Lanterns?

[DOC-CANADA]

Wait, I've been using my wick lanterns with kerosene. Is there a better fuel? Have I been doing it wrong? Some sort of oil?

They called it coal oil, maybe it was just kerosene - I don't know.

Doc

 

[hushnel]

Most, not all, lamps that are called oil lamps use kerosene, the stuff sold as "Lamp Oil" is refined kerosene. A true oil lamp is an ancient lamp that looks like what we would recognize as Aladdin's Lamp from the fable in "Arabian Nights" many of these true oil lamps are pottery or bronze. It was common to use castor oil in these but rendered fat could be burned too though likely it had a greater significance as food.

This one I hand made and had a local ceramic shop fire it for me. It has three burners and I'm burning bacon fat. These lanters work better made out of metal when it's cold, the heat from the flame is transfered to the oil keeping it liquid and flowing. This one works fine in warm weather.

This is a very simple oil lamp I made up. I must have made 50 or 60 of these, I thought they were cool and tried to sell them for a dollar a piece I wound up selling like two of them and gave the rest away. I use canola oil or bacon fat with these. The wicks are taken from dollar store cotton deck mops.

I have an Aladdin, I've had it for almost 30 years.

I have four Dietz lanterns, I have two 18th century style copper candle lanterns that have a double round wick whale oil lamps in them, hand made by a buddy, they burn kerosene, I usually buy the ultra pure, which is just a highly refined kerosene with virtually no smell.

I have a bunch of candle lanterns too, these are a couple different style, they make candles a bit safer than just placing them in candle holders. I also use a wrought iron candle chandelier made by another friend. I make my candles with locally procured beeswax, I easily have a few hundred made up and on hand.

I have a French made Vinters Lamp with a solid round wick and a hollow round wick lamp handmade in the French Alps by the same family continuously since 1869 using tools powered by a 19th century water wheel* clipped from Lehmans Hardware.

I like primitive lighting. I've collected and restored quite a few old lamps, I have one that was used on the Orient Express back in the 19th Century.

I have a couple of the Coleman lanterns too but rarely use them, the light is harsh but they come in handy for bridge fishing.

I live in Homestead FL.

 

[Loosearrow]

I have coleman lanterns, single mantle, double mantle, liquid fuel and propane. I have candle lanterns. I have Kerosene lamps, grew up only using those. Use a good grade of oil in them regular kerosene smells more. Keep the wick trimmed and the globes cleaned with newspaper. Don't run them too high or they will just smoke and blacken the glass.

 

[Loosearrow]

Most, not all, lamps that are called oil lamps use kerosene, the stuff sold as "Lamp Oil" is refined kerosene. A true oil lamp is an ancient lamp that looks like what we would recognize as Aladdin's Lamp from the fable in "Arabian Nights" many of these true oil lamps are pottery or bronze. It was common to use castor oil in these but rendered fat could be burned too though likely it had a greater significance as food.

This one I hand made and had a local ceramic shop fire it for me. It has three burners and I'm burning bacon fat. These lanters work better made out of metal when it's cold, the heat from the flame is transfered to the oil keeping it liquid and flowing. This one works fine in warm weather.

This is a very simple oil lamp I made up. I must have made 50 or 60 of these, I thought they were cool and tried to sell them for a dollar a piece I wound up selling like two of them and gave the rest away. I use canola oil or bacon fat with these. The wicks are taken from dollar store cotton deck mops.

I have an Aladdin, I've had it for almost 30 years.

I have four Dietz lanterns, I have two 18th century style copper candle lanterns that have a double round wick whale oil lamps in them, hand made by a buddy, they burn kerosene, I usually buy the ultra pure, which is just a highly refined kerosene with virtually no smell.

I have a bunch of candle lanterns too, these are a couple different style, they make candles a bit safer than just placing them in candle holders. I also use a wrought iron candle chandelier made by another friend. I make my candles with locally procured beeswax, I easily have a few hundred made up and on hand.

I have a French made Vinters Lamp with a solid round wick and a hollow round wick lamp handmade in the French Alps by the same family continuously since 1869 using tools powered by a 19th century water wheel* clipped from Lehmans Hardware.

I like primitive lighting. I've collected and restored quite a few old lamps, I have one that was used on the Orient Express back in the 19th Century.

I have a couple of the Coleman lanterns too but rarely use them, the light is harsh but they come in handy for bridge fishing.

I live in Homestead FL.

Nice collection! I like your wick lamp. Great idea. I have one similiar to your Vinter lamp. No Betty grease lamp? I guess that's what your custom ceramic pot is, right? A person could use an ash tray and drag cotton wicks out of it and burn the grease.

 

[hushnel]

No Betty grease lamp?

Oh yeah, I've got one, I even made one out of copper but I was draining the oil out of it for a clean up and my wife threw out the trash I was draining it into...Doh....!

They would use whale oil in the Betty Lamps. The best whale oil lamps had this two wick set up. I use these in the candle lantern I mentioned above. The two solid wicks work together to make a single flame that is brighter than a candle, nearly twice as bright I think.

Whale oil lamp.

 

[Mannlicher]

I like kerosene lanterns, and I have several. They are all old timers. I love the smell of the burning fuel, they are cost efficient and the fuel can be stored safely for long periods of time.

I also have and use Coleman duel fuel double mantle lanterns, propane lanterns and various battery powered lanterns.

Multiple choices is, for me, a good thing.

