Preparing for an Emergency: Light and Heat

When I was a little girl, rural electrification was just reaching rural Montana, and we were all very excited about it. We kept plenty of matches in a watertight metal box though, in case the electricity failed and we had to fall back on older technologies. Always keep on hand a way of making light if the electricity goes off. All the adults in the house should have a few candles, a candle holder, and a box or book of matches right with them in their rooms, situated so that the candle could be lit and mounted in a firm position even when struggling to see in the dark. In addition to the candles, a few kerosene lamps, Coleman lanterns, "barn lights," or other such devices would be helpful.

How Many Candles? You almost can't have too many. When you are depending on them, they burn down all too fast. The general rule is to store at least three candles per day you are storing for, or 21 per week; but it's good to have more. Fat ones burn down more slowly than thin ones. If you happen onto a candle sale, buy a bunch. They keep just about forever. Liquid wax candles or 100-hour candles are sold by AG Starlite.

Instant Candles. In an emergency, you can make an instant candle out of a string, with one end lying in some cooking oil (or any fat, even bacon grease) in a dish and the other end hanging over the edge and burning. You get more light if you use 7 or 8 strings. They're very smoky, but if you're desperate for light, anything will do.

Outdoor Lights. A powerful, portable battery-operated light and extra batteries for it is the cleanest, safest, easiest emergency lighting system. Carry one in your car, and keep one or two in your emergency kit at home. We used Coleman lanterns for night trips to the barn before we got electric barn lights. They're still good for making outdoor light for farming, camping, or hunting, although "barn lights" and electric lamps are also good options now. They're all very portable in the lighted state. Many camping/hunting stores carry them. You have to buy a special fuel for Coleman lanterns, but a little goes a long way. You also have to buy a "mantle" which functions as a wick and lasts pretty long unless a curious finger pokes it. In that case, it immediately shatters into ashes, and you have to install a new one to have light again. Don't throw away your instruction booklet, because they can seem complicated until you get used to them. Sold by C.Crane and Alladin Mantle Lamp Company.

Kerosene Lamps. I remember kerosene lamps in our house. Electric lights were such an improvement--more light, no odor, no lamps to fill or wicks to turn up or lamp glasses to clean or break. Kerosene lamps are good indoors but not outdoors because they blow out easily. Practice using yours when you have plenty of light, so it will be easy when you need to light it in the dark. Sold by Lehman's.

Smoke Detector. Since you might be burning all those flames to help you cook and see, better also make sure you have a battery-powered smoke detector.

Emergency Heat. Plan a way of heating and cooking without electricity, and store a fuel supply for that system. For most people, that backup is a wood burner, even a fireplace. But fireplaces are not heat-efficient and are tough to cook on, so a wood stove, properly installed with a stovepipe, is better. Keep a supply of newspapers and kindling for starting fires and wood for burning, or you'll be burning your furniture if it's that or freeze. To keep the fire going for heat and bottle warming, you have to train yourself to wake up and put more fuel in the stove when needed.

NOTE: You absolutely cannot use charcoal grills or hibachis to heat a house. They give off carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that has killed a lot of people who tried that. A propane or gasoline camp stove can be used in the house, and propane stores well. 

[Adapted from the "Living Simply 'Primitively'" section of Chapter 1: Oddments. Illustration copyright 1994 by Cindy Davis.]

Make Dipped Beeswax Candles

Wax-Fact: Did you know beeswax burns at 145

degrees?

I didn't. I did however, make tons of dipped candles as a child at summer camp. Making candles is not an activity for the easily distracted, but it definitely pays off. No one will argue that candlelight creates an atmosphere of comfort and romance, but in the days before electricity, candles were an absolute necessity. Whether you have beeswax to harvest from your honey bees, or need an craft project for a rainy afternoon, dipped candles are handy, beautiful, and easy to make:

You will need:

2 or 3 tall, thin containers (I used old soup or coffee tins) one with your wax, the other with ice water

old newspaper (to spread on your surface)

beeswax

Wick (see instructions at the bottom)

To melt the wax, I have used a double boiler on medium-low heat, or boil water and pour it into an old coffee tin. Place the wax in the smaller container, and put the smaller container in the hot water.

Making Dipped Candles: Lay sheets of paper under the candle rods and all over where you expect to be working, in order to protect your floors. This is very time-consuming and tends to make a mess. To work with a small amount of tallow or wax, you need a tall container, since you can't make an 8-inch candle from a 6-inch container. A 2-inch diameter would be sufficient; use metal if possible.

Dipped Beeswax Candles:

Dipped candles use beeswax more economicaly than molded ones. Have ready 2 containers. One has your melted wax in it. The other contains ice water. You can dip 6 or 8 at a time if you have a holder that will suspend that many wicks at once. You dip in the wax and then in the ice water. Then dip in the wax again, then in the ice water again, and so on until you have your candle where you want it.

More Dipping Tips: Tying a small weight (such as a little steel bolt) to the bottom of the wick will help keep it straight. After 1 or 2 dips, pull wick straight. Another hint is to alternate dips into the hot wax with dips into cool water to speed cooling. But you can't dip into the wax again until the candle is dry (you can wipe it dry). About 30 dips make an average candle.

Color and Scent: You can color your candles and scent them the same way as you do soap, but with even more freedom since you aren't going to use the results on your skin. For coloring you can use crayons. You can't use food coloring because it is water-based and won't combine with the wax. Special candle-wax colorings, scentings, and all kinds of arty possibilities can be bought from craft suppliers.

Cooling and Storing Candles: Don't cool candles in the refrigerator or freezer. They crack and become brittle. Do store in a dry, cool, dark place. But return to room temperature well before you plan to burn them; that way they will burn slower and won't drip as much.

*Wicking: You can buy wicking or make your own. You can loosely spin hemp, tow, cotton, or milkweed "silk" for wicks. Or just twist the material together tightly as best you can. You can make wicks out of common rushes by stripping part of the outer bark from them, leaving the pith bare. You can make a wick out of string or make long cotton wicks out of cloth strings made by tearing cotton rags. (Cotton cloth should have a good boiling before being made into wicking, to get out the dyes and various additives that you don't want to breathe.) It helps to braid your wick material.