Using just an orange and a little cooking oil you can make a candle that glows very interestingly in the dark.
Necessary materials.
– Orange.
– Cooking oil.
– Knife.
– Scissors.
– Lighter.
Step by Step.
-First, cut the orange in half. If you want to make a taller candle, cut one piece larger than the other.
-With scissors, make cuts around the white part of the orange. Be careful not to cut the base. Also make cuts between the rind and the pulp.
-Remove or consume obviously all the pulp, leaving the rind almost white inside, allowing a kind of wick to form in the center with the same strand.
-Let the orange dry for a couple of days. If you can put it in the sun, the better. It will be ready when it is dry. If it’s wet, it doesn’t work.
-Fill the orange with oil. If the wick is too thick, cut a little. Ideally, count to about 3mm in diameter. More than that, it is difficult to ignite and generate soot.
-When lighting the wick, it may take a few moments to light, the flame of the candle increases over time. The duration is approximately six hours and can be recharged during this time.
What is capillarity?
The “secret” of this experience is the phenomenon of capillarity, which causes liquids to have a tendency to fill spaces. This happens in candles, for example, in which the liquid paraffin crosses the wick, overcoming the force of gravity.
Capillarity exists because there is an attraction between the molecules of liquids and solids. This phenomenon is very important for plants, as it helps in the circulation of liquids within them.
