This article was originally published by Tess Pennington on her website, Ready Nutrition. 

During a sudden disaster event, not having access to emergency lighting such as flashlights and candles can make things difficult in the dark. In The Prepper’s Blueprint, we wrote at length how ideal it would be to set up an emergency supply station in the home with emergency items prepped and ready to go. That said, sometimes you can get caught off-guard and will need to be creative. This brings us to the ever-versatile mint tins we all have around the home.

Altoid tins are easy to collect and have many uses. You can create an emergency fishing kit, mini first-aid kit, and even a solar power charger! As well, we wanted to share a creative solution to making a quick and easy oil lamp made with a tin can. Best of all, it takes less than 5 minutes to make and utilizes items you have in your home.

Quick and Easy Oil Lamp

Here’s What You Need:

• empty Altoid tin
• olive oil or vegetable oil
• candlewick (Some alternatives to candle wicks can be: cotton string or twine, paper towel, torn pieces of cloth, shoelace (with the plastic coating removed, old cotton sock (that is clean) torn into strips, or an old cotton towel torn into strips)
• scissors
• small screwdriver (the size you use to fix your reading glasses with)

1. Take your tin can and poke a small hole in the middle of the tin canister.
2. Cut 6 inches of candlewick off with scissors and coil it around the base of the tin.
3. Poke the top of the string through the puncture hole in the top of the tin canister.
4. Add liquid oil to the canister and allow the oil to soak into the wick.

Let There Be Light

Alternatively, you can make a quick candle out of a Crisco can. We talked about this in a previous article. All you need is a wick that is attached to a metal base and a wooden skewer. Simply take the wick and push it into the Crisco with the skewer until it is pushed to the bottom of the can. Ensure that at least 1 inch of the wick is sitting out of the Crisco. Voila!

Note: As always, if any open flame is forced into service in your home, use extra caution – especially with young children. Always place lit lamps on a stable elevated surface.

There you have it! When you’re in a pinch and need lighting quickly, this easy-to-make candle takes minutes to create and uses items you have in your home.