• Home
  • About Me
  • Projects
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact me

The Frugal Homemaker

Your guide to turning your house into a home... one DIY project and yard sale find at a time

DIY Mason Jar Tiki Torches (5 minute project)

May 21, 2014

DIY Mason Jar Tiki Torches

Hosting an outdoor gathering this weekend or this summer?  If you live in the south especially, you know the mosquitoes are already out in full force.  Burning citronella torches or candles seems to be a common way at attempting to keep them away from your porch, backyard, or deck.  So here’s a quick and easy solution and bonus – it uses mason jars which are sort of all the rage and highly available right now. 

You can make your own tiki torch by using a jar, oil, and a wick.  I saw the idea on Pinterest with no souce but it was pretty self explanatory. 

I reused some old jelly jars that are actual mason jars and used tiki torch wicks although I think you could use a large candle wick as well.  You could use anything from the vintage blue mason jars, they even have some pretty green mason jars out right now remade to look like the old vintage jars, or any glass jar you have around.  You will also need a lid whether it is the lid that came on the jar or a ring and canning lid that you can buy in the canning section at any store.  The oil was $5, the packs of wicks $2, and the jars I already had. 

DSC_0983

Use a hammer and nail to punch a hole in the lid and then keep punching holes to enlarge that hole until you have a hole big enough for the wick to go through.  Or you can use a drill and a large drill bit. 

DSC_0984

Your holes may not be completely round or smooth and that is ok.  They will be hidden by the wick and you want them to be tight enough so that the hole “holds” the wick and it doesn’t fall back into the jar.

DSC_0986

Thred the wicks through the hole.  I actually ended up cutting the wicks in half and they were plenty long enough. 

DSC_0987

Clean the labels off the jars if you are reusing jars. Fill with oil 1/2 – 3/4 full and screw the lid back on.  Wait a few minutes for the oil to soak up the wick and light!

DSC_0985

You can use these anywhere you need them – just be careful to place in areas where kids can not access them or people can’t accidently knock them over.  I used them on our deck rail in areas where people weren’t sitting.  But these could be used on tables or pretty much anywhere!

10371473_859115670768535_6364045822825709483_n

Not sure the oil is diffferent colors?  It took that whole bottle of oil to fill 4 jars and it was a light blue color.  Maybe the sun changed the colors?    The below pictures were taken another day after we had burned these for 6 hours one evening and there was a good bit of oil left.  

DSC_1049

So fun and yet functional to provide light/ambiance and hopefully keep the mosquitoes at bay too. 

DSC_1051

Would you have ever thought to use mason jars as tiki torches? 

DSC_1053

30 Comments LABELS ~ DIY projects

SHARE >>
« Outdoor light fixture change-up
Mocha Banana Breakfast Smoothie (coffee + breakfast in 1 cup!) »

RELATED POSTS

  • 2 DIY ways to upcycle a large wood wire spool
  • How to make a DIY Christmas music wall hanging or mini Christmas music sheet ornaments!
  • DIY Christmas Skis made from Picket Fence Pickets
  • Day 6 – Spray paint your light fixtures

Comments

  1. Sherri Smith says

    May 22, 2014 at 5:08 PM

    These are great, Christina! Thanks for sharing how you made them.

    Have a wonderful evening…
    ~Sherri

    Reply
  2. Ann says

    May 25, 2014 at 5:22 PM

    What is the best way to extinguish them?

    Reply
    • Jim says

      July 23, 2014 at 10:47 AM

      Blow hard !!! Lol !!!

      Reply
    • Linda Brey says

      July 7, 2015 at 8:57 AM

      a cheap candle sniffer works great. Or a short piece of plumbing threaded pipe with a cap on one end.

      Reply
  3. Mable says

    June 12, 2014 at 11:48 AM

    What a great idea. These look so easy to make, and I bet they last for a long time too.

    Reply
  4. Andrew says

    August 18, 2014 at 9:47 PM

    I made these but mine keep filling with smoke and pop like it wants to explode and the flame goes out. Any suggestions on to make this not happen I have little kids and don’t need then getting hurt

    Reply
    • Christina says

      August 18, 2014 at 11:17 PM

      hmmm… I am not sure why it is doing that? what kind of oil did you use and what kind of wicks? how far are the wicks sticking out of the jar?

      Reply
      • Rose says

        September 3, 2014 at 5:24 PM

        Mine are doing the same. I’m afraid to use them now and they look so pretty 🙁

        Reply
    • Marina says

      May 17, 2017 at 5:42 PM

      I just made some and mine are filling with smoke and going out too! But I made them yesterday and lit one to test it. The wick was a bit long so the flame was big and I burnt it for about an hour or so and nothing happened. I lit that and another one today that the wick was shorter and after 10 mins it filled with smoke made a popping sound and went out. Did anyone come up with a solution??

      Reply
  5. Sue says

    October 7, 2014 at 1:32 PM

    Do the jars get hot while lit?

    Reply
    • Christina says

      November 4, 2014 at 12:27 AM

      Not the jars necessarily but the lids do.

      Reply
      • Mary says

        March 8, 2015 at 6:52 AM

        I made some with wine and whiskey bottles that did the same. I discovered the hole for the wick was too big. If you remake the top with a smaller hole- it should help. Love the mason jar idea!

