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Light as can be

Illuminate your late-summer nights with floating lanterns

Floating lanterns are easy to make with a plank and metal mesh. As dusk falls, you can use the flames to let neighbors know you’re here!

Author Ulla Vestola

Images Martti Leppä

November 20, 2025Lue suomeksi

Floating lanterns—supplies:

a thick wood plank, for example 48 × 98 mm (2″ × 4″), measuring 30 cm (12″)
a narrow wood strip, for example 22 × 50 mm (1″ × 2″), measuring 15 cm (6″)
hot-dip galvanized metal wire mesh (19 × 19 mm (0.75″ × 0.75″) squares), just under 50 cm (20″) in length
wire (2 mm / 0.1″), 20 cm (8″)
an eye screw and a light, durable synthetic fiber cord
wood oil or exterior paint and a brush
a saw, a drill, wire cutters, and pliers
a staple gun
for an anchor, use a perforated brick, a stone, or a sandbag
an outdoor torch

Floating lanterns—instructions:

1. Saw a 30 cm (12″) section of plank for the raft. Draw a 6 cm (2″) bow on the plank and cut it out. Cut a 15 cm (6″) piece from the strip for a cord spool, and drill a hole in it to attach the cord.

2. Use a fairly large drill bit to bore slanted holes on both sides of the bow so they meet. Treat the raft and the strip with tinted wood oil or exterior paint. Attach the cord through the holes in the bow.

3. Cut a piece of metal mesh that is 21–22 squares wide, with a height of 20–25 cm (8–10″). The smaller piece will fit snugly around the candle once rolled into a cylinder, while the larger piece is a bit roomier. Snip the sides of the piece into spikes.

4. Roll the mesh into a cylinder so the outer rows overlap. Lock it by bending the spikes into the mesh. Snip off any protrusions at the bottom of the cylinder and bend them outward.

5. Bend a handle out of wire and clamp it in place with pliers. Position the cylinder in the center of the raft and fasten it with sturdy staples, securing every other square.

6. Twist an eye screw into the center of the raft’s underside and tie the anchor cord to it. Load the raft with an outdoor torch. It’s easy to light the torch through the mesh using a long-necked gas lighter.

DIY Woodworking Lighting

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