Find out ways to make your own tiki torches and fuel.
Make your own tiki torch from scratch or learn modify one that you have. Tiki torches basically consist of a nonflammable container, flammable oil and a wick. Make your tiki torch look more festive for a summer luau party or make oil with a favorite scent. Does this Spark an idea?
Wine Bottle
Use a wine bottle to make a homemade, classy tiki torch. Wash and rinse out an empty wine bottle and let it dry inside completely. Fill it half way with citronella torch fuel. Put the end of a copper coupling in the opening of the wine bottle and bind them by wrapping teflon plumber's tape around them. Insert the wick so that it extends down into the fuel and clip it about ½ inch above the opening. Place the homemade torch in a spot where it won't be knocked over or disturbed.
Tiki God
Measure the circumference and height of a clear, enclosed flame tiki torch. Mark these dimensions on a piece of light brown poster board and cut it out. Draw two large eye shapes next to each other near the top edge, two nostrils below them and a large mouth near the bottom edge. Look at pictures of traditional tiki gods to get ideas for what shapes to make the facial features. Cut the shapes out with a utility knife. Wrap the poster board around the enclosed flame torch and tape the ends together with a few small pieces of clear packing tape. The light from the enclosed flame will show through the shapes and light up the face.
Scented Torch Oil
Fill a bottle with olive oil or other unrefined oil like grapeseed oil and add 20 to 40 drops of a scented oil. Citronella essential oil will keep away mosquitoes and other bugs, but so will lemon balm, eucalyptus and thyme essential oils. If you aren't concerned about the bugs, use any other essential oil for the scent you want. Put the cap on the bottle and swirl the oils together to mix them thoroughly. Pour the scented olive oil into an oil-burning tiki torch and light it.
Soda Can and Sticks
Drive a 1-inch-thick, 5-foot-tall straight stick into the ground---use a bamboo stick or even a stick from your backyard. Make sure that it stands straight up on its own. Measure and cut ¼-inch-thick straight sticks to 5 inches long and glue them around the outside of a soda can with epoxy adhesive. Allow the glue 24 hours to dry all the way. The sticks make the torch look natural and hide the soda can. Glue the bottom of the soda can to the top of the stick with epoxy adhesive. Insert a wick through the opening and fill the can with the fuel of your choice.
Tags: tiki torch, enclosed flame, your tiki, epoxy adhesive, Insert wick