The flash drive contains all blog articles through early January 2026. I didn’t edit the blog articles, and unfortunately, the program adds in extra returns. Blogger has also done a good job of corrupting some of the tables and recipes, which makes me feel bad. It seems to have especially affected the first couple of years. So to compensate we’ve included the full manuscripts for Bring Your Own Bandages and Food Storage Made Fabulous. Everything is in PDF and Word files, with the exception of FSMF, which is only in PDF. That Word file went AWOL.
The flash drive is the same as last year’s-- this one--water resistant, crush resistant, and temperature proof (though I bet I could find a way...). The flash drives themselves are $30. Shipping within the US only is $6, regardless of the number purchased. For more info, see the post on January 27.
OK, I honestly think this falls into the category of unnecessary hardship, something assiduously avoided by those seriously preparing for challenging times. Using a crayon as an emergency candle seems so… pathetic? Like one didn’t plan enough flashlights, batteries, solar chargers, candles, (rancid) oil candles, lanterns, etc., if the other lighting solutions failed. Using your child’s crayons? Wouldn’t a better use of the crayons be letting the child color?
I checked the prices of crayons today on Amazon and Walmart. They’re cheaper at the latter, in case you were wondering. And for the amount of light put out and burn time, the most expensive tea light candles on Amazon are far less expensive than the cheapest crayons anywhere.
But just in case you find yourself in a place where there are no candles but there are crayons, here’s how to do it. I had to research it myself because it’s not simply a matter of touching a match to a crayon, which is what I tried the first time.
In addition to a crayon, you’ll also need a crayon candle holder. One boy used a K’nex wheel. For the first two, I crumpled up aluminum foil and inserted the crayon after I prepared it. For the next five, I went with using a match to melt the crayon tip, dripping the melted crayon onto a saucer, and then standing the crayon in the melted crayon wax before it hardens. Then I held the match next to the paper until it ignited. (By the seventh crayon, I could do this with a single match from a matchbook.)
If you’re having difficulty getting the crayon to light, use a can punch bottle opener to dig a well into the top of the crayon, leaving the paper wrapper intact. The wrapper is your wick. The light the paper with a match.
That’s all there is to it.
Basically, the paper wrapper serves as the wick. Sources say the candle will burn for 8-30 minutes. For that 30-minute burn time, people are either using some really premium crayons or those jumbo kindergarten crayons. My Crayola crayon candle burned 10 minutes before self-extinguishing.
Note the following:
1. Cheap Chinese crayons may not work as candles. Of course, this is my very unscientific observation. My test pool included two Chinese crayons and several Made in the USA Crayolas. Of course, I started with the Chinese crayons. Those have never been any good and using them for candles seemed like a great idea. Until it wasn’t, because they simply won’t stay lit. North Carolina Prepper (NCP) did a Youtube on lighting a Chinese crayon, a different brand than what I had. Mine lit about as well as his and burned for a minute or so before dying. NCP didn’t film until the crayon burned down.[1] My Chinese crayons also sizzled like those birthday candles that relight and spattered wax all over the saucer. Crayola crayons burn brightly from start to finish.
2. Extinguish the candle when the flame is about 1/2” from the bottom. Otherwise, there is the risk that the candle will fall over.
3. 3. I believe that the burn rate and time may be affected by the crayon color. Most of my attempts averaged 14 minutes. But the orange crayon went 23 minutes. And the pink crayon had a 6” flame for several minutes.
Obviously, do not leave this open and unstable flame unattended. If you’re using a crayon for a candle, life’s already bad. Don’t make it worse by burning the house down.
As with everything related to preparedness, give this a try before the lights go out. That way you’ll know it works—for a few minutes. You won’t be like the Martha Stewart readers (and writers who clearly didn’t test the theory) informed by the CEO of a survival company who asserted that the crayon candle would “burn slowly for hours.”[2] Or maybe he used the jumbo crayons.
If you want to see the crayon candle burn from start to finish, this is a good video, and he speeds up the time elapse camera. He gets about 12 minutes outside, so not bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPQQmHAY_mo&t=181s
Other sources that claim a 15-30 minute burn from a regular crayon: https://www.thoughtco.com/use-crayon-as-a-candle-607490
https://www.superprepper.com/homemade-emergency-candles/
Give this a try if you’re so inclined, and then remind yourself to buy a lot more tealight candles. They’re cheaper and they burn a whole lot longer.
