Tag Archives: Emergency Lighting

Incredibly Simple and Cheap Emergency Lamp

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20121218_145352It’s been a couple of months since my last homemade lamp creation, and it continues to be a very popular post.  I thought it’s about time to try making an even simpler one, with items that can be found in most homes.  This lamp, as my previous one, was learned from reading  Lanterns, Lamps & Candles by Ron Brown, which contains a wealth of information about emergency lighting.

The items needed for this lamp are super easy to find:

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Cotton ball or cotton puff

Glass container – I used a clear candle holder from Goodwill, but you can use a cereal bowl or even a tuna can

Vegetable oil

Aluminum foil

Matches or lighter

Flammable liquid (you can use a drop of nail polish, nail polish remover or petroleum jelly)

Directions:

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  1. Soak the cotton ball with vegetable oil. Shape a little tip on one side of the cotton ball.  This will be your wick.20121218_145117
  2. Cut a piece of aluminum foil the size of a nickel and poke a small hole in the middle with pencil.20121218_145226
  3. Pull the tip of the cotton ball through the hole in the aluminum foil.
  4. Place a drop of flammable solution (petroleum jelly, polish remover or nail polish) on the cotton ball tip.
  5. Light the cotton ball wick.

This lamp should last for a couple of hours.

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I realize there are cheaper fuels that vegetable oil, but it is good to know how to make  lamps from easy to find materials in case of emergency.

 

For beginning preppers

 

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Find products that are equally functional for wilderness survival as well as urban preparedness:

 

 

 

Learn about Lanterns, Lamps and Candles before the Next Power Outage

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I recently finished reading Lanterns, Lamps and Candles:  A User’s Guide by Ron Brown.  It is an e-book that is available on CD.  The book delivers just what the title says:  everything you need to know about lanterns lamps and candles.  It tells you the various types of emergency light, fuel types, safety tips, complete with instructions on how to make your own.

I learned a lot about emergency lighting from reading this book.  It was interesting to find out there is a lot of misinformation on the internet regarding this subject.  You’ll also become more knowledgeable about what fuels can be used with what items, and whether certain fuels are interchangeable.  Even if you are not that interested in fuel types, it will come in handy should you ever need to improvise in an emergency.  Knowing this also increases your safety, as you won’t be making mistakes in misusing fuels.

As regular readers know, I enjoy testing things and do-it-yourself type instructions, of which this CD has an abundance.  I hope to make some of the simple lighting projects, especially those that are made with items readily found around any home.  If you don’t have a lot of room to store extra gadgets, knowing how to make your own lighting from various materials will save you space, time and money.

Ron Brown, the author, is a retired industrial engineer.  He is quite knowledgeable regarding the subject matter, and it is evident in the examples and anecdotes given.

This is not a book to speed read or multi-task through, as it contains very detailed information that should be absorbed. This is not a flaw, just an observation.  The book is only available in CD format, but you can always print out a few pages of instructions so you can follow step by step.  I liked that it contains lots of color photos, a glossary and an index

At some point, we will all experience a power outage and knowing how to provide lighting is a valuable skill.  The time to learn how to do things is now, and not in the midst of an emergency.   This book will tell you all you need to know about emergency lighting.  For this reason I recommend Lanterns, Lamps and Candles.  The CD is available from http://rc-publishing.com/index.html.

 

ReadyMade Resources is a trusted source for your preparedness supplies: