Wine Bottle Citronella Candles
Replace your old and weathered tiki torches with these beautiful, colorful DIY wine bottle citronella candles. They only take 15 minutes to make!
Yield: 1 candle
Cost: $4
Equipment
- 1/2-inch funnel (optional, but it sure helps!)
Materials
- Glass bottles (Almost any glass bottle will work, just be sure it’s not too thin.)
- 1/2- inch replacement torch wicks
- 1/2-inch x 3/8-inch copper coupling with stop (I found mine in the plumbing section at Home Depot.)
- 1/2- inch copper tube cap
- 1/2- inch teflon tape
- 1–2 bags of marbles (I found mine at the dollar store!)
- Citronella torch fuel
Instructions
- Place 1–2 bags of marbles in the bottom of your wine bottle. Small rocks work well too, just be sure you put something in the bottom of your bottle to keep it steady.
- Wrap the 1/2-inch (wider) end of your coupling with teflon tape, so that it will fit snuggly into the mouth of the bottle. The idea is to wrap just a bit more than you’ll need, and you can press it down into place after you fill the bottle with torch fluid. Set the wrapped coupling in place but don’t press down firmly just yet.
- Remove the wrapped coupling and slide the replacement wick through, leaving about 1/2″ of the wick sticking out of the top to light.
- Place your funnel in the mouth of the bottle and carefully add your torch fluid. You don’t need a funnel for this step, but it drastically reduces the amount of torch fluid that spills on the outside of your bottle—and that is a major plus in my book! Be sure not to fill the bottle all the way so that when you place the wick inside, it won’t overflow.
- Add your wick and press in on the teflon tape so the coupling makes a tight fit.
Notes
Let the wick soak up the fuel for several hours before lighting for the first time.
Keep the copper cap on when the torch is not in use, so the wick stays dry. Enjoy a mosquito-free evening! Just be sure to keep your glass of wine a safe distance away from your new candle.