Molotov Lantern
Intro: Molotov Lantern
Light your patio and keep the bugs away with these quick, easy, and attractive bottle lamps.
Materials:
bottles (beer, wine, liquor, soda, whatever)
tiki torch wicks
2 - 1" wood screws
pipe mount hardware (I had to go to a construction supply store as opposed to the average hardware store for these, but the guy at the hardware store told me where to find them.)
2" threaded rod (that fits the pipe mount hardware) I bought a 12" rod and cut it into 6 pieces with a hacksaw.
large wood bead (This is optional but makes the hardware more attractive.)
tiki fuel
1/2" - 3/4" copper coupling
aluminum tape (maybe-depending on the size of your bottle)
plastic/rubber tubing
STEP 1: Mounting Hardware
1. Mount the plate
2. Screw the bead onto the middle of the rod. Some of my beads gave me trouble wanting to go onto the rod. If you screw the rod into the plate and then put the bead on while it's mounted, it will go on easier. This bead is decorative, but it also acts as a nut to keep the rod and bracket from swiveling if it is put on tightly.
3. Screw the bracket onto the rod.
STEP 2: Adding the Wick and Filling With Fuel
1. Slide the wick into the copper coupling by pushing it in from the larger end.
2. Fill with tiki fuel.
3. Fit copper coupling into the mouth of the bottle. If it's too small, use strips of aluminum tape to bulk it up.
4. Cut a piece of the tubing to fit the neck of the bottle. This will allow you to get the clamp tight without putting too much pressure on the bottle and possibly breaking it. (Thanks Reengineered for the idea) I had some lying around the house that was just a bit too small so I cut two pieces to make it all the way round, but if you bought tubing for this project you could buy a size that would fit better.
5. Sandwich the bottle with tubing into the bracket and tighten.
STEP 3: Ceramic Plate
For those worried about the surface you've mounted these lanterns to, you can add any kind of protective plate from a piece of sheet metal to a decorative plate as I've done.
1. Mark the center of the plate with a marker.
2. Begin drilling with your ceramic bit following the directions on the packaging. I did mine in the sink with a small board underneath so that I could cool the bit down from time to time.
3. When you've breached the other side, flip the plate over and drill from the other side for a quick finish.
Note: If your plates are porcelain, these bits will be chewed up quickly. Choose ceramic plates or get a bit made for porcelain.
4. Use a screw to mount the plate behind the wick. Be careful not to over-tighten. It will break the plate.
STEP 4: Hang, Light and Enjoy!
1. Loosen the bracket.
2. This is where I needed a friend. One person needs to hold the bottle while the other tightens the bracket around the bottle.
3. Light and enjoy your patio's new bug free ambiance.
45 Comments
Reengineered 9 years ago
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
That's a really great recommendation. It would have to be pretty as well as functional. I'll look around at the hardware store and add that when I find something I like. Thanks!
Reengineered 9 years ago
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
I found some plastic tubing in my piles of random stuff from other projects that worked great!
ToGrin 9 years ago
Thank you for this excellent idea. To satisfy the paranoid few, you could always add a shield behind the wick. Plumbing clean-out covers are stainless discs that would not only shield the flame, but would act as a reflector as well.
Tom
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
I have bowed to the peer pressure and added some protection for the wood. See the new Step 3!
Kweek 9 years ago
Yeah, thanks for that. The photo in the email was making me nervous. Even though it is impossible for a flame that size to ignite the post at that distance, weird stuff happens.
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
Due to various comments, I have edited step 2 to include a copper coupling to hold the wick. Safety first.
Anatidyne 9 years ago
Just in case I can't remember this tiny factoid when I go to the store to get the parts to build one of these: the base that's screwed to the wood is called a rod hanger plate.
airrunner6000 9 years ago
A substitute for the aluminum tape could be copper tape. The kind that is used to wrap around trees as a snail barrier.
parkmana 9 years ago
Have you checked with your local fire chief regarding glass containers and flammable liquids? Los Angeles County has fire safety laws that prohibit the use of glass or other fragile material for use as a container for flammable liquids.
Just an FYI as your project is called "Molotov Lantern" :)
Kweek 9 years ago
Makes sense. If the glass is hot and cold water splashes on it it could 'splode! Even just heating and cooling over time could cause it to break, releasing its flammable contents.
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
That is true, but the bottle doesn't get hot at all. The mouth might get about as hot as a mug with hot coffee in it. All the heat is on and rising above the wick.
Kweek 9 years ago
That's probably due to your ingenious coupling dissipating a lot of heat. That might be a good caveat to note, "This doohicky is important cuz blah blah"
BTW, this is very nicely executed project. Has a clean intentional look to it which I don't always achieve in my projects.
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
Well, I don't know how the fire chief would feel, but a bit of quick research has informed me that the flash point of the liquor that was originally in that bottle is lower than that of the tiki fuel. So, it would be easier to ignight the liquor than the fuel. I learned something today! I also learned that alcohol would burn the wick and the tiki fuel burns above the wick without consuming it. Thanks for inciting that bit of research.
Eh Lie Us! 9 years ago
The changes to the design, with the back plate is a nice touch but I still feel :-\ that you even had to do that to appease a few people on here.
Just keep being your creative self and we'll worry about what we do with the fires that we start. :)
bastion72 9 years ago
I have these on my porch as well, without the plate for protection and it's been fine. The problem I run into is the wine bottle is too long and you have to keep a certain amount of oil in there just to keep the wick wet. If you have a smaller bottle you can use less oil in the bottle and still keep the wick wet.
allhopswindgen 9 years ago
Nice Instructable could I suggest that instead if using just an inflamable liquid for the fuel that Citrinella oil would be great to provide the fuel for light and keep insects at bay ...
Brooklyntonia 9 years ago
You certainly can! Thanks for the suggestion.
fixfireleo 9 years ago
i'm glad you added the plate. the one on the instructible e-mail didnt have it and i was thinking "how smart is it to have an open flame mounted on a wooden beam"??