The Poor Man's Survival Heater

[katiecakes10000]

Throw your wax scaps in an large clean empty can and sit that can in a pot of water (to make a double boiler) and heat on medium temp. It's safer, not as much mess and less of a fire hazzard. If your wax catches on fire while melting, treat it like a grease fire. NEVER throw water on it, or you will have an explosion of hot wax all over your kitchen.

[metallicarocks123]

Hi, could you please show us how you did the wax? I think a lot of us need to see that part. Thank you.

[saharra22469]

Oh God, Thanx ... Now I am wiser. I just threw out tons of old saved candle wax.. I was going to use it to remake candles. Great vid.

[ninemilepoint]

Made these in boyscouts 30 yrs ago. totally forgot about this method.

You get the credit for reminding me! Thx!

[daftboy555]

you talk too much... video is 10min long, you could have expleined the same amount of thing in 2

[spiralcosmosart]

THANK YOU. It looks so briliantly simple and straightforward that I don't know why I ever bothered wasting money on some MSR p.o.s.

[89gtu]

NO RICH PEOPLE CAN USE THIS...

[89gtu]

NICE WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS.. THANKS FOR THE VID

[Kevvo2011]

Very nice idea and video. I liked the demonstration at the beginning as well.

[forty4life]

Yeah , WTF , on and on about this and that and yet the most important part u skipped right over . How do u treat the cardboard with the candle wax ???????????????

[aseeker2010]

I've always cut the cardboard strip slightly thinner than the can height, leaving a lip to retain the wax when pouring it into the can over the cardboard.

[jjojjojoe]

If you put chunks of wax in a coffee cup and microwave it, the wax melts very easily

[gdogg2000]

Sounds like someone has been in the dog house often :)

[MindScraping]

I wish you would have shown filling it with the wax.

[TheCrazyphuck]

May be obvious, but once you melt the wax, then how do you put the wax within the cardboard without it getting everywhere?

[katiecakes10000]

@TheCrazyphuck I invested in a cheap funnel at the dollar store and cut off part of the narrow tube at the bottom (otherwise the wax clumps it up as it starts to cool).

[Reactivate100]

TY this is ace, might fit a chimney somehow and use it for heating for my flat, i stay in scotland and its freezing, one year i had about 20 church candles burning to take the chill out the air because i couldnt afford normal heating, =)

[MitchCanada1]

@Reactivate100 get a battery and hook up a heater. google all this stuff man.. No need to freeze

[lisa2stewart]

a bean dip can with a plastic lid would be cool.

[ZebbMassiv]

you can microwave wax

[2000talon]

Great stove,thanks

[Skysearcher2011]

Wonderful idea !!! ty.

One question. How much wax per can do I use?

[Panbaneesha]

This is how I melt my wax (pretty much without mess): I take an old can and with some pliers make a spout in it. I put the wax in it and put the can in a pot with a good inch of water. The melting takes a little longer, but it also removes the risk of your wax going up in flames (yes, that can happen if it gets too hot). When the wax is melted, I just take the can with a pair of pliers and pour... The rest you can just let cool inside the can and store for next time...

[karlgan973]

Awesome idea, I am beginning to build my survival kit for the first time and this will be in there for sure. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. and Happy 2012

[arthurlafave]

Thank you VERY much for posting this video, and sharing your knowledge!

This is an awesome piece of gear to make...

and hopefully you didnt get in to much trouble with your lady making those!! :D haha.

[vaneztax]

Great idea. You are McGyver indeed. Thanks

[bbygrl85848]

a buddy burner i use em backpacking

[HammerOnTheRun]

Excellent idea. Great video!

[EvilReptiles]

This is a pretty good idea; nice and simple yet effective. Thanks.

[ferdonandebull]

When I was a kid I got caught on the wrong side of the river during an ice storm. My sister was a girl scout and I made one of these using a small ham can. I carried it in my hunting coat. A buddy and I survived the night in a brush pile with this the only source of heat.. This absolutely saved my life!!!!

[xle5363]

so how much wax did you use on that heater? to bad you didn't film filling it.

[yotatripp1014]

Just made my poor man's heater and it works great!! Put a little too much wax in it so had to take a minute to melt off the top layer of wax, but once lit it puts out a great flame, for hours! Thanks for the DIY vid.

[1967cbd]

coffee can, a roll of toilet paper, rubbing alcohol burns clean odorless

[cougarbahia]

just put wax in old soup can.....as a pot.......set inside pan water.like a double boiler. works gr8

[frithar]

In Girl Scouts we put an inverted coffee can with tons of holes punched in so you could set a pan on top. We don;t use coffee cans, but a Provident Pantry #10 can is perfect!