 

[jackknife]

I used to have a oil lamp, but got rid of it as I didn't want to store the flamable fuel. I got the 9 hour emergency candles from REI and the candle lanterns to go with them. Lights up a room pretty well, but stores indefinatly with no liquid fuel to worry about. Lighter weight and easier to transport too.

One candle lantern fits under the car seat, and will warm up the interior of a stranded car stuck someplace.

 

[Katdaddy]

I have several kerosene lanterns that have served me well for years. In the last couple of years I have aquired several LED lanterns and they are what I mainly use now for emergency lighting. The put off sufficient light and can be moved easily from room to room if needed. I have several of the RiverRock K2 lanterns and recently bought one of the Rayovac Sportsman Extreme lanterns. That thing is BRIGHT!

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Coleman for propane/lamp oil/battery/hand crank etc.

 

[THE PUNISHER]

thanx for the link,stoves old ones used to pull up,now they are getting gone.......

 

[DOC-CANADA]

I have several kerosene lanterns that have served me well for years. In the last couple of years I have aquired several LED lanterns and they are what I mainly use now for emergency lighting. The put off sufficient light and can be moved easily from room to room if needed. I have several of the RiverRock K2 lanterns and recently bought one of the Rayovac Sportsman Extreme lanterns. That thing is BRIGHT!

So I'm assuming you would recommend the Rayovac?



This is my oil lamp (old peanut oil for fuel and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaf for wick).

Doc

 

[August West]

So I'm assuming you would recommend the Rayovac?



This is my oil lamp (old peanut oil for fuel and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaf for wick).

Doc

What is the wick, mullein?

EDIT: Either you added something or my reading comprehension ain't what it once was.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

What is the wick, mullein?

EDIT: Either you added something or my reading comprehension ain't what it once was.

Cancel the optometrist appointment, Chris. I added the Mullein information, but because it was quickly after I posted, it did not show up as an 'edit'.

Doc

 

[texasred66]

Thanks for all the info-great post-

 

[texasred66]

12345.

 

[zman308]

Here is a source of all non electric appliances and lights.http://www.lehmans.com/

 

[bkduckworth]

I got a Coleman dual fuel with 2 mantles for Christmas that I like a lot. I haven't used it beyond filling it up with gas and starting it up just for the fun factor, but it feels very nicely made.

I've had a dual fuel coleman for about 10 years. It's never let me down!

I'm also a big fan of tradional oil lamps when the power goes out.

Brandon

 

[Katdaddy]

So I'm assuming you would recommend the Rayovac?



This is my oil lamp (old peanut oil for fuel and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaf for wick).

Doc

Yes, I would recommend the Rayovac and the RiverRocks also. The RiverRocks are smaller, they use AA batteries. The Rayovac uses D batts. I like your oil lamp there too.

 

[NaturalWorld]

Big fan of the new leds, nice brightness/runtime and cost of operation. I like single-cell flashlights, helps smooth things out if you have a stash of mismatched cells. Fenix flashlights are efficient, and although the lantern attachment's looks draws funny comments from with wimmin folk, it's handier than trying to arrange a plastic bag or somesuch to distribute the light. Might also look a little funny, but a headlamp (love those Zebras) can be as effective indoors as out, and easier than carrying a lantern/candle or keeping the whole place lit. AAA led (just got an ITP A3 EOS upgraded, but it's a fast favorite), or even a coin-cell, something to fit the keychain, is also rather handy if you're caught with your pants down as the power goes out, or such as navigating out or to the box; preaching to the choir here, but having it on ya really counts for a lot.

Used a Dietz for ambiance a few years ago. Light output didn't seem too impressive, basically what you'd expect from a wick-lamp, but I was generally in a lit room. I do like them though, and have two or three around the house, and two bottles of lamp oil; mostly if the power goes out. Dietz has that neat safety feature about self-extinguishing if knocked over, but I never dared try. They're also inexpensive, and often come in packs, but it's easy enough to make a wick lamp with an old jar, wire, and some wick, and you'll most likely have lots of stuff kicking around that'll run one of those. They seem comparatively hazardous, but reliable and nostalgic.

Most inexpensive and easiest to stash would be candles. A box or two of utility candles and whipping up a few ingenious candle lanterns, such as Coote showed us recently. One friend will only camp with his UCO. I pick up primarily tea candles at the dollar store, anywhere from 50-100 for $5; they've got a nice balance of size/runtime for my uses, and save the tray for an alcohol stove after. The tall glass container candles a dollar at the same place, and run about a week; best for continuous use, unless you also picked up a long-stemmed bbq lighter or two.

Some outdoors schools hook up those propane lanterns to the 5gal propane tanks and run those for lighting up a remote area for night-time work/gathering. They put out a lot of light, can also run on the smaller disposable propane refills, and those refills can also power things like your stove or a heater. I've never owned one myself, but Coleman seems to set the general standard at least. A friend heats his workshop exclusively with propane heaters, and he seems fine and I honestly can't say I noticed anything, but I would avoid operating these in anything but a very well ventilated space.

I stumbled on the BriteLyte's a few months ago, and have been quite taken with them. I meant to pick one up to add a little luxury to winter camping, but it's not in the cards for me yet.
They put out a lot of light, run on multiple fuels making it great for emergencies or general operation, and have lots of attachments such as a heater or cooking attachment etc. If anyone could share experiences with one, I'd love to hear!

 

[stanley_white]

I am back with an update...

I ordered and received two Dietz Jupiter model lanterns from Lehman's, a store based in Kidron, Ohio.

They are really nice. I am going to test them out next weekend.

Customer service from Lehman's was excellent.

-Stan