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“There’s just something so relaxing and peaceful about sitting outside on a warm summer night, listening to the crickets and looking up at the stars. Just two problems with that idyllic moment, though – those pesky bugs and lack of light.
Coming up with outdoor lighting options are pretty easy – light strands, candles, or Tiki torches give a great, almost-magical glow. Sadly, all that glowing light also attracts even more bugs. Tiki torches have been staples in most gardens now for quite a while, and thankfully, they also come with citronella-infused torch fuel. The citronella is a great bonus – it is a very effective mosquito repellant.
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StyleMeTv has come up with a very elegant and unique, yet affordable way to make use of the magic of Tiki torches with the practicality of their citronella-infused torch oil. The vessel holding the torch oil in this DIY tutorial is something most people throw away – empty wine bottles. Here are a few other supplies you’ll need to gather:
● Empty wine bottles
● Teflon tape (1/2” wide)
● ½” x 3 / 8 ” copper coupling
● 3 / 8 ” zinc-plated threaded rod
● ½” copper cap
● Copper top plate connector
● 1” split ring hanger
● Two hex nuts
● Two wood screws
● Tiki brand replacement wick
● Torch fuel (citronella for mosquito-repellant properties)
Start off by tightly wrapping the ½” end of the copper coupling with your Teflon tape. Apply enough to make sure your coupling fits snugly inside the opening of your empty wine bottle. Remove the coupling and set it aside for the next step.
Now, you need to measure and trim your Tiki replacement wick to the right length for your bottle. You’ll want to leave about ¼” of wick extending beyond the bottle’s opening. Thread the wick through the coupling into the wine bottle. Re-insert the coupling into the bottle’s opening until it is nice and snug.
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Using your saw, cut the rod to about 6” long and then thread one nut onto either side of it, just about a half an inch down onto the rod. Attach the top plate connector to one end of the rod and the split ring hanger to the opposite side. Mount the top connector plate to a strong post, and you’re ready to put your new tiki torch into it.
After filling up your bottle with torch fuel, insert the neck of the bottle into the split ring hanger and tighten it firmly. Not too tightly, though, or you might shatter your nice, new tiki torch!
Now, you don’t have to explain away all those empty wine bottles. All you were doing was trying to collect bottles for this great craft. That should satisfy any judgmental friends as they sit in your bug-free, romantically lit outdoor space.”
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