BUCKHORN CLIFFS

Power and Light · Skill

Crayon candle for emergency light

How to stand a crayon upright and light its paper wrapper as a wick for a short-lived emergency candle.

Quick facts

Burn time
about 15 to 30 minutes per crayon
Why it works
paraffin wax body; paper wrapper acts as a wick
Base
non-flammable surface like a stone or metal lid
Light with
lighter or match at the top of the wrapper

A wax crayon will burn like a small candle for 15 to 30 minutes. It is a backup for when the flashlight is dead, not a replacement for one.

Why Use a Crayon as a Candle?

In a survival situation, you may not always have access to your standard gear. Sometimes, you'll have to get creative with what you've got at hand. That's where this crayon candle hack comes into play. With just a single crayon, you can get about 15 to 30 minutes of light. A whole box? That's hours of light for you!

How Does it Work?

Crayons are made of paraffin wax and have a paper wrapper that acts as a wick. When lit, the crayon burns slowly, providing light just like a candle.

How to Make a Crayon Candle

1Stand the crayon uprightChoose a non-flammable surface like a stone or metal lid. Melt the bottom with a lighter and press it down so it sticks and cannot tip. Keep it clear of anything that burns and never leave it lit unattended.
2Light the topUse a lighter or match to ignite the paper wrapper at the top.
3Let it burnGive it a moment. The crayon should catch and begin to melt down like a candle.

And there you have it! An efficient and unexpected source of light in an emergency situation. Keep this survival hack in mind - it might just be the light you need when things get dark.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

Can I use a crayon as a candle?

Yes, a single crayon burns like a small candle and gives about 15 to 30 minutes of light. A whole box adds up to hours of emergency light when your standard gear is not at hand.

How long does a crayon candle burn?

One crayon gives about 15 to 30 minutes of light. Burning through a whole box one after another provides hours of light.

How do I make a crayon candle?

Stand the crayon upright on a non-flammable surface such as a stone or metal lid. Melt the bottom with a lighter and press it down so it sticks and cannot tip. Light the paper wrapper at the top with a lighter or match. Keep it clear of anything that burns and never leave it lit unattended.

Why does a crayon burn like a candle?

Crayons are made of paraffin wax, and the paper wrapper around them acts as the wick. Once the wrapper is lit, the crayon burns slowly and gives off light.

Keep going

Read nextPower outage gear checklistChecklist of what to have for an extended power outage, from cash and backup power to water, lighting, fuel and communication, followed by specific product picks.Power and Light · Guide

Related to this

Cooking, Fuel and Fire · Formula Reusable survival torch (conduit, rope, petroleum jelly and wax) Build a reusable torch from 1/2 inch metal conduit, natural fiber rope and a melted petroleum jelly and wax fuel, with leftover fuel used for cotton ball fire starters. Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Paraffin Wax Shelf life: Indefinite. Storage: Sealed container. INDEFINITEMULTI-USEHazardous Power and Light · Guide Blackout guide: first 45 minutes, first 3 days, and beyond Fill every container with water first; a bathtub holds 40 to 80 gallons Cooking, Fuel and Fire · Formula Beeswax Emergency Candles Beeswax candles burn cleaner, with far less soot than paraffin, and the dense, high-melting wax makes them last two to three times longer, a real edge when a candle is your only light. Hazardous
Everything in Power and LightNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

Membership · $49.95 per year

There is a lot more behind the lock

158member pages in full
125recipes with exact amounts
6field guide PDFs, 206 pages
1manual of your own, built from any page

Every recipe and resource from the Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, all six field guides to read here and download, the full audit and logbook, all twelve reference charts, and no ads.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included. Put them in your order, name it, and print one manual with a cover and contents, or keep it as a PDF that opens with no signal.

  • It works when this site does not
  • Only your pages
  • Anyone in the house can use it
  • One current copy, not a pile of printouts
  • The house binder
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truck
  • A copy for family
  • An offline PDF

Join for $49.95 per year

Power and Light · SkillLast reviewed 2023-09-02

Membership

Save to My Manual is a member tool

Members build their own manual from the pages that fit their household, then print it or keep it as a PDF.

