire extinguisher as well, in case things get out of hand. (You DO have one of those in the kitchen, right? And Not directly behind or right next to the stove, where a fire could keep you from grabbing it??)
The key to fighting a small early-stage fire is - DON'T PANIC. Step back, take a quick breath, then immediately implement your pre-developed emergency plan. (the key is the term "pre-developed").

BTW, cute ible-pic! Is that a baby hedgehog?
Greg

[maka]

Thanks, Greg. It's actually a baby sugar glider... I currently have 9 of them.

[Lt.Greg]

As a biologist, I recall there are a few real oddities regarding this guy.

Nucturnal, (so do you only play with them at night? :-)

Scent glands on the face (do they smell unless you descent them? I' helped do that operation on six baby skunks once)

Bifurcated penis (now THAT's a real oddity for you'!)

And - I think - they're found in Indonesia and ?Austrailia?

Whatever, they're cute!
G

[maka]

<grins> They are a marsupial, a flying possum specifically. They're native to Australia and New Guinea but if I remember correctly, a wild population has been introduced in Tasmania.

They're nocturnal, yes. That doesn't really mean that they are never awake during the day, just that their primary awake period is at night. They wake up throughout the day and leave the nest to get a snack or a drink or run in the wheel or play for a little while. Most of mine are happy to come out for a little playtime during the day if I'm around. My schedule is a little erratic, so sometimes I am awake (either at the beginning of my day or the end of it) in the early morning hours, which is my favorite time to be awake with them. I have a little mesh pop-up beach tent that I set up in the middle of my living room. I climb inside with them, armed with treats and toys, and just hang out with them for an hour or two.

They (mostly the males) do have a slight natural odor but it's much milder than, say, a ferret. The males have a scent gland on the forehead and one on the chest, which are used to mark the members and territory of the colony. The scent glands basically disappear when the males are neutered. They also mark territory with urine, though, so that's a smell you really have to keep up with!

Yep. Bifurcated penis, branched vagina, double uterus. Babies - 80% of litters are two joeys - are born after 16 days' gestation and are teensy little fetuses the size of a grain of rice and weigh less than 1/4 gram. The father assists the mother helping the baby from the vagina to the pouch, where it latches onto a nipple which swells inside its mouth to prevent it slipping off because their jaws are too underdeveloped to latch off and on a nipple like most mammals do. They stay in the mother's pouch, latched onto a nipple, for about 70 days. After that they nurse another 8-10 weeks. Their natural diet is a very diverse collection of plant nectars, fruits, saps, and resins along with insects, arachnids, and eggs or even baby birds and small lizards.

They're REAL cute, and totally fascinating. I am crazy about them! :)

[suesci]

I do like the idea of thinking out the plan ahead of time and not relying on what was thought out long ago. I will do that whether I use the candle wax or paraffin. Thanks.

[Lt.Greg]

OH hey I forgot something very important! IF you use a fire extinguisher to extinguish a wax fire, be VERY careful not to get too close at first, because the strong discharge pressure COULD spread the burning wax the same way as if water were used!

The BEST first measure for a burning liquid fire on the stove is almost always a tight-fitting metal lid for the pan, which will smother the fire by excluding oxygen from getting to the flame. This may be a good example for keeping a CO2 extinguisher in the kitchen, but watch out for the fumes, which are rather caustic to breath.

BTW - if you wanna do a neat demo to see how CO2 smothers a fire, put a chunk of dry ice like you get when they deliver a food package to the front door in a cooler (use a glove or tongs! ) into a large nonflammable container (not the styrofoam cooler - just in case!) and let it sublimate for a little bit (look it up!) with the lid on. Then light a match, take the lid off the container, and gently lower the match into the inside. It should go out as soon as it reaches the level of the CO2 gas.

[pmadden2]

I'd imagine so since paraffin is the main ingredient in most candles.

[kretzlord]

awesome! portable, self contained, and slightly minty :) Question, would you be able to remove the candles from the metal frames, place two in the tin the correct way, and wedge the other two in, then put the whole shebang on a hotplate (or some more tea lights, because if you have a few, you have a bunch) and melt it all directly in the container?

[maka]

PLEASE read up on candlemaking safety before you do something like this! The reason wax is melted in a double-boiler/hot water bath is that it has a very low flashpoint (around 150°F-200°F depending on the wax) and can explode into flame if heated over direct heat.

[kretzlord]

definitely a fair safety warning!

