Hurricane lamps questions ?

[Paullyfuzz]

I've just lit up an old Fuerand Hurricane lamp and noted it gives off quite a bit of black smoke. I've put parafin in it after emptying it of Coleman fuel but it still smokes. Is this normal or is because I put Coleman fuel in it before ?

What makes of Hurricane lamps are considered the best for quality and where can you buy them ?

Cheers

Paul

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

Have you checked if the wick is too tall and/or frayed?

Oh, I just noticed that you first put coleman fuel in it. Well, the wick will still have some of it in it, but otherwise check for bare length and fraying.

 

[Shewie]

My Fuerhand runs like a dream on paraffin, it gives off a little bit of smoke but no more than any other lamp. It might be worth changing the wick or trimming what's already in there.

 

[rik_uk3]

Paraffin ONLY in these lamps, wicks available on eBay. If they give off smoke you have them turned up too high, they should be smoke and more or less odour free, keep the wicks trimmed.

Lots of rollocks talked about hurricane lamps, the £1.99 gives the same performance as the £15 one, tried and have both. I've got a couple of cheap ones that have been outdoors for over five years now and they still work just fine.

 

[British Red]

Rik,

I could use a few hurricane lamps and a roll of spare wick. COuld I prevail on your experience to point me at a "best buy" and supply of suitable wick please? I could also do with knowing what the right way to trim a wick is?

TIA

Red

 

[rik_uk3]

Red, you can pick up both on ebay, get the lanterns first, check the width of wick and look at lamp wicks on ebay. With these lanterns, cheap or not I gave them a spray with plasti-kote IIRC. My favourite is a tall Chalwyn, made in England some years ago, its no better than the others in terms of light, just took my fancy. For long term power cuts they really are better than pressure lanterns, they give a nice background light and are extremely frugal on paraffin.

 

[British Red]

Thanks Rik - I'll do just that.

 

[tomongoose]

I bought a couple of cheap of these a few months back http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...w-10-inch-free-standing-hurricane-382687.html and they work fine they burn for ages on one fill and I like them as they kick out a bit of heat which is great for warming up a debris shelter or my Polish army tent

 

[Osprey]

I have an old brass oil lamp with glass globe, an Alladin mantle lamp, a Tilley and a Vapalux, but find the cheap hurricane lamps much less fiddle than all the others. If you put one in front of a mirror they give out a reasonable amount of light. Thanks for all the info and links folks !!

 

[rik_uk3]

I bought a couple of cheap of these a few months back http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...w-10-inch-free-standing-hurricane-382687.html and they work fine they burn for ages on one fill and I like them as they kick out a bit of heat which is great for warming up a debris shelter or my Polish army tent

£4 you can't really go wrong, get £30's worth and your set for power cuts.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

hiya rick just a quick question and that is were to get parffin from cos i new you could get the rest from ebay

drew

 

[Shewie]

hiya rick just a quick question and that is were to get parffin from cos i new you could get the rest from ebay

drew

Your local hardware stores should stock it Drew. I get mine from Mica for £2.99 for a 5L container full.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

cheers shewie mate

drew

 

[rik_uk3]

hiya rick just a quick question and that is were to get parffin from cos i new you could get the rest from ebay

drew

Local garden centre's like Focus and B&Q sell it, good local hardware shops do and I wait until the end of August for Wilkinson's to reduce own brand BBQ lighter fluid (its paraffin) to 25p a litre and buy the lot Not sure the legality of how much you can store at home but I have over 200 litres now (the world might end afterall), well over in fact at home and the lockup. If a neighbour uses oil heating nab some of that for your stoves, its a type of paraffin that works OK.

 

[Nonsuch]

I'm going to beg to disagree and recommend the better makes of hurricane / paraffin lamp - old Chalwyns / Feuerhand / Stolz (is it ? can't remember). Having tried these and the cheapies, the more expensive ones are much less likely to leak if knocked over, whereas the Chinese ones are completely open and fuel will pour out, which also means you have to empty them each time you want to pack them.

As has been said before, paraffin ony in these. Coleman in one of these lamps could get very nasty...

I love the light of a hurricane lamp and regularly take one canoe-tripping or to illuminate the inside of my tentipi. I find they fit very well inside an old "BDH" mini screw barrel, which means with the better ones you can pack them away half full and put them in a pack without paraffin leaking everywhere.

For serious lighting and a reassuring hiss, it's Vapalux M320 all the way (paraffin as well0. It's very hard to find a good Tilley, the Coleman's are petrol and rather soulless, and the Petromaxes are a work of art but mine never worked properly.

NS

 

[tiger stacker]

For some reason my dad has a few lamps in the shed and the garage. Think it dates back to the strikes in the 70s, new wicks meant they are still as good as new.

 

[R.Lewis]

mine cost £1.99 from local warehouse clearance shop. Work great, even after being outside for years. But I do agree with Nonsuch above about the leaking issue when moving them. Very poorly sealed.

Good tips here! I'm gonna check out Wilkos for BBQ lighter fluid now...

 

[forestwalker]

Agree with Nonesuch and R.Lewis as to the difference betwen the Feurhand (et al) and the China Specials. Also more likely to have problems with wick feeding on the cheepies (seen some true horrors there, where there basically was no usefull fine control of wick lenght).

I'm vaguelly thinking about getting the paraffin insert for the UCO. I like the handiness of transporting candles over liquid fuels, but the fact that the candles are a special item irritates me (haven't seen any compatible sized ones in stores, planning on looking some more when the "candle-season" is uppon us).

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

I have the oil insert for the UCO. I contemplated carrying candles instead but figured that should I run out, paraffin is much easier to get hold of, and besides, I already use paraffin for my Nova+ and for my Petromax (when it is taken). The same fuel for everything*.


*Edit: Er, just about ... I have just purchased an evernew DX stand with their alcohol burner, and although I have tried it, it will probably only be used in anger when the weather shifts, come spring and then summer.