Make these easy and beautiful DIY Mason Jar Oil Lamps. They're simple to make and perfect for a party, wedding centrepiece, or just in your home as decor.
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Why You'll Love This Craft
- They're simple and inexpensive to make.
- The finished oil lamps make a beautful centerpiece or home decor.
- The oil lamps are made from easy to find materials, including any size mason jars.
During the dark days of winer, I thought a little light filled project would add some warmth and brightness. These Mason Jar Oil Lamps are pretty simple to put together, and are really, really pretty. They make a lovely gift for someone. These mason jar oil candles are also perfect for a romantic atmosphere or dinner date setting. They're also perfect for outdoor use.
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Mason Jar Oil Lamp Materials:
- 3 Different Small Mason Jars With Lids: You can use any size or make of mason jar for this craft, just make sure you have a lid that fits. We used 3 different sizes for interest.
- Paraffin Lamp Oil: We found ours at the hardware store.
- Cotton Lamp Wick: These are usually found with the camping supplies, or in the candle making section of the craft store.
- Nipples ⅛”: Look for the nipples in the lighting supplies section of the hardware store.
- Couplings ⅛”: Look for the couplings also in the lighting supplies section of the hardware store.
- Washers ⅛”
Variation
You could use coloured lamp oil in your mason jar, to give the project some color.
Choosing Your Lamp Oil
There are different options when it comes to choosing the type of lamp oil to use in your mason jar oil lamp burner. We went paraffin lamp oil as it's a clean burning oil. It's also quite easy to find at any hardware store.
If you were using these lamps in an outdoor space and wanted to keep the bugs away with a scented flame you could also use citronella oil in them.
You can also alter the smell of your oil by adding drops of essential oil, such as lavender essential oil, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, or any of your favourite essential oils.
Can You Use Olive Oil In A Mason Jar Oil Lamp?
Olive oil and vegetable oil has been used for thousands of years as a lamp fuel. Cooking oils are easily available and burn very cleanly.
The problem with using it here is that the olive oil is thicker than lamp oil and doesn't absorb up the wick as well. A floating wick works better with vegetable or olive oil because it floats on the surface and doesn't have to travel up the wick. Olive oil isn't flammable like lamp oil, so that the wick can float on the surface.
It might be fun to experiment with different designs to try modify our design to work with a floating wick.
Safety Note:
Never leave a mason jar oil lamp unattended. Keep away from children, pets, and flammable materials.
Instructions:
Step 1: The first step in making your mason jar oil lamp is to drill a hole in the canning jar lid.
I found it a little tricky to get it in the center of the lid, and found drilling a small pilot hole first, and then the larger ⅛” one worked best. It still isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t need to be, so don’t worry.
Once you've done your first jar lid, repeat this process for the rest of the lamps you're making.
Step 2: Next, you thread the nipple through the hole, so it’s about half way through each side, and then add the washer and screw the coupling onto the top of the lid.
Step 3: Cut a piece of the cotton wick with enough length of wick so that it is a little longer than the depth of your jar and thread it through the mason jar lid.
Fill up your mason jar with lamp oil.
The remaining length of the wick will rest on the bottom of the jar, and you can pull it up as necessary. Save your remaining lamp wicks that you've cut off to use as extra wicks in the future.
Step 4: Now, screw on the lid on to the top of the jar, with just a little wick at the top.
Give the wick a bit of time to soak up the oil before lighting it for the first time.
Expert Tip: If the wick is too long, it will cause the lamp to smoke, in which case you can trim it shorter, or push it down to make it shorter.
I think they’d be really lovely as wedding centrepieces, and I think I’ll use mine for an upcoming party.
These should help me get through some of the long nights of winter a little more easily, with their warm cozy light.
With DIY Mason Jar Oil Lamps, life really is a party!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Remember to never leave a mason jar oil lamp unattended. Keep away from children, pets, and flammable materials.
Your wick is too long. Extinguish your lamp, and trim the wick shorter or pull it down to adjust it before relighting.
Blow out the flame, or use a candle snuffer to extinguish your mason jar oil lamp.
