Do you know what this is? Oil Lamp

Discussion in 'Functional Gear & Equipment' started by Ura-Ki, Aug 5, 2016.


  1. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Ganado likes this.
  2. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I'm sure that alcohol would work in those as well.
     
  3. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    The danger with alcohol in the Betty lamp is that it's not at all sealed on top so you'd get blue flame peeking out all around the top, and one huge alcohol fire if it sloshed or spilled. The original whale oil or other oils with a low flash point allow the lamp housing to preheat these low quality oils for reasonable efficiency, while still allowing the lamp to self extinguish if it gets knocked over.
     
  4. medicineman

    medicineman Survival Guru

    FYI - I have bottles of lamp oil I bought in 1999 that are still good to go.
    Just keep indoors and away from sunlight and the plastic will be fine.

    You can also store in glass if you want to.

    NOT !!!!
    You'll burn your house down.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 12, 2017
    Gator 45/70 and techsar like this.
  5. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    That would be incorrect unless carelessly done. There is good reason to use a LOT of care when using flammable liquids for light, but alcohol lamps have been used for light and heat for at least a century. (Sucks for light, flame is on the faint side. Pretty durn good for heat.)
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2017
  6. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    We should BE 100 % correct on WHAT alcohol is used in alcohol lamps !
    kerosene ,almost white ,Lamp oil (filtered & white ) ,Diesel can be used & heating oil (smells & is yellow)
    NAPHTHA / white gas / Coleman fuel type is NOT to be used , Seen two bad outcomes !!
    Sloth
    I'll let them who know about alcohol lamps , post ..
    I know the food tray type of alcohol burners
     
  7. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    My Grandmother used Coal oil on just about anything.
    Cuts for example or stray cats or dogs that she didn't want hanging around her farm.
    She would pass some coal oil on the animals anus and about a minute later we could hear the animal squalling full bore thru the woods looking for a way to cool it off..I kid you not.
     
  8. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I am told that in some asian schools the garbage is made (distilled) into alcohol and is provided for the children to take home so that can do their homework.
    These lamps are cheap and simple to make much simpler than the Betty lamp .
    Alcohol is about the simplest fuel to make any where in the world, organics exist.
    One of the primary tools I've made for my self for bugging out is a distillery , both for distilling water and alcohol for fuel or medical applications.
     
  9. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    @arleigh
    Pictures Or info of the lamp your on aboot
     
  10. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I was just given 4 of these oil lamps. They were left for years with kerosene in them. They really smell strong. I plan on getting chimneys and new wicks but I need to get the strong smell out of them. Has anyone had success in cleaning one of these or will it just take time? Currently I cannot have them in the house because of the stink.
     
    Ura-Ki likes this.
  11. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    CLEANING THE KEROSENE SMELL OFF YOUR HANDS


    Handling kerosene means some will get on your hands, and it has a distinctive aroma. Because kerosene is an penetrating oil, regular detergent often does not completely eliminate the aroma. Thick, cheap hair shampoo, or a women's facial cleanser, will dissolve the kerosene quickly and easily. Any lingering kerosene aroma can be removed by using the new "hand sanitizer," which is an emulsified solution of glycerin, alcohol and water. When your hands are still damp and rinsed from using the shampoo, put on some "hand sanitizer," rub your hands together, then rinse and dry, leaving your hands smelling nice and fresh. A bit of trouble, but necessary for those of us using kerosene heaters.
    http://www.milesstair.com/kero_fuel_primer.html

    Once you replace the wicks and switch fuel to something clearer burning, the odor should cease.

