DIY Copper Tiki Toches

We love our pond in the backyard. What we don't love is the amount of mosquitos that it creates. Last year, we had purchsed some cheap bamboo tiki torches to try to ward off bugs when we were grilling out or otherwise enjoying the back yard. They stayed outside all winter and didn't fare too well. And by "not too well," I mean they completely fell apart.

When I came across this tutorial on Pinterest, I was sold. I loved the modern look, and the durability of copper. We picked up the parts to make two torches, which came to about $50. This is definitely one of those cases where DIY is not cheaper, since, despite what Pinterest seems to think, copper pipe is not cheap! However, I was so in love with the look, as was David, so we decided to spring for it. If these seem to do well, we will probably get parts to make two more.

We followed the directions, with one exception. Our Lowe's didn't have the bushing it called for, so instead of cutting off the end of the air chamber, we left it as is and put the wick directly in it. This saved us about $6 on the two extra pieces we didn't use, though it will make it more difficult to refill the chamber with oil. We also picked up copper caps to cover and protect the wicks when not in use.

Assembling them took all of 2 or 3 minutes each, so this couldn't have been a quicker or easier project.