Emergency Candle DIY

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Learn to select a candle base, a mold, and a wick to fit your emergency candle DIY project.

by Kristi Cook
While I’m not a prepper in the strictest sense, I do find myself stockpiling skills that we’ll need in a power outage or long-term disaster. One of my favorites is turning ordinary fats, beeswax, paraffin, and old candles into emergency lighting that doesn’t require batteries, solar chargers, or hand cranks.

Select a Candle Base

Free to the livestock owner and hunter, animal fat rendered into tallow or lard is the easiest base to obtain in times of need. Any animal fat — sheep, elk, caribou, bear — may be used with minor differences. However, because animal fats are so soft, candles made with them burn faster than paraffin or beeswax bases. They’re best-suited for containers instead of pillars or tapers, unless a hardener such as beeswax or stearic acid is added.

Of all the candle bases available, paraffin is one of the easiest to work with. It produces a clean-burning candle with little to no smoke or odor and is a common option for containers, pillars, and dipped tapers. While paraffin may be purchased in bulk, recycling candle stumps and container wax is also a good option.

Beeswax is another option; it boasts a higher melting point than both general-purpose paraffin and animal fats, and produces a hard, slow-burning candle that emits a slight honey smell with very little smoke. Its biggest downside is its cost and difficulty in acquisition in abnormal circumstances. Because of this, it’s common to incorporate a small amount of beeswax into the paraffin/tallow/lard base as a hardener to increase burn time while keeping candle-making costs to a minimum.

Select a Candle Mold

Molds and containers may be purchased or DIYed from readily available materials. Cylindrical potato chip containers, waxed drink boxes, and even old paper towel rolls work. Other options include PVC pipe sliced down the middle to make a two-piece mold. To use, duct tape the two pieces together with a piece of cardboard taped to the bottom. Once the wax hardens, cut the tape away and pull the candle out. For containers, almost any nonflammable container will do. Old jelly jars, mason jars, soup cans, and even sturdy, heat-proof pottery work nicely.

Select a Wick

Wicking is, perhaps, the most difficult aspect of candle making. The problem lies in the fact that each base and candle size requires a different type of wick to produce the cleanest burn. For this reason, purchased wicking is more reliable than DIY wicks, as manufacturers have suggestions for which styles work best with each particular wax. The exception is animal fats, as most don’t list that base as an option. My general rule when using animal fats is to use wicking designed for soft waxes such as soy or vegan. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work, making experimentation necessary.

However, wicking may be DIYed using old cotton clothing or bedsheets, even cotton yarn. While the burn won’t be as efficient as pre-made wicking, DIY wicks work fine in an emergency. Simply cut thin strips of material and braid or twist them together tightly. Soak wicking for several minutes in the candle base before making the candles and allow to harden as straight as possible. If the lengths are long, roll it into a loose ball for easy storage and cut as needed. Again, experimentation is key.

Once everything is in place, determine if you want to make pillars, containers, tapers, or votives. Each has its benefits and downsides, so it’s wise to have a variety whenever possible. Small votives placed in a mostly covered container work quite well for low light that doesn’t travel far. For the brightest lighting, tapers and pillars work best in a glass lantern-style holder with reflectors. And yet, I like tin can or container candles best when little ones or pets are running underfoot.

Old-fashioned candle-making is a fun and useful skill that uses materials you may already have at home. When burning your creation, you’ll discover a sense of comfort knowing you can fill the need for lighting in a pinch, no matter the situation.

Candle Making Process

1. Cover the workspace with paper to catch drips. Set out and prepare molds or containers. Keep potholders handy in case you need to move the hot containers before the wax has time to cool.
2. Using a double boiler, place the candle base into the pot. (Select a pot that can be dedicated to candle making if us­ing beeswax or paraffin.) Heat over medium heat until melted. Note: a thermometer is unnecessary for emergency candles, since blemishes aren’t a concern.
3. Cut the wicking several inches longer than needed. Tie a hex nut or other small, heavy item to the end of the wick to keep it in place. The hex nut will be removed from the hardened taper or recycled after the pillar or container candle burns out. Alter­natively, purchase wick tabs and glue dots to fasten the wicking to the bottom of the container. Use pencils, bamboo skewers, or other items to keep the wick centered until the wax hardens.
4. Once the base melts, add beeswax or stearic acid, if using, and gently stir until fully melted.
5. Slowly pour the wax into the mold or container or begin dipping tapers.
6. If making dipped tapers, dip quickly, hanging wicking from a rack until hardened. Repeat multiple times until the taper is of the desired width. Once fully hardened, cut the nut from the end of the taper.
7. For molds, allow the wax to cool completely. Take the mold apart or lightly tap on a hard surface to remove the candle. Candles may be burned immediately or saved for later use. It’s best to store tallow-or lard-based candles in a dark, cool location, such as the refrigerator, root cellar, or basement to prevent softening during warm weather.

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Kristi Cook lives in Arkansas where every year brings something new to her family’s journey for a more sustainable lifestyle. She keeps a flock of laying hens, dairy goats, a rapidly growing apiary, a large garden, and more. When she’s not busy with the critters and veggies, you can find her sharing sustainable living skills through her workshops and articles.

Originally published in the October/September 2024 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.