[BlackCatSaloon]

@frithar Thanks for sharing!

[frithar]

@BlackCatSaloon  Excellent vid, btw.

[superbungabunga]

so they teach yall to make sandwiches and cook brownies?

[PsyFliChic]

Made of these with my children yesterday, they are excellent! Really put out a good fire. Surprisingly powerful. Thanks for the tutorial.

[christophermacdog]

Great vid.....when i was in Germany, we used a tin can filled with dirt and then filled with diesel fuel.....burned hot for some time!

[BlackCatSaloon]

@christophermacdog I'll have to try that out!...thanks for the tip.

[plopnod]

Great vid! Loved it,and will use this ! Maybe an apple juice can for a large family ;)

[BlackCatSaloon]

@plopnod Good idea, that may work.

[EasedBluntman]

Thanks alot will come in handy.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@EasedBluntman You're welcome.

[ferdonandebull]

Spent an ice storm in a brush pile with one of these made from a ham can.... Saved my life and I slept warm....

I learned how to make one from my sisters girl scout manual in the sixties...

[BlackCatSaloon]

@ferdonandebull Good comment...thanks for sharing!

[sterlingb100]

ok that explains it..thanx..cheers

[sterlingb100]

what does that mean top it off...how much wax was used ?was it filled with wax or just topped offthin layer on topthis is the only part iwanted to see and it was skipped over...

[BlackCatSaloon]

@sterlingb100 That means to fill the tin...the hot wax will flow through the entire tin. Try it and see...

[KONGNO2000]

can the rich people use the poor man's survival heater?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@KONGNO2000 Ha! lol...I'm sure they can! :-)

[KONGNO2000]

@BlackCatSaloon thanks for the reply, im trying to make a video of '' the rich man's heater '' but sadly i can not afford it,.. lol....

[uncoolkid2]

I used an old soup can

[zhaneranger]

You don't to buy any special melters, just use the double boiler method.

Get an old 16 oz. can or 24. oz., put your scrap wax in that, then put that into a pot of simmering water. That way you don't mess up any good pots.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@zhaneranger Thanks for the tip!

[shithitthefanman]

how much wax do you use? just keep soaking it with wax or what? thanks. great video.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@shithitthefanman Just top her off...fill it to the brim.

[MrClaysta]

how long will one that size burn?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@MrClaysta Now your testing my memory...lol I think it will burn for a solid hour but I really need to check my notes. You got me here...I can't remember.

[MrClaysta]

@BlackCatSaloon thanks

[jack36202]

Thats a great little heater mate, I'll certainly be making one.

Should also keep you warm in the dog house.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@jack36202 Ha!  Thanks man.

[lordvelos]

I have made these using left over sawdust.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@lordvelos Thanks for sharing that tip...I'll have to try and make one.

[bizzarrogeorge]

Nice video, I'm wondering how much wax you dumped in. You left that part out.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@bizzarrogeorge Thanks man. Fill her right up to the brim…pour the wax right in the center and it will flow naturally to the outer rings.

[Trayne1837]

I made a comment and then something came to mind. During Halloween, they sell these big candles (about the size of a catfood can) they are for use in the Jackolanterns.. anyway, after halloween, they go on clearance really cheap (50 cents). I buy those and stalk them up, use them in cat food cans for light, my oil lamps are antique and I rarely use them. These candles are great for back up and burn a long long time.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@Trayne1837 Thanks for comment and good idea. It's always good to have some extra candles.

[Trayne1837]

You can always find an old pot of some sort at Goodwill. I figure some of these would be nice to use outside of course..incase we loose power from the freaky weather that has been happening lately.

[Cupcake7829]

Thanks for this! We made three of them right after watching. They work great!

[BlackCatSaloon]

@Cupcake7829 Thank you and I'm glad you found the video useful.

[urflofit2010]

I made two of these with my son after watching this- cool- thanks

[BlackCatSaloon]

@urflofit2010 You are very welcome...thanks for watching!

[BLACKHEARTSE7EN]

I remember making these in the scouts long ago.....Thanks for reminding me about these.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@BLACKHEARTSE7EN You are very welcome!

[purity4all]

what do you do with the oil lamp?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@purity4all I use it for light...they are nice in an emergency. :-)

[Gizziiusa]

ive experimented with the cheapest cooking oil [currently canola], a tuna can and a twisted piece of tiolet paper makes a decent candle. having light when the power goes out is nice to have, even if it is a little bit of light. morons over here dont/cant seem to grasp that, ha. peace. btw, i subbed ya. good channel !

