Wine Bottle Oil Lamp

I'm going to show you how I make my wine bottle oil lamps! I love to repurpose old things so this is a great way to reuse old wine or liquor bottles. They are awesome for the summertime to keep pests away while enjoying your summer evenings. It's really easy to do, so you might want to make a matching set or some extras to give to family or friends!

What you will need:

An empty wine or liquor bottle

Bags of marbles- I get them from the dollar store

Tiki torch wicks- I found 9 inch, 2 pack at the hardware store

1/2" copper pipe cap- to cover the wick when not in use

1/2" x 3/8" copper reducer coupling- this size normally fits most bottles I've used

Plumber tape

Goo Gone (old rag)

Tiki torch oil- I use the mosquito repellent type

Fill the bottle with the marbles. Depending on your bottle, you can coordinate the color of the marbles with the bottle. Have fun and experiment with different looks. You may also need a few bags. I think I used 2 bags for the regular wine bottles, but the larger ones will need more.

You need to start with empty, clean bottles. Some labels come off easier than others. You may need to soak them in hot soapy water. If that doesn't get all the sticky residue or paper off, you need to use the Goo Gone or some type of cleaner to get this off. After the bottles are free of any sign of a label, you may need to wash them again to get the Goo Gone off. I think some bottles have interesting designs that you may want to keep.You may choose to leave a label on like I did with the gin bottle. Make sure there is no paper label near the neck of the bottle-for safety purposes.

Now you need your copper reducer and the plumber tape. Wrap the big end with the tape until it fits into the top of the bottle without falling in. It should be snug. This will hold the wick.

Insert the wick into the hole of the copper reducer. Now place the wick into the bottle but make sure there are enough marbles to hold the wick up. Sometimes it wants to fall into the bottle-and you don't want that! Leave some of the wick showing from the top of the copper. Don't put it in the bottle yet-just checking that everthing is in place.

Now if everything is working properly, it's time to fill the bottle with the tiki oil. Do this over a sink or outside. You might want to use a funnel. You do not have to fill it all the way to the top either. Just fill it about 3/4 of the way, making sure the wick can absorb the oil. Now put the wick and copper reducer into the bottle and make sure it fits snug. You don't want the oil coming out or the copper to fall in the bottle!

Now you are ready to light up the night! Make sure the bottle is in a safe place away from children, animals or anyone that could knock it over. You may find a bottle that fits into a tiki lamp post- which is perfect or just sitting on a table. Now you can light your lamp and enjoy the evening. When it's time, blow out the light and put the copper cap onto the wick. Don't try this while it's burning though!

I hope you enjoyed making your oil lamp. Remember SAFETY FIRST!