Yesterday is over and I think I accomplished everything I set out to do. Told Susie happy birthday, went to Florence and ate way more food than I should. Played with the baby for 16 minutes and then drove home the back way through Wetmore. Pretty drive but I only seen one lonely little deer. I got home and lit the emergency candle I am making for the homeless. I had lit it at Arlene and Hillary's and let it burn for 2 hours. This one is made of cardboard strips and paraffin in a cat food can. It started out very small and burned like that for about an hour and a half before I blew it out and came home. Perhaps I should back up and tell you about said candles before you think I am nuts.
I know the homeless population needs a heat source at times so I got on youtube (and I do love that channel) and typed in "emergency candles" and up popped my information. This particular one calls for tuna/catfood/altoid cans, paraffin and wicks. Looked pretty simple to me, so I assembled said ingredients and began the process.
I know the homeless population needs a heat source at times so I got on youtube (and I do love that channel) and typed in "emergency candles" and up popped my information. This particular one calls for tuna/catfood/altoid cans, paraffin and wicks. Looked pretty simple to me, so I assembled said ingredients and began the process.
Paraffin
wicks
Something to melt it in.
And, voila! There you have the finished product.
Of course this was many tedious hours later after I had cut many cardboard strips and wound them around a tiny wick and pressed them into my chosen containers covered them with melted paraffin and let them cool. Trust me, the winding around the tiny wick with stiff cardboard strips was no easy task, but it can be done.
The finished product is ready for testing.
And like any kid with a new toy, it was imperative that my creation be tested and the testing witnessed by an impartial audience. I started out with Arlene, Alonzo, Jamie, Bret, Amanda, Jiraiya, a little black dog. That was before Bret hollered that the flame was about to get into the curtain, so I came home and finished with this audience.
The findings were thus: A candle in a tuna can will start out as a small flickering flame and burn for about 1 hour. Then the flame begins to spread and burn the wax from the cardboard. At this point it is best to move it away from the kitchen curtains, blow it out and bring it home to finish the test, and that is what I did. Of course, I decided to set it in a bucket just in case and it is a good thing I did. Before it was all over there were flames over a foot high and the whole can was an inferno. Total burn time about 3 hours. Oh, the things I do for my projects.
Ok, it is ready and I shall deliver them to Posado on Monday when we make supper for the kids there. For now, I am off to the shower and then going to do some baking. And going out east to see Shirley and her grandson and probably pop in on Los Pobres just for grins and giggles.