[BlackCatSaloon]

@Gizziiusa Thanks for the comment!  That sounds like another good method that could be used in an emergency situation.

[aaronpetersutherland]

if you want to do it indoors, double boil with a scrap tin.  Great vid!

[BlackCatSaloon]

@aaronpetersutherland Thanks for the comment. Just be sure to burn it outside only because it does produce a lot of flame, smoke, and soot. Be prepared to wash your cooking equipment after use.

[BlackCatSaloon]

The melted wax will pour in very easily; just pour in the center filling the tin to the brim. The cardboard will soak it up evenly so you don’t need to worry about spreading the wax across the top. In my video I used firesteel to start with a small amount of tender. I would suggest using a basic Bic lighter and that should do the trick.

[graffiticandy]

a better way is to double boil it when you gave a good pot and you fill it with water and then get a soup can and place it in the water and add the wax

[BlackCatSaloon]

@graffiticandy Very good idea! Thanks for the comment.

[graffiticandy]

@BlackCatSaloon it works like a charm

[purity4all]

@graffiticandy yup works great. so does a canning jar. Ihave decided to save all my old wax in onethat way I have a lid to protect from dust when I'm ready, I can just put the jar in a pan f hot water.

[graffiticandy]

@purity4all cool

[Zox604]

Nice presentation. Now anyone can make it.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@Zox604 Thank you.

[looseal22]

I just tried making one. Its hard to pull the cardboard tight.  Is that essential? I've got gaps. Haven't done the wax thing yet.

[looseal22]

@looseal22 Discovered how to get the cardboard tight for weaklings such as myself. Curl each cardboard strip individually and place inside can. Allow strip to unfurl to outer edges of can, pushing the strips tighter toward the edge as you go.

This is a real safe way to keep an emergency heater in the car incase of breakdowns in the winter. I'm going to make one each time I open a can of something. Thanks Black Cat.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@looseal22 For the most part, the heater should be used outside. Use with discretion in an emergency situation since the flame on this heater can get quite high…be careful.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@looseal22 It's best to have the cardboard at least tight enough so it doesn't come easily out of the can.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@looseal22 Not to beat a dead horse, but I want to reiterate that this heater is to be used outdoors to heat water or cook food. The heater produces too much flame to be safely used inside a vehicle. You may want to keep some tea light candles for emergency vehicle use…those would be much safer and more manageable.

[looseal22]

How much wax do you pour in? As much as the cardboard can soak up? Have you tried adding a wick? How long does it burn?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@looseal22 Carefully fill the entire tin with wax and then let it settle for a few minutes to allow the cardboard to soak up as much as possible. Then top it off…that’s it! A heater using a tin the size in the video will burn continuously for about 2 hours. If you added a wick, you’d make a candle. ;-)

[cherrypie11061]

Do you just drip the wax on to the cardboard ?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@cherrypie11061 Hi CherryPie, yes, that is correct, just pour your melted wax right over the cardboard. When melting the wax, keep the heat low...it's doesn't take a lot to melt. Be careful when pouring. :-)

[cherrypie11061]

@BlackCatSaloon Thank you im going to make a few of them.

[gnumd]

Great idea!

Thanks for taking one for the team!! I am guessing you used the good lady's sauce pan or tried to melt wax in the kitchen? LOL I'd make a quick alcohol (rubbing alcohol) burner to melt the wax down, which come to think of it wouldn't be too bad of a heater/burner either I guess, since it is basically similar to sterno. I really like the recycle stuff you'd throw away aspect of this project.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@gnumd Good idea...thanks for the comment.

[looseal22]

@gnumd I've seen this made with a roll of toilet paper (cardboard removed and paper squashed tight) and alcohol soaked into the paper. But then it wouldn't be free.

[Hobohube]

Cool, thanks for the tip.

[BlackCatSaloon]

@Hobohube You're welcome.

[MrB0TT]

For indoor use it looks like there could be a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning with a flame that size. I noticed you used it outdoors but in a SHTF scenario would this be usable indoors?

[BlackCatSaloon]

@MrB0TT Very good observation and point. If you have a fireplace then you could open the flue and use on the hearth. The heater should be used outdoors, but in a serious emergency you could crack a window for ventilation and use indoors if for some reason it’s not safe to venture out. But, yes, you’d need to use a good amount of discretion and caution when using indoors…for the most part it’s to be used outside. I’ve used mine in the garage with the door slightly open and it worked fine.