Why it matters

When the grid goes down, this site goes with it. Paper does not. Membership is how you get the whole manual off the screen and onto the shelf: every page in full, every field guide, and a binder built for your own household.

The field guide library

All six field guides. 206 pages. Included.

The complete Buckhorn Cliffs PDF set, yours to download, print, and keep from the day you join.

$60if bought one at a time

  • Cover of Stockpile Essentials Field GuideStockpile Essentials39 pagesEverything to keep on hand, category by category, plus the 20 multi-use items.
  • Cover of Survival Foods Field GuideSurvival Foods35 pagesStoring, extending, and using the food supply. Real shelf life by the numbers.
  • Cover of Chemical Compounds Field GuideChemical Compounds29 pagesThe 33 compounds: storage, top uses, hazards, and the never-mix chart.
  • Cover of Spare Parts and Repair Stock Field GuideSpare Parts and Repair Stock40 pagesWhat to keep on hand to fix the home and land when the supply chain breaks.
  • Cover of Walk-Around Preparedness AuditWalk-Around Preparedness Audit33 pagesFifteen systems scored 1 to 5, with the printable scorecard.
  • Cover of The Preparedness LogbookPreparedness Logbook30 pagesThe household information that needs to be on paper.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. No book fits your household exactly. My Manual does. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included, put them in your order, and print one manual with your name on the cover. It holds only what is relevant to you, and nothing you would skip.

Why it matters

  • It works when this site does notNo power and no signal means no website. A printed manual and an offline PDF still open, which is the whole point of writing any of this down.
  • Only your pagesThis site covers every household. Yours needs a fraction of it. Your manual holds the pages that match your water source, your climate, and your gear, so nobody digs through the rest under stress.
  • Anyone in the house can use itThe person who reads this site may not be the one home when it counts. A binder on the shelf, in your order, with a contents page, is something a spouse or a teenager can follow.
  • One current copy, not a pile of printoutsEvery page prints in the same field guide layout with a cover, a contents page, and the print date. Change a page, print again, and the old copy is easy to spot.

What to build with it

  • The house binderYour water source, your climate, your gear. Only the pages you would reach for.
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truckA short version that travels: water, first aid, comms, and the recipes you rely on.
  • A copy for familyHand a parent or a grown kid a manual built for their house and their supplies.
  • The shop and the barnParts lists, repair skills, and the never-mix chart, kept where the work happens.
  • A recipe book of your ownThe cleaners, fuels, and remedies you make, with exact amounts, in one place.
  • An offline PDFSaved to a phone, a tablet, or a drive in the Faraday bag. It opens with no signal.

How it works

  1. 1Save what fitsPress "Save to My Manual" on any page: a recipe, a chart, a guide, a parts list, or a whole field guide.
  2. 2Put it in your orderOn My Account, drag the pages into the order you want. Name the manual and add your household name.
  3. 3Print it or save a PDFOpen the preview, then print it or save a PDF. It is sized for 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with a cover and a contents page. Field guides go in exactly as the PDFs are laid out. No ads, no photos.
  4. 4Keep it currentAdd a page, pull one out, print again. The cover carries the date, so you always know which copy is the latest.

Also included

  • The entire site, unlockedAll 158 member pages open in full: exact amounts, every step, every warning, every parts list. Nothing held back.
  • Every recipe and resource in the bookAll 138 recipes and 33 compounds from Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, with exact amounts, every step, every warning, and the reference charts.
  • A clean PDF of any entryOne press turns any page into a field guide sheet for the binder, the truck, or the shop wall.
  • Checklists and audit scores that follow youSaved to the account, so the phone, the laptop, and the shop computer always match.
  • No adsMembers read the whole site without a single ad.
$49.95per year. About 14 cents a day. Cancel any time and keep the year you paid for.
Join now