Links to related posts:
[1] https://lifehacker.com/use-a-crayon-as-a-candle-in-an-emergency-1188547165?test_uuid=02DN02BmbRCcASIX6xMQtY9&test_variant=A
The fire hazard is my big concern. That and the light isn't all that once I turned off all the lights and really tried to use such flame lighting hacks.
ReplyDeletePets, kids, senior adults wandering already vision impaired and now really poor lighting scare this EMS medic.
Like the soda bottle "hack" for a water filter. Sounds good but I'd not trust my bowels with that "Filtered" water. A real SLOW sand filter is pretty large to allow SLOW filtration through a lot of media to produce safer water much as the earth does it for your well.
Solar rechargeable lights are still reasonably cheap and a few of mine are almost a decade old.
I totally agree about the safety issues. I think it's critical to point out that some things don't work "just like on TV." I could try out the crayon candle for people to get a more unbiased opinion without doing it themselves. Or if they did try it themselves, only to prove that they really want to get other lighting options. I haven't done the soda bottle filters because I'm not willing to go to the hassle and expense of testing the filtered water for bacteria. I'm more comfortable storing multiple purification and filtration methods and devices. But as you well know, 98-99% of people out there do not prepare to the extent that we do. They'll have to make do with what they have. Unfortunately, they might only have crayons and soda bottles. I can't fix that.
DeleteSigh, I agree Jennifer that way too many folks will wait until the lights and water go out before they respond.
DeleteWe both see it every major weather event and folks suffer and when EMS isn't readily available like a mass event folks die for lack of foresight.
I guess my concern is your site is an excellent site and I can "see" folks saying crayon candles are a good idea, Jennifer approved :-).
So far my best long lasting reasonably priced solar comes from Biolight.
The solarhome 625 is a nice setup. A real solar panel a decent battery a FM radio that works once you figure out the antenna wire set up several lights to string around the cabin-campsite AND oddly enough 2 USB ports for charging cell phones and such. Normal price 299 but they have sales often.
They have a couple of backpackable rocket stoves and base camp models. Some actually have decent USB power built in using thermal-electric units.
the Crayola candle is right in the BS circle file with Crisco candles - which is even a more ridicoulous BSer >>> entire boxes of old holiday candles are a $1 at garage sales - beats even the prayer candles at the corner bodagas ......
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to try things out. It's important to do the math. Sometimes our preconceived notions are proven false. It's also critical to understand that a lie repeated often enough becomes a truth to some people who are more easily deceived. The crayon candle videos are (or were) out there everywhere. And I fear the younger generation may be more easily suckered. So I will try things out. I do agree with about the Crisco candles. Such a waste of critical calories.
Deletesorry - but practical common sense will tell you that plenty of the prepper UTube "lets make a video" have no basis in the real world - there's no need to justify the timewasting wannabe prepper podcasters & authors .....
DeleteI disagree. Practical, common sense flies right over my head far too often. I have to study. I have to try things out. I do not have an engineering brain. That's not my skill set. And I know I'm not the only one. For one, I have people ask me about things like this all the time. I wish that weren't the case. I have a friend who teaches preparedness in another part of the state, and she has actually been asked how to boil water when the power's out. Yes, I wish that weren't the case, and I don't hold much hope for them or their families, but maybe a few people can be reached and inspired to prepare.
DeleteSecond, we have a rising generation, many without good parents to teach them, graduating from the unaccredited University of Youtube. Kids who think they'll just take a bug out bag to the woods and chill until life returns to normal. And they're going to make decisions based on what they saw on FB. They don't know enough to know what they don't know, or what they should or shouldn't trust. I know someone who received half a dozen grain mills from a major company on the condition that she would review them on her blog. She said they all worked fine. How credible were her reviews?
I think someone needs to try some of these things out. I also think it lends a little credibility. If everything I try always works, I think people will be skeptical.
And, it could be that I just enjoyed a good day at home with my daughter, and I'm being a bit more soft-hearted and soft-headed than I should be.
Jennifer please don't downgrade your efforts. Your site is a Non-AI Glop site. You actually try things out instead of repeating others glop.
DeleteYou'd be an awesome neighbor when the grid sputters and fails.
Proverbs 31:
The Virtues of a Noble Woman
…30Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her at the gates.
Thank you.
Delete