Like a regular candle, but spaced evenly along the wick are bubbles of carbon dioxide. As the wick burns down and exposes a bubble the CO2 is released, snuffing the candle. That way you don't accidentally forget and leave a lit candle burning all night.
-- ytk, Jun 17 2014

Candle Snuffer http://www.youtube....watch?v=von6umef9qk
But nowhere near as good as exploding CO2 bubbles. [mitxela, Jun 17 2014]

I don't think it would work, unless the CO2 were under pressure. Otherwise, the CO2 is going to emerge slowly as the flame starts to melt into the bubble, producing a trickle of CO2 which will dissipate without extinguishing the flame.

A pressurised bubble might work, as it would burst as soon as the wax around it got hot enough, creating a sudden pulse of CO2.

The idea is neat because the candle can be relit after its been extinguished in this way.

So, [+] because it's a cool idea.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 17 2014


What Max said, plus I, too, echo the thought of being able to relight it. I use a candle every morning for my meditation ritual and would love to have it timed to go out after an hour. One inch down would be one hour, two, another hour, and so on. Brilliant +
-- blissmiss, Jun 17 2014


Perhaps a pellet of dry ice, encased in paraffin, then the entire thing embedded in a candle, would serve to create a pocket of pressurized CO2.
-- ytk, Jun 17 2014


I like. + I burn a candle every night in my living room and sometimes I do fall asleep on the couch!
-- xandram, Jun 17 2014


While the pressurized CO2 would probably aid in putting out the candle, it would probably result in a splattering of hot wax everywhere.

I'm wondering if you could do this with one of two variations of wick interruption.

The first would have two wick columns, with each one being made up of multiple sections of ~1hr burn time, with ~30 minutes between sections. The two columns would be far enough apart that a flame on one couldn't light the other. You light one, and it melts the candle far enough to expose the other column before extinguishing, and you switch back and forth.

Alternatively, crimp a small metal ring/cap on the wick every so often. As the candle burns down, it can't draw wax past the cap, so it goes out. Since it probably will have charred the wick down into the cap (which is only crimped at the top), you can break the cap off, exposing the clean wick below it.
-- MechE, Jun 17 2014


Actually, hang on a mo.

Right. We don't need pressurized CO2 or other clevelry.

All that's needed is a bubble of water, shirley?

So, how to make the candle? First, you take a length of wick, and soak it in candlewax (so water won't wick along it).

Next, place the wick in a sort of tray which has recesses, connected by a groove, every 2cm. The wick lies in the groove and runs along the recesses.

Next, push the wick down into the recesses.

Next, put water into each recess.

Then freeze down to, say, -20°C or so.

Remove wick, with little ice-cubes attached like a necklace.

Then quickly dip this wick in wax, just above its melting point. The wax should form a shell over the whole thing, before the ice melts.

Then you just keep dipping, in the usual way, to build up a candle with little water pockets trapped at intervals.

20% of retail will be sufficient.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 17 2014


Water is a no-go: it's too likely to keep the candle from being re-lit later (will settle into the candle)
-- Voice, Jun 17 2014


// water ... will settle into the candle // How, if the wick is pre-soaked in wax? Yeah, you'd have to dump out the water before lighting, and maybe in some situations the wax will cover the water again, requiring puncturing the water pocket in order to dump, but there should be enough wax in the part if the wick that was previously submerged that it can get going and vaporize any remaining small drips of water.
-- scad mientist, Jun 18 2014



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