The Eternal Flame

[Steve Clarkson]

It's a simple enough idea......engrave a ceramic tile, drill a hole in it, add: a metal tube, a wick, and a bowl full of latern oil beneath it. But the wick burned down like a match......a 6" wick took about 3 minutes to completely burn through.......I think I need a different type of a wick.....maybe burlap or something that will absorb the oil so that the oil burns, not the wick. Any suggestions?

[Joe Hillmann]

I would suggest drilling a smaller hole, so the wick just fits through it. Also using mineral spirits or alcohol may allow a bigger flame without the wick burning down,

[Glen Monaghan]

Look for fiberglass wicks, they should last far longer.

-Glen

[Dee Gallo]

Steve,

Here is a pic of one I have which works well. It burns nicely and never changes. Someone gave me a rock with this in it and a glass bowl epoxied underneath. And yes, the hole is exactly the size of the metal tube. Where do you get them? I don't know, but this is what it looks like. Hope this is a little bit helpful!

~ dee

[Glen Monaghan]

Dee, that looks like a fiberglass wick like I previously mentioned. Google "fiberglass wick" and you'll find them all over, in various sizes and styles, some with graphite coating, etc. Commonly used for kerosene lamps, oil lamps, etc.

-Glen

[Dee Gallo]

Dee, that looks like a fiberglass wick like I previously mentioned. Google "fiberglass wick" and you'll find them all over, in various sizes and styles, some with graphite coating, etc. Commonly used for kerosene lamps, oil lamps, etc.

-Glen


Good, Glen - between the two of us he might get on the right track! You might just need to get a thicker wick so it fits tight inside the tube.

It's a great idea, by the way, Steve.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Great idea Steve. Very nice, simple and clean.

Having lived in rural areas most of my life, the power goes out often and be out for days and weeks. We have a lot of lanterns and flashlights everywhere. While using the oil lanterns, I have found it's best to keep the metal tube tight around the wick and you don't want the wick very high above the metal tube. Speaking from experience, if you pull the wick up so that it burns brighter, the wick will then burn and char quickly. I also have some lanterns that have fiberglass wicks with glass tubes around them instead of metal. I don't think the glass would work as well with your granite compared to metal tubes but they do look nice. If you can't find smaller metal tubes to work with this idea, maybe you can try cramming two wicks into the hole to make it a tight fit?

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks everyone for the ideas!

[Kim Vellore]

Steve,
I cant tell from the picture but the wick must be tightly held by the metallic tube. The point where the metallic tube tightly holds the wick is where the wick stops burning and stays ON.
longer wick from the metallic tube the bigger the flame, flammable wick will start to burn when it runs out of solvent from the top making the flame smaller till it stabilizes at some point.

Kim

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks Kim. This was just a test. Now I know to buy the wick and insert before I buy the drill bit!!!! I was using the thickest wick I could find at the craft store and it wasn't anywhere near the size of the metal tube I bought. The wick also didn't absorb the oil, so I knew immediately that that was the problem. Glen was absolutely right that it needs to be a fiberglass wick.