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I don't really understand the difference between kerosene and paraffin. Can you explain that? According to Wikipedia, in some places the words are interchangeable, but in other places they are not. I have a wholw lot of vintge lamps, and use paraffin oil in all of them. I had no idea I might need kerosene instead!
I guess I had considered kerosene to be "dangerous" and paraffin to be safer. Not sure why, maybe all those deaths from kerosene heaters I hear about? anyway, I bought very high quality paraffin oil from a few websites specializing in oil lamps. I thought they would know what they were doing. I guess I was also thinking that kerosene was "old" and paraffin was "new" and would therefore be better, more efficient and brighter. Were these all misconceptions? I still need to double check all the sites you guys linked to. I think one or two of them were ones I'd gone to before. Here's one site where I bought several gallons of oil. Is it just BS after all? Liquid Paraffin Lamp Oil & Accessories by Aura Creations
I know that I could buy higher-tech lamps, but I mostly have these for decor, and my house is decorated in a rustic/country.antique style. LED lights might be more efficient, but they wouldn't look as nice I don't really understand the lamps with a "mantle," that little sock-looking thing instead of a wick. I'll have to research those more. But for now I just want all my pretty lamps to be somewhat useful when I have a blackout.
Yes, I keep the lamps filled all the time, because I know the wicks need time to wick up the oil. I have to have the top of the wick outside of the metal part. If I turn it lower it will either go out or be a very, very low flame. If I turn it up, it's bright for a few minutes, but then before I can finish a few paragraphs, it burns down to just above the metal again.
Yes, I do know that in the "old days" people generally went to bed earlier, right after dark, but surely lots of people stayed up and read and did work. After all, that's where the term "burning the midnight oil" came from. All I want to be able to do is read a book without hurting my eyes. I can't believe that Isaac Newton or Roger Bacon, (or Edison for that matter, before his light bulb) held pages right up to a dim little flame and squinted just to read! I have to be doing soemthing wrong.
I do need to check on "reflectors." If they are pretty I can keep them on the lamps (but goog God, not with tape!), but if they are ugly I could keep them packed away until a blackout.
So, no difference will be expected with a fiberglass wick instead of cotton?
Wow that Kirkman site was interesting! I've been buying "lamp oil" which says paraffin in small print, and using it in small and large oil lamps. I di have small lamps with little round wicks, or flat wicks less the 1/2 inch. but I have a lot of larger lamps with 3/4", 5/8", and 1" flat wicks. I guess I need to replace those wicks and buy synthetic kerosene or kerosene substitute for the larger lamps.
It is also interesting that people call paraffin "paraffin wax" and think it's like old-fashioned candle wax, like from bees. It's really a petroleum product, as are most "wax" things these days.
We have bought a couple of new kerosene heaters which we expect to use through late fall, and again in early spring, so we can have a shorter heating season (with the furnace). I have 2 55-gallon barrels already filled with kerosene. We do not have any experience with kero lamps but that would be the logical extension of keeping kerosene as fuel. We looked through the Lehman's catalog at the Dietz and Aladdin lamps, but found them expensive. They had other brands that cost less, but Lehman's seems to be rather pricey, anyway. Anyone know of a place where decent-quality kero lamps can be had at reasonable prices?
I find lots of antique lamps at yard sales, generally under $10 (I've bought many lamps for just a dollar to 5 dollars each too). Lots of junk turn up at yard sales, but look enough and decent common lamps show up. Usually need some cleaning. Watch for loose collars too (fixable but a hassle).
The wicks need to stay below the cone of the burner. The point is not to have a big flame, but a shorter, bright, clean burning flame. Putting the wick above the cone in a flat wick kerosene burner results in incomplete combustion, producing smoke, CO, etc. The lamp oil you're using is probably contributing to the poor flame, but the flames aren't supposed to be massive either. A typical #2 kerosene burner will produce about as much light as 3 or 4 really good taper candles.
Sir Isaac Newton wouldn't have used a kerosene lamp, but a lamp designed for vegetable oil (ranging from the simple ancient style crusie sorts to the superior Cardan type lamp). Edison lived from the time of whale oil (I believe I've posted pics of a whale oil lamp and burning fluid lamp on this site before) and burning fluid and lard to using gas and then electric. Don't forget too the Argand lamp invented in the 1780's burning vegetable oil. It was an incredible improvement in lighting at that time.
I've found the "regular" kerosene lamps to be acceptable, but rather dim. If you want a really bright traditional kerosene lamp to read by, you might try an Aladdin Lamp. They are much brighter than the typical lamp, but are quite a bit more expensive as well. The thing about Lehman's is that they are "into" the lifestyle products they sell. They know kerosene lamps and which are better, safer, and put out some light. They even warn you on some of the cheapies when they aren't up to standards. Most other places sell them as curiosities and I wouldn't trust the lamps. I actually have one from a department store that I bought years ago. It's junk. I wouldn't trust it at all in the long term. Come to think of it, I don't know why I even keep it, it has been collecting dust for years. Every lamp I've bought from Lehman's has been good quality and made to use as opposed to being made as a curiosity sitting on the bookshelf for people to comment on.
Aladdins are good but are expensive to use and take some skill to avoid sooting the mantle. Then too, I've got some old ones that use kone kap mantles, and it's been a few years now since it's been possible to order new mantles.
