In this video, I’m going to make what is commonly referred to as a Buddy Burner. This is a project that Boy Scouts have been doing for decades and it is a handy item to have around. It can be used for emergency heat, and of course, it can be used to cook food and boil water.
Making a Buddy burner is very easy. All you need is some type of shallow can, like a tuna can. But you could also use a soda can or a soup can if you trim it down to size. The problem with that is that it will leave some rough edges and you will need to smooth those down for safety.
In addition to a shallow can, you’ll also need some corrugated cardboard to act as a wick and some wax for fuel.
We’re going to cut the cardboard into strips and I’m going to make a quick measurement to make sure my cardboard strips will fit into my tuna can. After you cut some cardboard strips, start rolling the cardboard up pretty tightly.
If you need to add some additional cardboard strips, you can use a piece of masking tape so the cardboard you have already wound up will not unravel. Then add an additional strip as needed, and when you’re done, slip the cardboard into your shallow can.
Now we need to melt some wax. I’m going to be using beeswax because it’s non-toxic, but you could use any kind of wax. You could use paraffin wax, you can melt down some old candles, or you could even use crayons. And of course, you should use your Buddy Burner in a well-ventilated area.
The safest way to melt the wax is going to be to use a double boiler where you have one pot with water, and a secondary part with your wax in it. By putting the pot with wax inside of another pot with water, you will make sure that the wax will not reach its flashpoint and burst into flames, because as long as there is water surrounding the pot, the wax will never get hotter than the boiling point of water which is 212°F at sea level.
I’m not going to be using the double boiler method here, but I am going to be keeping a close eye on the wax, and removing it from the heat as soon as it has finished melting.
Once the wax is melted, carefully pour it into the can, fully saturating your corrugated cardboard wick. Give it some time to cool, and your Buddy Burner will be ready to use.
The first time lighting a new Buddy Burner can be a bit of a challenge. Some people like to make their Buddy Burners with a few wicks sticking up to make it easier to light. You could also just take a knife and rough up the cardboard a bit to make it easier to light.
When you do get it lit, the flame will be small at first, but in a few minutes, the flame will grow.
It’s been a couple of minutes and now the flame is bigger, but it will still grow a little bit more.
And once the flame gets going well, you can use it for cooking, boiling water, or anything else you might need a fire for.
I know it looks like I’ve got a flame burning right in the middle of a bunch of dry leaves, which is certainly not a good idea, but it has rained quite a bit lately and the ground is very wet. Still, it would be a good idea to clear the area before lighting a fire.
And when you’re ready to extinguish the flame, all you have to do is start it of oxygen.
