During a hike, when you need to look for a way in the dark and there is no flashlight, or at a rest stop before going to bed at dusk, there is a need for lighting in order to prepare everything for the night. You can use the flame of a fire, but there is a more mobile light source - a torch.
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In two video tutorials, watch how to make a torch with your own hands using wood and other auxiliary materials. A torch for lighting can be made using what is directly under your feet.
Birch bark torch
An empty tin can must be secured in a stick 40-50 cm long. On wounded spruce trunks you can find resin in sufficient quantity to fill a lighting torch with this natural flammable material. If there is no resin, then it can be obtained by making cuts in the bark of trees. You also need to put dry cones and birch bark in the jar. The lighting torch from the jar is ready.
If there is no jar nearby, you can make a torch from birch bark. To do this, you need to make a cut in the stick and insert pieces of birch bark into it. Birch bark gives a very bright and strong flame and is ideal for quickly making a torch.
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Use resin
This torch is effective. If you are trying to survive where few birch trees grow, this is a great alternative to the birch bark torch described above. The method is much the same as for a birch bark torch, so you'll start by splitting the end of a stick to create a container for your wick and fuel.
Now you need to obtain and collect resin from pine or spruce. These trees produce resin to protect themselves, so it usually forms where the bark has been damaged. This soft resin can be easily removed with a knife without causing any harm to the tree. The wick can be made from a pine cone or a spare pair of socks.
Now that you have collected all the materials, let's study the process of creating such a torch.
How to do:
- Secure the handle by inserting it into the ground with the split end up;
- Use chopsticks to temporarily hold open the split ends of the handle;
- Melt the resin over the fire using the used canning. You can then coat your wick with molten resin by dipping your torch into it;
- If you don't have a means of melting the resin, you can spread it onto your chosen wick in its original form, although this may not be as effective;
- Insert the wick into the split ends of the handle;
- Remove the sticks that were holding the ends open - this will secure the wick more firmly.
Torch based on an Indian candle
The next method of making a torch is based on an Indian candle. It is made entirely of wood, has a long burning time, and gives a very long and bright light, because it is based on large logs.
It is not as mobile as the previous one, but it is also easy to carry from place to place, and it is intended for camp lighting. To create a torch, it is better to use logs or solid thin logs made from coniferous trees, as they are the most resinous. You also need a stake on which the burning part will be located. For kindling you will need birch bark or other easily burning material suitable for igniting logs. To improve combustion, you need to make notches along the inside of the logs with a knife or an ax and fill them with wood chips. We also add thin slivers and splinters.
To tighten the candle, we use, if possible, wire or rope pre-moistened with water. The screed should be made as low as possible so that the flame does not reach it immediately. When the screed is ready, it is filled with kindling and set on fire.
And here read how Africans get out of the situation when they need to illuminate their home. In the forest, an ax with a cover, thanks to which you can hang the tool on a backpack, is always useful.
Burning part
Since we are making a torch from scrap materials, we will need two types of tools:
Burning component.
The fabric should under no circumstances be synthetic. This fabric melts and drips, which can cause burns. Only natural fabric and as coarse as possible: linen, cotton, asbestos fabric, felt, tow. Gauze may come in handy, but more on that later, when we figure out the manufacturing process and how to make a torch so that it doesn’t fall apart during the burning process. The length of the fabric strip should be about two meters and the width - 10-15 centimeters.
A simple way to make a torch
zen.yandex.ru How to make a torch? A simple and angry recipe for everyone!
How to make a torch? Each of you asked this question as a child, dreaming of adventures, or at an older age, forgetting a flashlight at night. The torch is cheap, cheerful and very spectacular!
The main essence of the torch is that it is not the stick that should burn, but what is wrapped around it. Now you know more than 90% of people about torches! Go ahead?)
Look, we need a stick and filler. Any natural rope or fabric can be used as a filler. We wrap the fabric around the stick and fix it tightly. (Really tightly) Either screw in a couple of screws, or put on an iron rim. You need firm pressure.
Now we dip our torch in vegetable oil (any) and hold our torch there for about 2-3 hours. Now the torch is almost ready. You can make a thicket from below so that nothing drips onto your hands, but this is optional.
In fact, at this stage you can already light up everyone as an adult, but there is another secret recipe.
We take kerosene, rubber-based rubber glue and liquid soap. Mix kerosene and glue 1 to 1, add a little soap. Shake it all up and apply it to the torch. It will burn great!
The lifespan of one fuse is about 70 minutes, so you should always have a spare with you! Be careful with the mixture, it's almost Greek fire! It is very difficult to extinguish, it can catch fire even under water!
How to treat fabrics
Non-flammable substances must be used as fuel. The most common choices are wax and stearin. The latter is a component of regular soap, and laundry soap is best. Instead of wax, you can take pine resin, but since we are talking about improvised means, the second option is not so often found in a box in the kitchen. The mixing proportions are as follows: for 1 kg of wax/resin, 100 grams of stearin.
There are other recipes as well. For example, a mixture that is relatively resistant to water: one part kerosene, one part rubber glue, a couple of spoons of liquid soap. These ingredients will need to be thoroughly shaken together.
You can mix rosin (pine resin) and wax (or paraffin) one to one.
