Hello all, I just found this site and think it is great.
I was wondering if any of you have placed corrugated card board in a soup can filled it with wax and used it as a windproof candle? I had a guy tell me it worked, but have not tried it out yet. He said he used it in minimal impact areas that he backpacks in. Any thoughts?????

Its pretty hard to blow out in a tuna can, so I think in a soup can, being deeper and not filled all of the way up, it would work great.

Tuna cans are far superior than soup cans for this purpose. It is a matter of height versus width. You almost have to work at tipping them over.

I have made and recommend both the tuna candle and the buddy buner. In fact I started making buddy burners over 40 years ago. Although the way I learned to make them was with newspaper rather than cardboard. One other nice thing is they can be refueled by simplely placing pieces of paraffin on top of them while they are burning.

The candle is the same process only you put one or more wicks in the can instead of the cardboard. With a tuna sized can this can be up to 5 wicks. The more wicks lit th more heat is generated for cooking. Also you do not have to light all the wicks every time.

The difference between the two is. The candle form genereates more usable light but less heat. While the burner style generates more heat the cardboard or paper acts as a single gigantic wick. But not nearly as much light. Either can operate as a candle or a heat source but each functions better for its own purpose.

Another nice thing about using a tuna can is that they sell plactic lids made to cover cat food cans for keeping open cans in the refer. These lids perfectly fit the tuna cans. As long as you let the can cool after use so as not to melt the lids they seal and cover the top to reduce the mess for storage.

Good info, Raspy. I'll stick with my empty Starkist cans then. They are more compact anyway.

How hard are these to light?

Would not want to have to fight with it to get it started but it sounds like a good set up.

I put about 3 candle wicks in the tuna can with cardboard. Lights easily. My ex said they were taught in the 1960's to make these in Girlscouts.

So how are these burners with cardboard made? I've never heard of them. Do you take a long strip of cardboard, set it on edge in the can, then pour melted wax (which kind?) around the cardboard so only a 1/4 or so is sticking out above the wax? This is what I'm guessing, but I have no idea really. I'm imagining a 2 inch long strip of cardboard sticking up 1/4 inch above the wax. Is this the concept? I'm intrigued by this. I was looking to buy some Nuwick candles, but can't find any locally, and online dealers seem to charge a bunch for S&H on these things. Tuna can + cardboard + parrafin (?) might be just as good, and cheaper.

Would someone be kind enough to describe one of these things in enough detail for me to build one? Or point out some online howto guide or picture maybe?

Use currogated cardboard. Cut it a hair less tall wide than the tuna can is all tall, across the grain. Roll the carboard into the can, insert a couple of wicks if you want, and pour over the parrafin. Let cool for an hour. It is best to do this on a heat insenstive surface with foil covering it.

I found this page, here they refer to it as a "buddy burner"

http://www.justpeace.org/printwarmth.htm

Another good one for these types of candles/cookers is shoe polish tins. These also have the advantage that you can just drop the lid over it to extinguish it, and of course with the lid on it makes it more portable.

Any shape of relative heighth to a tuna can is suitable to be used. I filled several Altoids tins and used the lid in a similar way, as well as other round and square candy tins.