[oregood]

I don't think you could melt it all directly in the container because you can only fit 2 candles in the tin if they are not melted.
It may be possible to put 2 hole candles in then brake up to in to little bits then melt it all in the tin.

IF ANY ONE GIVES IT A TRY PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF IT WORKS.

[Lt.Greg]

Hey Ibble people - I have an unrelated question. (Please forgive me if its not proper to use someone's ibble replies to ask an unrelated Q --but I'm an old guy and I'm not very savvy about these computer things, and I don't know where to post my question.

I have an ibble I'd like to contribute, but i don't know if its worthwhile or needed..)
Would anyone be interested in how to make their own blanket pins? Used to attach two blankets together to make a sort of field sleeping bag.?

Thanks folks,
Greg
[e-mail]

[jollygreen]

I am interested

GOD Bless you all

[jollygreen]

Hello I built two this afternoon and I am trying them out to see how they do including leaving one in the car in this Houston heat. Thanks and

GOD Bless you all

[cetok]

Some tins will allow the lid to stay in the half-open (vertical) position. If so, it can be useful as a reflector, especially if you face the inside with aluminum foil (which can be laid over the matches).

[Torokun]

This is brilliant.

Do you think it's good to add one of those moisture absorbing gel packs (silicagel or something...) in them when you store them?

[darman12]

Wow! This is a sweet project! Perfect for when the power goes out...just grab the Altoids tin and go. This would be a great edition to one of the Altoid EDC Instructables.

Also, congratulations for being featured with your first Instructable, and only after one day!

[Lt.Greg]

Yes Oregood - I also congratulate you, this is a wonderful ibble. It isn't anything that hasn't been done before, but the idea of using an altoids tin is brilliant, and a really neat way to tuck away a number of these items in a small space. I love that idea. I also think that a couple of four-wick tins would be nice, and would probably make a fairly decent emergency stove in a pinch. I've made some tuna can stoves with cardboard and parafin but the wicks keep giving me trouble. They work, but I'm not really satisfied with them. YOUR idea solves that (for a solid wax re-build).

Great job!
Greg

[darman12]

If you keep up making projects like this, you'll be a featured author for sure!

[darman12]

"If you keep up making projects like this, you'll be a featured author for sure!"

[MEMJIM]

does the lid fit water tight? if not,matches & striker no good. great project, i'll make several for those 'ya' nevuh know' moments. thanks Oregood. jim

[technofossil]

I use John Wayne bands across the lids to seal the tins and make them water tight. I cut the band about 3/4 of an inch (15mm) and stretch it across. It's really tight at first but the bands loosen a bit but remain on tight. You can remove the band, and reseal the tin when you are done. It also helps keep the tin closed in your pack/pocket.  

http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FPJ/TSXQ/H7997MHJ/FPJTSXQH7997MHJ.THUMB.jpg

There are many ibbles on JW bands, it is nothing more than a tire inner tube cut into large bands.

[clgonsal]

Great idea.

Since you're already melting wax, you might want to try dipping the match heads in the liquid wax. This'll make them waterproof, just in case water somehow gets into the tin.

[chaseis1badmonkey]

Couldn't you just throw the tea lights in the tin along with a book of matches instead of going through the trouble of melting wax and cutting up a match box?

[hkfilmfan]

Nice job! Thanks for posting.

[chandshar]

whilst the wax is melted dip the ends of the matches in the wax to waterproof them
put the match striker material in a small plastic zip bag with a small sachet of silica gell crystals
PS safty matches can be ignighted by striking on glass

[jollygreen]

I am going to make one of these thanks, I would like to ask when you light this and it burns does the bottom get hot?

GOD Bless you all

[jollygreen]

Hi I was wondering did you try just putting 2 candles in the tin then pour the rest of the wax around them? Or were they to tall?

Thanks and

GOD Bless you and your family

[polarstar]

That, my friend, is just awesome! Great job.

[memeemeee]

Maybe make citronella candles for camping?

[pcfrost232]

I like that idea too.

[pcfrost232]

I like it! Citronella is a good idea too.

[peterbryenton]

Good start, neat idea.

If you dip each individual match head into molten wax, then let them set, no damp will be able to spoil them. They will still strike after scraping away the wax with a finger nail.

[nwlaurie]

As well as dipping the match head (or even the entire match) you can dip the striker board. After lighting a candle use the heat re-melt the wax on the striker to keep it covered for next time.