I'm in the process of creating a candlestick that you can equip like a torch, but the mesh when carried needs to be different from the one you can pick up. In particular, the candle texture has the translucent glow when in use, http://dslcv1-458.fast.net/oblivion/images/CandleScreenie.jpg, but not when the flame is out. So I now have the problem of how to switch between the two.

An "Armor" or "Clothing" item has a _gnd version of the mesh that the game engine automatically uses when the item is dropped, but a "Light" item doesn't get that option. (Does anyone know different?)

I can put an object script on the ground version, so that the OnAdd block puts the usable version in inventory in its place, and removes itself. But that leaves me with the usable item. An OnDrop block could do the reverse swap if I could figure out how to do the dropping of the unlit candle. I can detect if the "drop" was into a container, and there's really no need to swap in that case, but it's not clear at what point in the removal the OnDrop is triggered. It would look silly if the lit candle gets dropped, and the replacement happens in mid-air, or later, so I want the item falling to be the unlit mesh.

A year ago I wrote some scripts for a carriable candle in http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=30871 (JDFan created the meshes).

It was a candle that you could: turn on and off, grab&move and take&equip. It sounds like it may be what you want.

Looks like it might be perfect, but I'd never have known that mod had one from its description!