Fungifun - Forum

Mushroom cultivation => Cultivation => Topic started by: MoGrow on December 02, 2012, 01:02:48 AM

Title: How I made my alcohol lamp
Post by: MoGrow on December 02, 2012, 01:02:48 AM
Since I'm an inexperienced grower and cant contribute to that aspect ill share what I've been doing. I made my alcohol lamp using the following process. If this setup has been done before and posted somewhere forgive me. If not and you can use it I'm glad i could help.

The List.

Start by gathering all your materials.
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0183.jpg)

Or if you don't have a drill.
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0184.jpg)

Next i make the wicks, I took an old work sock that had a hole in the big toe and i cut it in to strips about 1/2" thick and the length of the foot , i only used the material of the sock you can see in the pic VV.. approx 5 - 6", the material above the heel had too much elastic banding.
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0178.jpg)

Procede by drilling (nailing) a hole in the center of the lid like so...
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0181.jpg)

Notice the outside of the lid is very rough ?  To accomplish this you want to drill slowly when the drill catches the last of the metal it will hesitate you want to force the hole from that point, what i did was reversed my drill and forced through with a backwards revolving bit. If your using a nail and hammer you need to wiggle the nail in the hole You want a couple nasty burrs on it. More about the burrs later.

Now we foil the lid .. take the square of foil and wrap the lid tightly with it, if your using a new jar lid, and you only have one hole, you don't need to foil the lid. I used foil to cover the 4 inoc holes that were still there.

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0185.jpg)
Nice burrs.

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0186.jpg)

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0187.jpg)

Now that the lid and the wick are done, on to the tank.
Take 2-3 strips of masking tape, depending on the width of your roll, you want it long enough and wide enough to cover the mouth of the shot glass..
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0191.jpg)

Now we take the box cutter and we "carve" the outer edge of the shot glass rim like this...
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0193.jpg)

When we take it off it looks like this...
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0194-1.jpg)
The tape is to keep perlite out of your tank when we fill the sides.

Set the shot glass aside and get out your perlite put a 1/2" - 1" in the bottom of the 1/2 pint jar. You want to make the shot glass just shy of even with the lip of the jar..
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0196.jpg)

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0195.jpg)

Now we can fill the space between the jar and the tank with perlite.....
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0197.jpg)

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0198.jpg)

Now peel the tape off the tank fill with alcohol....
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0200.jpg)
Yea i used my nice frosted glass Jagermeister shot glass.

Now we wick the lid, dip the wick in the alcohol making sure its saturated, wring it between your thumb and fingers as you pull it out of the tank dip, press the wick tip through the lid from the inside out (going with the burrs) remember the burrs? Pull around 1.5" of wick through the cap, pull back slightly on the wick locking it on the burrs, put the rest of the wick in the tank, and set the lid ....
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0203.jpg)

Screw the lid on and take a 3 - 4" x .5" strip of foil and wrap it around the base of the wick where it meets the burrs locking the foil in place.....
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0205.jpg)

Light it up, sterilize, and get to nocin.

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/maksnav/Lamp/IMAG0211.jpg)


I wrote this up because the people on these forums are very helpful, Being new to this hobby i don't have much to offer, hopefully this can help at least 1 person making this worth the time it took to write up, and balance some book somewhere.



Title: Re: How I made my alcohol lamp
Post by: RainSpirit on December 02, 2012, 07:33:49 AM
Congratulations by the tutorial!!
Title: Re: How I made my alcohol lamp
Post by: PenisEnvy525 on December 02, 2012, 11:56:37 PM
Nice dude! That was a pretty nice tutorial that can come in useful. Well done, sir.
Title: Re: How I made my alcohol lamp
Post by: Fly on December 11, 2012, 11:20:23 AM
That really looks good.I guess I,m lazy, but I took a ole hot sause bottle, filled it with alky & stuck a old cotton
strip from a t-shirt & it works great.When I'm threw I just bend the wick over & screw on the top.Works for
me.
                                 Fly
Title: Re: How I made my alcohol lamp
Post by: MarkRobin on January 21, 2013, 10:04:48 PM
Excellent tutorial. Making an alcohol lamp is a easy task but many people has very little idea about it's basics. This simple pictorial tips helps to make alcohol lamp in a simple manner.