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One of the things I enjoy is doing things differently, better, more interestingly, and less expensively. Often this means making my own, finding another and usually a different way than heading down to the mall to pick up something lame in some boutique.

I like my wood stove not only for the heat it produces but also because the constantly moving flames behind see-through glass door provides a visual blanket that substitutes for gunning the TV even in TV addicted people. Flames simply make the room come alive.

But how about candles? Candles also have living flame! However, frankly, I find candles somewhat boring.

What about an olive oil lamp. Yes, olive oil can burn! To build an olive oil lamp, you need a short jar, a wick, some steel wire, and some olive oil. The jar should be short and wide necked. Ideally you want to be able to stick a lighter or a match (the lighter is more frugal) and almost touch the bottom. Empty jam jars work for me. I don’t know how to make your own wicks, but you can get a lifetime supply of wicks on a spool at a craft store. I assume you already have the metal wire and the olive oil.

This one designed by Light Source in Oregon and it is available from Lehmans which sells self-sufficient living products.
Now you could buy this one from Lehmans, but as you see, it is really quite easy to make. The wire wraps around the neck of the jar and goes into the jar where it holds the wick. The wick is soaked in olive oil.This works just like a regular candle. The fuel, here olive oil instead of paraffin is drawn up into the wick by capillary action where it is vaporized, mixed with air and burned. Of course there is a limit to strong this drawing action works. Therefore it is important to keep the flame close to the oil reservoir. To vary the flame strength simply adjust the height of the wick over the oil. Don’t worry. Liquid oil does not burn. Only vapor does, so unless it gets extremely hot, your lamp won’t start burning. If it does, just cover the lid and deprive it of air. Doesn’t get much safer than that.

I have made a lamp like in the picture above and it does not put out a very strong light, so I guess some experimenting with wick type, width, length, etc. is required for optimal light. Currently, it is just enough to read by if you put the lamp directly on the book.
Another problem is that the flame is very close to the table, so the light only goes up. You could build a reflector or you could raise the lamp off of the table (these are also made by Light Source)
To get even more light, feel free to put down more wicks. Making your own means you’re in control, so why not. Check out this link for many more designs