How long a mason jar oil lamp burns depends on several factors. We recommend using paraffin lamp oil, which burns most effectively. Your burn time will depend on your type of oil, size of the mason jar, the thickness of the wick, and length of the wick. In general, 1 cup of lamp oil should burn between 3-12 hours.
If you try our tutorial on How To Make to Make A Mason Jar Oil Lamp or any other ideas on the blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Mason Jar OIl Lamps
Equipment
- Drill with ⅛" Drill Bit
- scissors
Materials
- 3 Mason Jars
- Paraffin Lamp Oil
- Cotton Lamp Wick
- 3 ⅛ " Nipples
- 3 ⅛" Couplings
- 3 ⅛" Washers
Instructions
- The first step in making your beautiful mason jar oil lamp is to drill a hole in the canning jar lid. I found it a little tricky to get it in the center of the lid, and found drilling a small hole first, and then the larger ?” one worked best. It still isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t need to be, so don’t worry. Once you've done your first jar lid, repeat this process for the rest of the lamps you're making.
- Next, you thread the nipple through the hole, so it’s about half way through each side, and then add the washer and screw the coupling onto the top of the lid.
- Cut a piece of the cotton wick with enough length of wick so that it is a little longer than the depth of your jar and thread it through the mason jar lid. Fill up your mason jar with lamp oil. The remaining length of the wick will rest on the bottom of the jar, and you can pull it up as necessary. Save your remaining lamp wicks that you've cut off to use as extra wicks in the future.
- Now, screw on the lid on to the top of the jar, with just a little wick at the top. If the wick is too long, it will cause the lamp to smoke, in which case you can trim it shorter, or push it down to make it shorter. Give the wick a bit of time to soak up the oil before lighting it for the first time.
Jacque says
How do you feed the wick. What I mean is the wick burns up, so how do you keep the wick burning .
dnr says
Hi Bob,
Thanks for your suggestions.
Dannyelle
Bob Hibbs says
Tap your intended hole with a punch, pre-drill with a small drill bit, and then use a 25/64 bit for your finish hole. You won't need the washers, and your candles will look more professional. Don't forget the nut for the bottom side. (photo available)
dnr says
Hi Christy, I actually just picked mine up at the hardware store. As a tip you might not have known, you can search on Amazon for products with a rating of 4 or higher, it's on the left side bar. Here's a link to some higher rating options. http://amzn.to/2tckt7c Best of luck,
Dannyelle
Christy says
Hi! Just wondering where you found your wicks? I'm looking on Amazon and can't seem to find any with good reviews. Thanks.
dnr says
Hi Peter,
Sorry I don't have a source for you in Australia, but I would suggest a hardware store -if you haven't looked there already.
Wishing you the best of luck,
Dannyelle
PETER WILLIAMS says
Hi , i came across your web site as i am wanting to make similar lighting setups. I am in Brisbane Australia , but have not been able to locate anything like the nipples and couplings that you have shown in your photos for putting the wick through. Can you tell me if there is an internet shop that you are aware of , that i can order these items. Thanks Peter
dnr says
Hi Donna,
Yes, citronella oil should work great, and be great for keeping the bugs away outdoors.
Best of luck with it,
Dannyelle
Donna says
how about citronella oil?
Thea says
Love the project Dannyelle and I rally love the photography. When you think about it glass mason jars are hard to photograph and really are not stunning artifacts on their own. But your staging and photography skills made them look gorgeous! The flickering flames are beautiful. Well done! I love your style in all of your projects! You are so talented and so creative! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with in 2017. Best wishes!
dnr says
Hi Tanya,
I'm not sure what would be causing that, I've lit mine many times and never had that problem. The only thing I can think of is that your wick is too high. Perhaps try lowering it, or trimming it short.
Hope this helps,
Dannyelle
Tanya Ouzts says
After lighting the wick and it burning a short time, oil started pudding on top of the jar lid. Any idea what I am doing wrong? I have everything tighten.
dnr says
Hi Jan, I'm not sure if olive oil would work, but the lamp oil works really, really well, so I'd go with it.
Best of luck,
Dannyelle
Jan says
can I use olive oil instead?
dnr says
Thanks Emma, they're super easy, for sure give them a try, and thanks for your comment.
Dannyelle