How do you make a torch?
The torch is probably the oldest source of light humans have ever used. These days we have plenty of ways to beat the dark: all sorts of torches (the battery kind), chemical light sticks and even the torch built into your mobile phone. But what if you find yourself far from civilisation, night is falling and you have none of these modern gadgets to hand? Then there is nothing left to do but make a proper, old-fashioned torch.
Internet torches
Browse the internet and you will find loads of ways to make a torch. A surprising number of them tell you to tie the fuel on with string. I suspect the people who write that kind of thing have never made a torch with their own hands in their lives. Unless it was in Minecraft 😉
I did try the string method once and the result was entirely predictable. Once lit, the torch quickly “fell apart”, because the string simply burnt through and stopped doing its job. I tried to fix that by binding the torch with wire instead, but that has its drawbacks too. Above all, the material refused to burn right next to the wire (underneath it and around it).
In the end, though, I found the best possible way to make a torch, and all you need is a knife or a machete. No other tools, no wire, no string. A torch like this can be made very quickly, with minimal kit and minimal effort.
What do you need to make a torch?
For our torch we will need:
- a thick branch from a freshly cut tree. Dry, seasoned wood is not ideal for this, but at a pinch you can use it too.
- something that burns. You can use practically anything you have to hand: a fistful of dry leaves and twigs, a dry pine cone, a bulrush head, even cotton socks.
- resin
Making the torch
This really is dead simple. Take your branch and, at the thicker end, split it lengthways in a cross, so that you end up with a sort of springy, four-pronged holder. The wood should split naturally, along the grain. Wedge both splits open at their base with a small stick or twig.
Push your fuel into the holder you have just made.
At this point the torch is pretty much ready to use. Just pull out the wedging sticks so the holder grips firmly. The split sections spring back and hold the fuel in place all by themselves.
That said, it is easy enough to soup up your torch a bit so that it burns bright and steady.
To do that, you need to collect some resin. Resin from conifers works best. In a forest you should have no trouble finding it at all. Have a little look around and you are bound to spot a tree oozing resin.
Depending on how fresh it is, resin will be a thick, sticky liquid, something like plasticine, or dry lumps. Once you have gathered it (it is easiest to prise it off with a knife into some kind of container, or straight onto your palm), work it into the fuel you have already fixed into the torch.
The simplest way is to crumble the resin and pack it evenly into the fuel. If you have more time and can light a campfire, you might want to melt the resin. All you need is an empty tin: drop the lumps of resin into it and set it down near the fire. Be careful here that the resin does not catch fire (hot resin burns like petrol!), so do not put the tin directly on the flames, just next to them.
Pour the melted resin evenly over the fuel.
Your torch is ready.
Using a torch
This simple method lets you make a few, or even a dozen or so, torches. One well-made torch should burn for anything from a few minutes to several tens of minutes. Some people may find this funny, but cotton socks soaked in resin burn the longest of all 🙂
Torchlight has one advantage over a battery torch: a battery torch throws a narrow beam, while a flaming torch lights up the ground all around you. That way you can see what is going on around you, not just in the direction you happen to be pointing.
One important tip to finish with: when you use a torch, do not hold it near your head, hold it out to the side at arm’s length. Do not hold it directly above your head either, because falling sparks can set your hair or clothes alight.
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