Wednesday, August 8, 2012

How to make an oil lamp from a wine bottle

Toby and I were out shopping for gifts when we stopped in a local store that sells wine and wine accessories.  While looking around I noticed they had a metal cork that has a wick running through it. This converts a normal wine bottle into an oil lamp. I thought it was a really neat idea, I just wasn't comfortable spending the amount it was price at.

A few days later I was in a hobby store when I wandered into the candle and oil lamp section only to find a wick set. Remembering the wine bottle oil lamp I decided to pick one up and try it out.



Here is my end result I think it turned out pretty well.

How to make a wine bottle oil lamp

Supplies:

  • Wick kit (mine is from a craft store)
  • Paraffin Oil
  • Wine bottle (the shorter the neck the better)
  • Small clean rocks (I had some dollar store river rock baggies)
  • Funnel
  1. Make sure your bottle is clean and DRY. If the wick comes in contact with moisture it can cause a sputtering of the flame.
  2. Fill the bottle section 2/3 full of the rocks.  This will add some weight to the bottle along with allow you to use less oil.
  3. Using the funnel fill the wine bottle with the oil up into the neck about less than halfway up. Do not overfill.
  4. Adjust the amount of exposed wick to about what you would have for a normal candle. Then guide the end into the bottle resting the ceramic part hold the wick on top of the bottle.
  5. Let bottle sit for at least an hour to let the wick soak up the oil.
  6. Enjoy!

A couple things I've learned from making a few different oil lamps are:

  • The wider and shorter the wine bottle neck is the better the flame will be.
  • The stones work great in the bottles.  I found people recommending filling the bottle halfway with water than the rest with oil.  Stick with the stones, they are cheap(dollar store purchase or just find some outside and clean them up) you don't have to worry about trimming the bottom of your wick since it will never touch water and no safety issues with the flame sputtering since the wick stays dry.
  • Makes an affordable gift!
Have you ever made an oil lamp?  Let me know in the comments below.