[Screaming Eagle]

Anybody know how they make the trick birthday candles that won't blow out? It's got to be simple and ought to be relatively easy to reproduce.

[Unswydd]

I don't know how they make them but I carry them in my BOB!!! Would be cool to learn.
Did a quick google search this is what I found.

HowStuffWorks "How do trick birthday candles work?"

[kevin]

according to prior posts by CW, it's magnesium bits, like in those fire starter bars.

[Celticwarrior]

Yup. Magnesium dust saturated into the wax around the wicks. Heat makes them continue to relight.

[Unswydd]

Originally Posted by Celticwarrior

Yup. Magnesium dust saturated into the wax around the wicks. Heat makes them continue to relight.

Well now.....that's pretty cool. That would be pretty easy too.

[Screaming Eagle]

So, the question becomes, is powdered magnesium commercially available in quantities that would be practical?

[Screaming Eagle]

seems like the answer (in part) is yes:

ThomasNet® - Magnesium Powder Supplier Comparison

2 tricks:

1) these are large scale suppliers (including Mil Spec) and may only sell in very large quantities

2) it could also get you on a 'close watch' list and maybe earn a visit from the Federales.

However, it may also be available from photography houses for people that do their own photo processing. Haven't looked into that yet.

[Dang]

I would think you could just buy the regular doan firestarter and scrape it off as I don't think you'd need all that much for each candle.

[elpidi0526]

Originally Posted by Dang

I would think you could just buy the regular doan firestarter and scrape it off as I don't think you'd need all that much for each candle.

Agreed. May be a little bit of a hassle but one should have plenty of the magnesium bar left once the firesteel is worn out.

Nevertheless, for those of us that are lazy ( ), there are ways of procuring magnesium dust:

50g Magnesium Dust Powder -200 mesh (ESM Quality Brand) - eBay (item 250513117186 end time Nov-11-09 13:54:08 PST)

To be sure, $13.00 isn't something I'd be willing to pay for 50 grams of the stuff, but it is convenient. I'm sure there are other dealers out there for the common market also. Lab-grade magnesium (99.9+ %) isn't necessary.

Good luck!

[xj35s]

You can legally buy chems and not get on a "watch list" as long as the amounts are within the limits. Pyrotechnic websites have a ton to offer. This is the best one I know of.

Magnesium : Magnesium Oxide : Skylighter.com