        Reply
        • Melissa says

          June 20, 2015 at 11:35 AM

          I made these this week and the hole is not too big plus I placed the wick through a washer as well and the jar filled with smoke. I’m not sure what to do, but they are pretty cool if I can get them to work.

          Melissa

          Reply
          • Steve says

            July 19, 2015 at 7:47 PM

            Just made one but used a copper plumbing fitting and soldered to lid. Seals it much better.

          • Beatrice says

            June 22, 2016 at 7:33 AM

            Is there any sort of material lining the lid? Sometimes there is a thin plastic material coating the inside of the lid that melts and smokes from the heat, and the smoke has no where to dissipate so it stays in the jar. If that is the case, either remove the inside coating first, or look for a jar lid that does not have it.

        • Debbie Collins says

          August 12, 2018 at 9:53 AM

          If you use a wine bottle, what do you use on the top of the bottle to hold the wick in place?

          Reply
  6. Nadia says

    June 14, 2015 at 8:45 AM

    Does it burn the cover of the maison jar?
    I did one and I am afraid it will explode.

    Any advice?

    Reply
  7. TinaD says

    June 15, 2015 at 4:28 PM

    How do you raise the wick when it burns down?

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      June 16, 2015 at 4:52 PM

      I made these last year with the canning lid and ring. The lids will get black and they sealed so well I had to pry them off and the black wick was a huge mess. I still think they are beautiful but haven’t made any more.

      Reply
  8. Kaitlyn says

    February 1, 2017 at 12:38 PM

    What a neat idea! I like how you repurposed the glassware. I’ll have to make these for my patio this summer.

    Reply
  9. kimberly cassel says

    April 1, 2017 at 5:27 PM

    I’ve read somewhere if you make the hole small enough where the wick just barely gets through. And have the middle part of the lid with the wax part or whatever it is pointed up when you screw the lid back on it just seals to the lid not the whole jar. Then you should see smoke inside and it won’t sound like it wants to explode. Plus make sure its a thick mason jar that can with stand the heat from it all.

    Reply
  10. Peggy says

    May 24, 2017 at 7:27 AM

    I have made these using mason jars with the lid and band the ones you use for canning. This did not go well for me because the rubber that makes the seal melted. Making mine a one time only use ?. Just a heads us.

    Reply
  11. Diana G says

    July 17, 2020 at 2:41 PM

    The lids are the drawback, they do seem to get ruined and sooty and crust onto the jar. But i made one with glass peanut butter jar with a metal lid and it’s also working fine and the lid doesn’t look as burnt. Only thing it doesn’t fit down in the tiki holder. Replacement for those canisters is a bit pricey.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. DIY Tiki Torches | Patriot Rising says:
    July 2, 2014 at 11:31 PM

    […] these DIY mason jar tiki torches from The Frugal Homemaker! They take 5 minutes to […]

    Reply
  2. DIY Tiki Torches | WV Preppers says:
    September 26, 2014 at 8:32 AM

    […] Photo Credit: armchairsommelier.wordpress.com, instructables.com, glitterglueandpaint.com, thefrugalhomemaker.com […]

    Reply
  3. 27 Healthy and Portable Mason Jar Meals says:
    January 2, 2015 at 8:31 AM

    […] as trendy as green juice and coconut oil. Sure, they can house wedding centerpieces and tiki torches, but even better: They make portable, portion-control meals a cinch—some don’t even need a […]

    Reply
  4. 27 Healthy and Portable Mason Jar Meals says:
    January 8, 2015 at 8:55 AM

    […] they’re as trendy as green juice and coconut oil. Sure, they can house wedding centerpieces and tiki torches, but even better: They make portable, portion-control meals a cinch—some don’t even need a […]

    Reply
  5. Don’t throw that away! | jackiemunson says:
    March 3, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    […] Summer is just around the corner. Picnics, outings, backyard grilling and chilling all have one thing in common, those pesky bugs!  Use those empty mason jars for Tiki-esque torches that are green, cool, and easy on the budget. All you will need for this project is torch fuel, a wick (can be found at most retail stores), your mason jar, any size.  A great DIY for this project is https://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2014/05/21/diy-mason-jar-tiki-torches-5-minute-project/ […]

    Reply
  6. Monday Mondays 6.1.15 | Swallows from my Kitchen Window says:
    June 1, 2015 at 5:49 AM

    […] Great idea for summer outdoor entertaining… DIY mason jar tiki torches […]

    Reply
  7. 33 Fascinating DIY lantern ideas that will brighten up your outdoor space says:
    October 2, 2018 at 10:10 AM

    […] This is the simplest DIY lantern idea. It will only take you 5 minutes to create these lanterns. However, they are very beautiful. They will set your garden “on fire”. Learn how to make them here. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to TinaD Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow me:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Hi!  My name is Christina . . .

I love doing simple, frugal things to make our house feel like HOME! Come learn along with me how to have a beautiful home on a budget.

Recent Posts

  • Enjoying summer at home! (Essentials for entertaining or having a fun family night)
  • Simple build series: How to build a DIY centerpiece box
  • How to create a cozy outdoor space step-by-step
  • Spring DIY Projects
  • 2022 Word of the Year





THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS