Medieval hand torches...

[Einon-Bashkiroff]

Good day all!

I am on a search for a ton of organized information... I am trying to make a prototype of a medieval hand-held torch and If I can do it then I can mass produce them. I would like to gather Ideas about this project... What type of wood to buy? What great fire resistant coating would you use to help proof wood? What would I use for the wick? Actual fire wick or twine/rope that is soaked in what? ...

My current Idea is to get a 2x2 of a type of wood and make a sheet metal cage bolted to the shaft. Place an insert nut in the top and a long, thick screw with the head taken off and filed down to hold the wick/fuel... but I also want to try to make the wood fire resistant so It will last through many, many uses... any help would be greatly appreciated...

Einon

[knyaz]

YOU MAY NOT PLAY WITH FIRE EINON! Now get back in the cage!

[Einon-Bashkiroff]

Thanks for the lack of help... anyone else?

[Gunther Neiman]

Perhaps creating a spacer (ie: open space between most of the metal and the wood) would keep it from becoming too hot and starting the wood on fire? As for a wick, I'm not sure what would be best, but I'm sure someone else out there would be better suited to give you info about that and what fuel to use in it.

[Urdok]

Basically, a torch is burlap soaked in flammable material wrapped around a hunk of hard wood. Traditionally, wax and pitch were used. The key is to find something that burns cool enough so that the wood doesn't go up. A quick google search turns up the following information- Paraffin wax has an ignition temp of 400 degrees F. Oak will burn at 575 F, once all it's moisture has been boiled off. So, basically, you're looking for a hard wood with a lot of moisture in it for your stick. Wrap the head in burlap soaked in whatever you found that burns at the lowest temperature, and light. Yeah, the stick might burn, but so what, as long as it holds together.

I don't think this is a buy, so much as a find. Almost any wood found at a hardware store will be treated, and will do bad things to you if you heat it and are anywhere near the fumes. Just find a suitably sized stick that's still green, or give one a good soak for a few days.

*note- this is all just theory, and I haven't done anything like this for at least 14 years now. I'm not responsible if you follow through and burn your face off, end up with cancer of the crotch, or suffer any other calamity. Everything I recommended was strictly hypothetical, and you should find someone who knows what he is doing to ask.

[knyaz]

You are right- that was not helpful so....

The reason you do not see hand held torches at ANY major medieval event in any organization is because in almost every situation they are ILLEGAL!
In almost every place Markland holds events we can't even walk around with a tiki torch-this is SPECIFICALLY banned in the parks in Jersey, PA and DE. Any "torch" that has an exposed flame and which is carried is a fire hazard. Tiki torches are 'fixed" and the flame is relatively low, and as I said we are not even allowed to carry those lit. Even if you are on private property you would be violating fire codes in most communities- forget parks!

Candles are the one thing most rangers, cops and firemen are willing to overlook- unless there is a fire ban in effect and then even those are forboden! Cage lanterns, hurricane lanterns or something that contains the flame if the lantern is dropped is probably a smarter and legal bet... also you want something with a wick, and that if it is dropped you are not dropping a large fuel source.

...this is also way nobody has bothered to respond..because most already know it is a bad idea...

[Einon-Bashkiroff]

Thx for the information... I did not know that hand held torches were illegal to have... I always wondered why I saw no medieval torches in the medieval reenactment... I will still be interested on crafting a few just not for Markland use then...

[knyaz]

Many later period "torches" used resin or pitch soak chunks of wood contained in a metal basket affixed to the end of a wooden pole. There was often a hand guard-like the bell guard on a fencing foil to protect the hand from falling embers. In this way the "torch" was reusable because it do not do the actual burning. Wall sconces worked the same way and in fact were usually removable from their wall mount so that they could be carried.

The base of the cage was solid and dished like a shallow bowl to hold the falling embers. The cage was around a foot deep and 12" in dia (roughly) holding a single log or thick branch without letting the wood extend past the cage...fire was just as much a hazard then as now. Examples of these can still be seen in many scottish and german castles...maybe others too but I've only physically seen the ones in Germany and Austria... and cheesy Roger Corman films!

The pitch or resin not only allowed the wood to burn better but also brighter. So off us have talked about making fixed torches using cut up duraflame logs or fire starter logs...but we've never actually done it. Remember these things burn hotter than regular wood too.