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bhebby
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2011 08:33pm
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Thanks to all who have given me tips and advice thus far. I am torn over lighting solutions outside of propane and battery solar alternatives. Is there anything out there I am overlooking?I am trying to light a 12x20 with a fairly low ceiling. I am not looking for a disco party just enough to toss some cards and not run into things. Thanks
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2011 09:19pm
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Oil lamps?
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2011 10:52pm
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Our first year in our little cabin we used a portable battery pack like you would use to start a car. We ran a string of LED lights around the ceiling. It worked OK-not great-but OK. We also used to have the BEST camp lantern in the world till the handle broke. The handle you cranked and it lit up. It used to stay lit for hours and if you used the nightlight it actually stayed lit the whole night. I REALLY wish we could find another one of those.
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larryh
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 08:19am
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After years of not using them for along time I have returned to using a few oil lamps in the evening again. Even though I had used them most of my life I guess I had never paid extreme attention to the details of operation that make them work better and with less odor. A friend gave me a lengthy run down of his maintenance of his oil lamps and cooking stoves. Most of which I have taken to heart. First thing is that the lamps must be clean and the burners kept that way. No build up of oily film on the burner or the tube the wick rides in. A small fine wire brush will remove most of that but if they are really dirty an old then I found that boiling them for a while in some dish washer detergent will make most of the film turn loose fairly easily. The reason partly they become that way and I was guilty of it was that I wasn't turning the wick down into the tube after blowing it out. That way oil isn't so prone to creeping over the tube top and down on the burner which is what causes the worst of the odor issues. Leaving oil in a lamp for extended times is sure to clog the wick and cause a nasty smell. Empty a lamp not used for some time when your done with it. Clean the burner at least well when your adding oil. Keep the wick trimmed and burn the flame on its higher setting after its warmed up well, it smells the least and burns the brightest on that high flame. A good number 3 burner will produce a fairly good lamp light, especially if used with a reflector wall mount type holder. Or located in the center of a room gives more all over light than sitting along the wall. Round wick Rayo or B&H type lamps will put out many times the standard lamp light, but in my finding they do put out more odor and are harder to get set just right so that they do not creep up and smoke. They must be warmed up and burned with the flame just a half inch or less above the top of the flame spreader that round lamps use. That is where the cleanest and brightest light is, but unless you watch it for some time to be certain its heated up enough not to still increase in height its best to keep an eye on it. That is true for all lamps, but these round wick lamps are the worst at it. I find that the smaller flat wick lamps in a clear glass fount are the simplest and give a fair light if a couple are placed around the room.
I like the wall propane lamps but am not much for the somewhat arid smell they always add to the room after burning a while.
Larry
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bhebby
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 09:48am
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larry is there a brand of oil lamps you prefer?Good info I have been hesitant since an open flame sitting over a ball of oil seems dangerous but it done correctly is proabably as safe as anything else.
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larryh
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:12am
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Among the flat wick types just about any decent looking glass lamp will do, I have a number of various kinds of burners as well. As long as they still function well and your clean them up they appear to work correctly and often the old burners from the lamp era seem better than some of the newer made in China types. There is a new Queen Ann brass #3 that is well made, not overly cheap but well built. There was a Queen Ann before that one that was poorly made and burned lousy. Some of the retail amish stores carry the newer better quality new #3. I will look later and see if I see some to suggest where to buy it. Most of my lamps are those clear glass table lamps you see in shops. The good thing is for the most part oil lamps have gone out of favor at least in the common types and so they are not very expensive. I look for taller ones that have a larger fount to hold more oil.
I have used oil lamps now for 50 years some times for stretches as long as 20 years without using much if any electric. The price of oil caused me to look at them when I retired and use them less, but I still find the gentle glow of the lamps attractive once your used to it. They never look good in comparison to a bright electric bulb. If nothing else is on but oil lamps then they fall into a normal look after a bit. I have never considered them unsafe. I would not probably have a cat jumping around on tables and operate them. Although I did have a cat for a number of years but she did not jump on things. Unusual however. I suppose something can happen though carelessness, but something can happen with 12v or 110 too if your not watching what your doing. Kerosene is not explosive by nature and its pretty forgiving of being dumped or spilled as long as its not on a rug. They cause wicking which will ignite if match is held to it. You can toss a match into kerosene on a flat floor and I doubt its going to burn.
The old Rayo lamps for the round wick are the most common and again not too expensive but a bit harder to tell if everything is alright as the burners can be damaged with time if mishandled. Your going to find flat wick burners that won't turn the wick up since the cogs are shot as well, but they are plentiful and cheap for the most part. When you put a new wick in I find it best to insert the dry wick in the burner from the top and force it down to the cogs with a thin bladed kitchen knife, then when the cogs engage the wick you can lower it sometimes helping it with your fingers till it will become free of the cogs. Often they will not turn up well until you fill the lamp and let it stand a bit as the oil makes the moving of the wick easier. Then you will want to trim the wick off level to the top and I generally snip a tiny bit off each end at a downward angle to let the wick burn higher without the ends wanting to flare upwards ands smoke as some will tend to do.
I will put a couple lamp photos on so you can see a few I am currently using.
Larry
Older table lamp #2 burner.
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Wall or portable reflector lamp.
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Rayo type burner, shade removed.
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Shades I use on some lamps to defuse the light.
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