Reusable Survival Torch: Conduit, Rope, and a Petroleum Jelly and Wax Fuel

Cut half inch metal conduit to eight inches in a vise with a hacksaw and file the burrs. Wrap four feet of paracord around the lower half for a grip and melt the ends. Melt equal parts petroleum jelly and wax in a can set in simmering water, soak two feet of half inch natural fiber rope in it until it is saturated, and let it cool. Feed the stiff, fuel-soaked rope through the conduit so a few inches stand proud of the top, and the rope's own stiffness holds it. Light the top outdoors.

Equal parts petroleum jelly and wax, paraffin or beeswax, melted together. The petroleum jelly makes it easy to light and burn hot; the wax stiffens the mix so it stays in the rope and burns slowly instead of running. Melt it in a can standing in a pan of simmering water, never over a direct flame; both are fuels and overheated wax ignites. Pure wax alone is hard to light; pure petroleum jelly alone drips and flares.

Natural fiber only: sisal, manila, jute or cotton, half an inch thick, twisted rather than braided so it soaks up more fuel and stays stiff. Synthetic rope is out; nylon and polypropylene melt, drip burning plastic and give off fumes. The rope is the wick and part of the fuel; it chars slowly from the top as the wax and jelly burn off around it.

Yes, and the leftover torch fuel is exactly that. Pack a jar with cotton balls and pour the warm mix over them until they are coated. One ball pulled apart to fluff the fibers takes a spark from a ferro rod or a match and burns five to eight minutes, hot enough to dry and light damp kindling. The petroleum jelly fire starter recipe on this site is the same idea without the wax.

Eight inches of half inch metal conduit, two feet of half inch natural fiber rope, four feet of paracord, a few ounces each of petroleum jelly and wax, and a jar of cotton balls for the leftovers. Tools: a hacksaw, a vise or clamp, a file for the cut edge, scissors or a knife, a lighter for the paracord ends, and a clean can set in a pot of water to melt the fuel.

When the wick has burned down to an inch or two above the conduit, let it cool, push the rope up from the bottom to expose fresh length, and either dip the top in a can of melted fuel or rub a lump of the cooled fuel into the fibers by hand. A two foot rope gives many burns. When the rope is finally used up, feed a new soaked length through the same conduit; the body is the reusable part.

Outdoors, with the rules kept, yes. It is an open flame that can drip burning fuel, so it is never used inside a house, tent, barn or vehicle, never near dry grass or under low branches, held upright and away from the body, and put out by pushing the burning end into dirt or a metal can, not by swinging or stomping. Keep the melted fuel can and the fuel-soaked rope away from the flame while you work; they are fuel.