A lamp a little brighter than the flat wick lamps but not quite as bright as an Aladdin would be the big kerosene center draft lamps. The Rayo, and similar lamps (never buy a Success brand one though, they had serious stress cracking issues). They use big round wicks and are quite bright. They must be complete though, with their flame spreaders, to work right...
Then there are the old kerosene student lamps, but those get to be pricey if they aren't gutted by electrification...
I do need to check on "reflectors." If they are pretty I can keep them on the lamps (but goog God, not with tape!), but if they are ugly I could keep them packed away until a blackout.
So, no difference will be expected with a fiberglass wick instead of cotton? Thanks all.
I just use cotton because that's what I've always used, plus I am frugal (translation - cheap). Fiberglas in my experience melts, not burns, and I don't want any more gases floating about than I can help, or something that might be harder to trim or a bigger mess to clean, so I've never tried them.
They do make lamps with reflectors; Lehman's has some really nice ones. DH got me a nice brass wall-mount one from Lehman's for upstairs, and it has a charming reflector on it. Lehman's Search
If you're going to do something that doesn't require electricity, Lehman's is a good place to shop - plus a good place to learn not only what's available, but how to use it.
The Kirkman site recommends Aladdin lamp oil as one of the fuels to use in kerosene lamps. They do not mention kerosene. But the Aladddin site specifically recommends clear K-1 kerosene. Their lamp oils is just a very pure K-1 with a very high price. The price is so high that it would be more efficient to replace parts more often. K-1 is used in kerosene heaters and stoves as well. I've never had a problem using kerosene in any kerosene lamp. I can't remember what I paid the last time, but I don't believe it was over six dollars per gallon. Compare that to the other fuels that can range up to thirty dollars per gallon with shipping. Writers often mention an objectionable odor which I don't mind at all, perhaps even like, as it reminds me of childhood days of vacation cabins and fun.
I've been using Aladdins for over thirty years and have been very happy with them. As their website states, each lamp produces fifty watts; they used to claim sixty. Several of these light a room just as well as electric lamps. They are expensive until you figure the cost per lumen; then they don't seem bad at all.
The wicks need to stay below the cone of the burner. The point is not to have a big flame, but a shorter, bright, clean burning flame. Putting the wick above the cone in a flat wick kerosene burner results in incomplete combustion, producing smoke, CO, etc. The lamp oil you're using is probably contributing to the poor flame, but the flames aren't supposed to be massive either. A typical #2 kerosene burner will produce about as much light as 3 or 4 really good taper candles.
Sir Isaac Newton wouldn't have used a kerosene lamp, but a lamp designed for vegetable oil (ranging from the simple ancient style crusie sorts to the superior Cardan type lamp). Edison lived from the time of whale oil (I believe I've posted pics of a whale oil lamp and burning fluid lamp on this site before) and burning fluid and lard to using gas and then electric. Don't forget too the Argand lamp invented in the 1780's burning vegetable oil. It was an incredible improvement in lighting at that time.
I have used a couple of olive oil lamps and they are awesome because they cannot catch fire if knocked over (I have cats). The down side is that they don't give off enough light to read - even with mirrors behind them.
But for mood lighting or just having enough light to maneuver around without bumping into things, they cannot be beat.
I have used a couple of olive oil lamps and they are awesome because they cannot catch fire if knocked over (I have cats). The down side is that they don't give off enough light to read - even with mirrors behind them.
But for mood lighting or just having enough light to maneuver around without bumping into things, they cannot be beat.
20yrsinBranson
I'm not sure if I've posted this before on this site, but I made this tin lamp based on an 1851 lard oil lamp (slightly crude but my first one too). It burns olive oil or other vegetable oil just fine, and the 1.5 inch wick gives about as much light as a flat wick #2 kerosene lamp (enough to read by) and the tiny round wick is enough to keep from bumping into things).
The Kirkman site recommends Aladdin lamp oil as one of the fuels to use in kerosene lamps. They do not mention kerosene. But the Aladddin site specifically recommends clear K-1 kerosene. Their lamp oils is just a very pure K-1 with a very high price. The price is so high that it would be more efficient to replace parts more often. K-1 is used in kerosene heaters and stoves as well. I've never had a problem using kerosene in any kerosene lamp. I can't remember what I paid the last time, but I don't believe it was over six dollars per gallon. Compare that to the other fuels that can range up to thirty dollars per gallon with shipping. Writers often mention an objectionable odor which I don't mind at all, perhaps even like, as it reminds me of childhood days of vacation cabins and fun.
I've been using Aladdins for over thirty years and have been very happy with them. As their website states, each lamp produces fifty watts; they used to claim sixty. Several of these light a room just as well as electric lamps. They are expensive until you figure the cost per lumen; then they don't seem bad at all.
The mantle shortage for 2 years sort of bothered me with them. I like Aladdins but right now the mantles are nearly 3 times the price they were about 8 years ago and not quite as bright (they changed away from the old thorium mantles).
A Coleman Quicklite table lamp with an alcohol preheating cup so it can burn kerosene, is the cheapest, brightest lamp, but, they require some knowledge to get them running, require a handheld air pump, often a new generator, etc.
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I don't really understand the lamps with a "mantle," that little sock-looking thing instead of a wick. I'll have to research those more. But for now I just want all my pretty lamps to be somewhat useful when I have a blackout.
