View Full Version : Candle Lanterns - cleaning wax from glass
Chenango
01-10-2009, 18:29
I really like my candle lantern (awesome in the wind), but is a pain to clean wax from the glass. It does not get on there often, but occasionally I drop the lantern and it gets on the glass.
Any suggestions for getting wax off of glass?
Hikerhead
01-10-2009, 18:38
Maybe placing the glass in a pot of boiling water? I don't know, I don't use them. I have one but i don't use it.
I've removed the wax with hot running water and paper towel, but in the field I think the trick is to be careful when you blow it out. You could light it, let the candle heat it up, and then get at it with some toilet paper before it cools down too much.
I have one also but I stopped using it just because of that problem. One of my freinds has a small latern that screws onto his fuel canister of his pocket rocket stove. It works great and it put off ALOT of light.
It's true that a small candle lantern doesn't have quite enough light for reading, even if you keep it clean, which isn't that hard really. I might try a 3 wick candle lantern someday, as I think that might also be enough heat for steeping tea.
The Scribe
01-10-2009, 19:11
Maybe placing the glass in a pot of boiling water? I don't know, I don't use them. I have one but i don't use it.
My wife is really into candles. She is always microwaving glass containers with some water in them to get the wax out. So yes, boiling water.
I have a couple of Candle Lanterns and love 'em, as for wax on the glass hot water and a soapy sponge works well. Never bought them hiking I didn't want the extra weight but they're great for camping.
Tipi Walter
01-10-2009, 19:41
Back in the old days I used a pitiful little candle lantern with the round glass in a light metal tube. Sounds simple. But the dang thing had a spring below the candle platform which pushed the candle up as it burned. Looked good on paper, useless in the field. The hot wax frequently dripped down and into the spring unit and dried solid, nearly impossible to clean except by tossing in a fire . . . and leaving it.
My system now is much better: A blue plastic bottom to a Carmex lip balm container. Melt a few drops in the bottom and place candle. It's an open flame, though. AN OPEN FLAME IN A TENT!! Relax, I took the open flame certification course offered by the higher council of forest tenting options, etc.
Wise Old Owl
01-10-2009, 19:45
Tipi that's just
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/Nuts.jpg
The previous boiled in water is correct, we frequently put holders in the dishwasher with excellent results. And Tipi I am just tickled that you would use a candle in a tent like that. I wouldn't want a hole in my sleeping bag though.
budforester
01-10-2009, 19:46
It's true that a small candle lantern doesn't have quite enough light for reading.
But it did :(... thirty years ago.
Toolshed
01-10-2009, 19:50
Hot water and used dryer sheets (which I also save for remving wax on my skis.)
You can give a light touch of brake cleaner if you really needed it, but the hot water is the trick.
BackTrack1
01-10-2009, 19:53
I really like my candle lantern (awesome in the wind), but is a pain to clean wax from the glass. It does not get on there often, but occasionally I drop the lantern and it gets on the glass.
Any suggestions for getting wax off of glass?
Try mixing some ashes and some water together then rubbing it on the glass with a rag, then rinse, should work well, it did for me. :D
Tipi Walter
01-10-2009, 19:58
BTW, candle type and quality is also important. The best candles I have found for "backpacking" and burning inside a tent are Shabbat Candles put out by Manischewitz and available in most grocery stores, of all places.
Four inches tall, burn 3 hours, made with pure paraffin wax. These babies burn good and only drip if exposed to the wind yet put out a decent amount of light. A must have in the winter as an open flame keeps my fingers warm when it's frigid.
Put the lantern in the freezer for 2 to 3 hrs or overnight, once the wax is frozen it should pop off with a wooden popsicle stick. Remove any leftover wax residue with soapy hot water. G00-GONEŽ (a solvent that smells like citrus but has a base of petroleum distillates) helps to dissolve the stickiness.
MrsGorp
Chenango
01-10-2009, 22:07
Thanks for all your help. Hot water and paper towels did the trick.
I am a little bit of a pyro but I would be afraid of the heat or fire ruining gear or lighting the synthetics I was wearing on fire with a candle. Sleep seems to sneak up on you the older you get.
Lastly (grahm weenie thought) a 3 hour candle weighs the same as a 50-100 hour LED headlight setup with batteries.
buckwheat
01-11-2009, 09:49
Hot water and used dryer sheets (which I also save for remving wax on my skis.)
Used dryer sheets have lots of recycl-ability, it seems. I put them into my hiking boots when I get home. As a result, my boots exude the odor of freshly-washed linens ... instead of 3-day old trenchfoot.
buckwheat
01-11-2009, 09:51
Four inches tall, burn 3 hours, made with pure paraffin wax.
You can also make your own candles of this type with the paraffin you find in the canning aisle of most grocery stores. For wick, use any thin cotton rope.
100% beeswax is excellent also. I got a box of Eastern Orthadox Candles at Marden's in Maine very cheap, and still have half the box. They are the same amount as a tealight at 1/2 oz each, but are 4" tall and thin and good for lighting my Kelly Kettle. I can also melt them down to a tealight candle for my lantern, but usually just bring a tealight. I've noticed some of the bulk tealight candles are pretty sketchy though. I think 100% beeswax of 100% paraffin, as long as you know what your getting, or even cheap tealights as long as you test them and they work. Some are ok.
The other think I like about the beeswax is that it has other uses, like zippers, or mixing it with some vegetable oil for some lip balm or something like that. Feels good on the fingers just as it is, but I'm not sure how much rubs off that way or if it does any good.
Toolshed
01-11-2009, 11:24
Lastly (grahm weenie thought) a 3 hour candle weighs the same as a 50-100 hour LED headlight setup with batteries.
I don't believe an LED has anwhere near the mind-warming capacity of a single flickering candle flame. :)
Dances with Mice
01-11-2009, 12:55
Here's a candle lantern idea I got years ago here on W-B.
First I have a floorless tent, a Black Diamond Megalight. It's wide and tall (just like me!). I'm careful but often light the interior with a candle, and it provides enough light to read or write by. This idea also works very well in shelters.
I turn over my cooking pot or my mug for a base and place it where it won't be easily bumped.. On it I place a scrap of aluminum foil, onto that the candle, a tealight. Over it I place a globe made simply out of a small water bottle with the top and bottom cut out. It's just a cylinder of plastic but it keeps drafts away from the flame. Another scrap of aluminum folded into a long "V" stood outside the globe makes a nice reflector.
As always be careful. Bumping the setup too hard will cause the globe to get too close to the flame and the lovely aroma of melting polyester will fill the tent.
BTW to avoid the smoke and smell you get when you blow out the candle (if the design of the holder allows this) just wet your thumb and index finger (saliva will do) and put the flame out with them . Work quickly .
Franco
OldStormcrow
01-14-2009, 10:01
You can take the glass out of your candle lantern, chip out the largest part of the wax, then just run it with your dishes in the dishwasher. It will come out looking like new. Be sure to only use the 9 hour candles specifically made for the lantern, though, because the "look-alikes" sold out there don't burn at the proper rate and will make a gummed up mess out of your lantern.