The following mixture will give a pleasant smell: four parts rosin, one part vegetable oil, five parts paraffin or beeswax.
An interesting tip from the craftsmen: if you want the torch to repel mosquitoes, add a little lemon juice to the mixture when preparing it.
Two ways to make a torch
1 way
The first method of creating a torch that can burn for 5-6 hours is very simple. To do this, we will need chips from dry wood (preferably long logs obtained from splitting) or small branches, which are then collected into a bundle.
We take several long wood chips or a bunch of thin branches and place dry moss in the middle of this space. Now you need to tie it all together with wire. In principle, the torch is ready, all we have to do is saturate it with resin or fat. We set it on fire and if everything is done correctly, the torch will burn for several hours. The length of such a torch is made from 50 centimeters to a meter, and the thickness is 10-15 centimeters.
Method 2
The second way to create a torch is just a variation of the Finnish candle, only adapted not for cooking, but for lighting the area.
We need a log or a thick branch. Choose the length that suits you best. On one side of the log we split or saw crosswise approximately 15-20 centimeters. And insert kindling into the hole in the center. We light it and our torch flares up.
A thinner torch can simply be sharpened and stuck into the ground. And you can just put a thick one and it will burn. If necessary, torches can be carried without problems.
Actually, the process
We basically figured out what to make it out of. Now let's look at how to make a torch. There are two methods, and the second is preferable, but we’ll still talk about both.
Method number one.
We wrap the holder with cloth as tightly as possible and lower it into the prepared solution for a long time to soak it. After that, take it out of the mixture, squeeze it hard, expelling the air, and dry it.
Method number two.
We first soak the fabrics in the solution, squeeze them very hard, and then wrap them tightly on a stick. Dry again.
The second method is good for all wax and resin compounds for a simple reason: all ingredients must be mixed and dissolved in a water bath, without bringing to a boil. If you then put a holder wrapped in fabric into it, most likely the mixture will harden before the fabric is saturated with it. But for the option with a water-resistant torch, where a kerosene-based mixture is used, the first method is perfect. That is, we choose the option of how to make a torch based on the fuel.
By the way, about gauze. It was mentioned above that it may come in handy. So, some advise using it in the second method, namely:
Divide the required length of fabric (two meters) into three to four parts;
After winding the strip, wrap it with a layer of gauze and wait until it dries;
Then repeat this with the remaining strips.
Although, if you put a lot of effort into just wrapping the fabric tightly, it will also stick successfully. If you are still worried about how to make a full-fledged torch, you can additionally strengthen the material on the holder with wire - it should not affect the quality of combustion.
DIY lamp: 130 photos of unusual ideas on how to make a lamp with your own hands
The light source is a significant accent in any interior; it should combine decorative and practical functions and reflect the individuality of the owners of the house. With all the wealth of choice of ready-made options, sometimes the best solution may be to make lamps from scrap materials.
Thanks to this approach, all the properties of the desired lamp will depend only on the master.
Materials for a homemade lamp
What is needed for a homemade lamp:
- Lamp;
- Cartridge;
- The wire;
- Switch;
- Connection to a power source (via a plug into a socket or, with the help of a qualified specialist, into a lighting network).
Sometimes transformers are added to the circuit to reduce the voltage. All components of the future lamp must comply with each other in terms of technical characteristics to ensure safe operation.
Home-grown designers have come up with a great variety of decorative methods for lamps. Photos of DIY lamps are a clear (in every sense) confirmation of this.
Any items can be used: tree branches, glass jars and bottles, disposable tableware, ropes, knitted napkins, toys. Depending on the style and purpose of the room, you can come up with and create an art object to your liking.
Let's start with the decoration
If you still don’t have enough determination to create a lamp from start to finish, you can start with decorative design using design techniques. Decouping a lamp with your own hands can just be a good training before larger projects.
The technique gets its name from the French word meaning “to cut.” It consists of attaching elements cut from special cards, paper, or a colored layer of printed paper napkins to the surface to be decorated using PVA glue. Can be applied to almost any surface, including glass and fabric.
To decorate the lamp you will need:
- Degreasing agent;
- PVA glue;
- Glue brush;
- Three-layer napkins with a bright pattern;
- Dry flat brush;
- Water-based varnish to create a protective layer.
- Degrease the surface;
- First remove the top layer from the napkin and cut out the necessary fragments;
- Apply glue to the surface and attach the design;
- Smooth from the center to the edges of the fragment until the wrinkles disappear.
- After drying, coat with protective varnish.
Lampshade in the style of "Openwork"
Grandma's knitted napkin can also suggest how to decorate a lamp with your own hands. To do this you need to prepare:
- A round napkin with a diameter of about 50 cm;
- Balloon;
- PVA glue and brush;
- A needle and thread may be required.
- Soak a napkin with glue;
- Distribute over the inflated balloon;
- If necessary, secure with a needle and thread, being careful not to puncture the ball;
- Apply glue and dry completely.
- After drying, remove the ball and auxiliary threads, being careful not to wrinkle the napkin.
- The lampshade is ready to decorate a delicate bedroom in a romantic style!
You can find original ideas for lamps with your own hands in any object, you just have to “finish it”.