    from the same site

    The best fuel for metal font center draft lamps in my opinion is Low Odor Mineral Spirits, as it costs less than 1-K clear kerosene and burns unbelievably cleaner, so clean the wicks seldom even need to be trimmed. Some specialty center draft wicks are made for me in low quantities and are thus expensive, so this is an important factor! In center draft and Kosmos lamps (with metal fonts), you will be amazed at the quality of the burn and the lack of any char on the wick. Unlike kerosene which precipitates paraffin, Low Odor Mineral Spirits are absolutely pure and leave a font perfectly clean and clear. I was tipped on this fuel by the Amish, who have used it for decades for their "kerosene" lamps. I purchase Low Odor Mineral Spirits from my local True Value Hardware store, item #507327. I order a 6 gallon case and receive it a week later, for which I receive a 10% discount. The cost the last time I purchased some (September, 2011) was $6.89 per gallon. Note: Low Odor (or "Odorless") Mineral Spirits can be used as a paint thinner for oil based paints and thus the container is often marked "Paint Thinner, Low Odor Mineral Spirits." There are 39 varieties of paint thinners but only one Low Odor Mineral Spirits. Some paint thinners are quite volatile: please do not get "creative" and assume that anything which will burn is a suitable fuel for any lamp under any condition. There is a reason why center draft lamps have metal founts - to dissipate heat properly and avoid excess fuel temperature and thus volatile vapors.

    I run mineral spirits in my (all brass) kero lamps)

    They sit for weeks and no smell....
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  12. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Also

    Dietz-style lanterns have flat wicks and tubes along the sides which recycle the hot exhaust from the top of the lantern back into the fuel fount, raising the fuel temperature and lowering fuel viscosity, causing excess volitility. Woody Kirkman does not recommend Mineral Spirits in Dietz lanterns. Woody is the undisputed King of lanterns - please take his advice. DO NOT USE MINERAL SPIRITS IN FLAT WICK LANTERNS OR LAMPS!

    [​IMG]
    Dietz-style lanterns
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  13. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    Dawn Dish Soap in HOT water will do the trick! I find breaking the lamps down and putting the affected parts in a big stainless pot and boiling them in the Dish Soap for several min usually does the trick! If not, one of the Non Chlorinated Automotive brake-kleen spray cans will soak all the crap outta them pretty quickly!
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  14. jimLE

    jimLE Monkey+++

    i had 9 to 12 oil lamps i counted.in which I've bought more since then.in which 2 are miniture lamps.and 2 have deep/large oil wells/reservoirs. i still need to get some clean fuel for them.on account the other lamp oils has a smell that i don't like
     
    Gator 45/70 likes this.
  15. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Rayo center draft kerosene guzzlers... but they sure make light and heat, silently. The bottom picture is my favorite, and I intentionally ran the wick too high for that shot. Honestly, kids can run these lamps safely.

    Kleen fuel is great for inside lamps that'd otherwise have a slight kerosene smell, even when not lit. Outside lamps get a shot of citronella oil. The risk of clogging a wick with a little died citronella oil is far outweighed by the bug fighting ability of the lamp outside.

    Note that Rayo (B&H, etc) center draft lamps seem to be more draft tolerant than Aladdin. Aladdin mantle lamps seem to be indoor only lamps, but they are far more efficient at about the same light output.

    Rayo 1. Rayo draft.
     
    Motomom34, oldawg and Gator 45/70 like this.
  16. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I was just going through my wick lanterns last night seeing if any leaked, and if they needed a top off. Found one that was just a little harder to light, and realized that it was full of olive oil. An inside light, it eliminates nearly all the fire hazard, since olive oil is self extinguishing. Drown the wick and it'll just go out. It also eliminates the stink, and if it leaks (a concern in antique tin bedside lamps) it's just oil, rather than a more flammable, stinky oil. I always put them on a saucer anyway.
     
    Gator 45/70 and Motomom34 like this.
  17. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    a repurposed snowman?
    [​IMG]
     
    Gator 45/70 likes this.
  1. hot diggity
  2. Coyote Ridge
  3. ColtCarbine
  4. Prepper12
  5. Thunder5Ranch
  6. DKR
  7. oldman11
  8. TnAndy
  9. hot diggity
  10. Dunerunner
  11. HK_User
  12. oil pan 4
  13. Motomom34
  14. The_Prepared
  15. Asia-Off-Grid
  16. Asia-Off-Grid
  17. oil pan 4
  18. Southbound
  19. oil pan 4
  20. sdr
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7