Mason jar oil lamp
Be the first to rate it
A jar lid drilled and fitted with a lamp coupling and cotton wick, filled with oil for an outdoor lantern.
What You’ll Need
- 1 glass with metal screw-on lid
- Drill and 3/8″ drill bit or hammer and nail
- 1/8″ Nipple (lamp/lighting section of box stores)
- 1/8″ Coupling
- 3/8″ Washer
- Paperclip
- 1 100% cotton wick or 100% cotton t-shirt cut into 2″ x length-of-jar strips
- 1 bottle of oil (vegetable oil, paraffin oil, olive oil, almond oil or any clean burning unscented oil)
- Optional filler materials (evergreen clippings, berries, orange slices, herbs, pinecones, etc.)
Equipment
- mason jars
Directions
- Drill a 3/8″ hole in the middle of the lid (or make one with a hammer and nail).
- Screw the 1/8″ coupling onto the 1/8″ nipple (the nipple only needs to be about 1.5″ to 2″ long; trim longer pieces with a metal cutter). Line up the coupling and nipple so they are flush on one side.
- Set a washer on the top of the lid and push the coupling/nipple through the hole. For a sturdier lamp, add another washer and coupling underneath. The nipple should reach farther below the lid than above it.
- Straighten the paperclip and bend one end into a hook. Loop it through the wick and use it to draw the wick up through the lid, washer, coupling and nipple.
- Let the bottom of the wick fall into the jar, holding the lid off to the side. Pack filler materials around the wick so it sits roughly in the middle of the jar.
- Pour oil into the jar until it is within 1/4″ of the lid.
- Screw the lid on tight.
- Leave the wick to soak until it feels oily (a few drops of oil on top will prime it faster). Keep the wick just barely above the coupling. After it burns down (several hours), trim off the charred part, pull the wick up, and relight.
Notes
T-shirt wick: cut 2 strips the length of the jar plus about 2, roll into a tube and stitch through the middle; soak it in oil and squeeze out the excess on a paper towel to prevent dripping. Safety: open flame over a jar of oil; never leave burning unattended, keep away from children, pets, curtains and greenery, set on a stable heat-safe surface, don’t move while lit, and smother (don’t use water on) an oil fire. Fresh fruit or greenery in oil can spoil; dried fillers keep better.