Wildwood Survival website

SURVIVAL
Shelter
Water
Fire
Food
Clothing
Fishing
Hunting
Traps
Snares
Tools
Stone
Flintknapping
Tracker Knife
Cordage
Containers
Furniture
Lights
Hides
Pitch & Glue
Winter
Health
Lyme Disease
Vision
Native People
Emergency Prep
Navigation
Teaching
Young People
Practicing
Music
Humour
More
Wilderness Mind
Site Disclaimer
Booklist
Forums
Contributors
Sitemap
Guestbook
About this site
Use of material
Privacy Policy
HomeSurvivalLights

Candles and Torches

by Tom Brown Jr.

Candles and torches can be manufactured easily in a survival situation. Take either a cattail or a dried mullein stalk, or any pithy stemmed plant and soak it for several hours in warm tallow. Make sure that the tallow soaks up inside the plant. After soaking, bring the stalks out to dry upside down. Wipe off the excess from the outside of the stalks. Now, whenever you want a candle light the stalk and let it burn. A cattail stalk will last from 6-8 hours if well saturated. A mullein will probably last half that time. Other pithy stemmed stalks such as sedge, burdock, giant ragweed, etc. will produce serviceable candles that can last up to 6 hours.


From The Tracker magazine, Summer 1982, published by the Tracker School.
For more articles from The Tracker magazine, visit the Tracker Trail website.

For more material by and about Tom Brown Jr. and the Tracker School visit the Tracker Trail website.