Im Suprised No Ones Mentioned These Before...
- Thread starter Tengu
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Ah, the simple old-style coal oil lantern. (Coal oil is an old term for the fuel, which is also called kerosene, parafin, and nowdays lamp oil.)
I use them all the time at home, sometimes in camp, and at our Club's 1880's cowboy/old west town. That gentle light is much more comfortable in the night - much like with a candle lantern. Those white gas and electric lights are just too bright (unless you are setting up camp or searching for dropped/lost gear).
The only real drawback in our old west town with using coal oil lamps to light the saloon is that it gets a bit hard to see the cards in the poker game --- and to watch for card sharps and cheating! And then the concussion from a gun firing a blank round can douse those lights plunging the whole room into darkness - punctuated by flashes from more "gunplay" - and all sorts of nefarious characters scrambling about committing deeds most foul! It does lead to some interesting "play" sessions.
You might want to check your lanterns for leaks before you put too much time into cleaning them up. A general check can be done using water. Any large leaks will show up pretty quickly. But you do need to do that final leak check with coal oil. A very small leak just might show up - as a slight oily feel along the rim. Setting it on a section of newspaper will quickly show any leak - and help pinpoint where. And let it set on that paper for a whole day. Some leaks are pretty slight. You can live with some minor seeping/leaking, but do have to be careful with what you set your lamp on.
Have fun with your lanterns and that gentle glow around camp and along the trail.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
I use them all the time at home, sometimes in camp, and at our Club's 1880's cowboy/old west town. That gentle light is much more comfortable in the night - much like with a candle lantern. Those white gas and electric lights are just too bright (unless you are setting up camp or searching for dropped/lost gear).
The only real drawback in our old west town with using coal oil lamps to light the saloon is that it gets a bit hard to see the cards in the poker game --- and to watch for card sharps and cheating! And then the concussion from a gun firing a blank round can douse those lights plunging the whole room into darkness - punctuated by flashes from more "gunplay" - and all sorts of nefarious characters scrambling about committing deeds most foul! It does lead to some interesting "play" sessions.
You might want to check your lanterns for leaks before you put too much time into cleaning them up. A general check can be done using water. Any large leaks will show up pretty quickly. But you do need to do that final leak check with coal oil. A very small leak just might show up - as a slight oily feel along the rim. Setting it on a section of newspaper will quickly show any leak - and help pinpoint where. And let it set on that paper for a whole day. Some leaks are pretty slight. You can live with some minor seeping/leaking, but do have to be careful with what you set your lamp on.
Have fun with your lanterns and that gentle glow around camp and along the trail.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
SimonM
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Yeah love em! Cheap as chips, sImple to use, nice glow of light. Not like a gas lantern where the light hurts your eyes and the constant hiss interupts every conversation.
I also use an UCO candle lantern around camp for the same reasons.
Simon
I also use an UCO candle lantern around camp for the same reasons.
Simon
I got three for £1.50, but two need paint removed off everything...including the glass!
Hurricane lamps are really nice for background lighting, I've a few myself including the Chalwyn Tropical (English made). Don't forget to buy some replacement wick, they do wear out
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wick-for-gree...yZ116015QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
These lamps are cheap and relible. Just make sure not to adjust the wick to far out, because then the flame will start to produce lots of soot.
I get mine brand new from KDA for just over a pound! The fuel costs more than the lanterns! I used mine at the last Delamere meet and it ran all night without topping up. It creates a nice gentle glow that doesn't leep you awake. If anybody wants them, I can lok into getting some from KDA as the price normally goes down in there with regards to the amount of the item you buy! postage would make it uneconomical though, so if you are heading off to Middlewood, i could set you up.
I'll either go at the end of the week or send the missus. Can't go next week as i start work!
we lived in a place with no leccy for a bit years ago (about 10) these were the main light source. great yokes. if used indoors make sure you have good ventilation (no duh, i know, but you never know when you might accidently give someone the info they need) and be gentle with them when they are hot. glass everywhere is bad, hot glass everywhere in the dark is really bad, and hot glass everywhere, and on fire is.... funny?
Some additional cautions:
It is recommended to not fill them more than 3/4 full. This allows the oil to expand a bit as it heats up.
And make sure that they set level - both when lit and when not. The oil can and will leak/wick out the burner if given a chance. So take extra care when packing them away in your vehicle, or in camp. If it is tilted enough, you could end up with oil soaked into everything near by.
As already stated, don't turn that wick up too far! You might get a little extra light for a bit, but it will start to burn dirty/sooty, and coat the inside of the glass with soot. And cleaning the inside of the glass globe is a messy job. That soot sticks to everything, and is oily ta boot!
Trim the wick when needed - semi often depending upon usage. When the end gets crusty/black, it probably needs to be trimmed a bit. That cruddy buildup interferes a bit with the flow of oil to the flame, and also spreads it out more - causing it to sputter and create soot more.
Try not to let it ... burn dry. If it runs out of oil and burns out, the last thing it does is burn up a little extra wick - that usually extends above the metal burner. This eats up your wick faster than necessary, and also requires you to trim it to get it back to burning right.
When you raise the glass globe with the lever to light it, be careful when letting the globe back down. It is very easy to slip and let it drop. That has cracked and/or broke a lot of glass globes.
Have fun experiencing that gentle glow. And then, if you are getting curious about such things from history past, look up a book called A World Lit Only By Fire. It's all about the thoughts, ideas, and philosophy that developed back when the only "artificial" light was fire light. Interesting reading.
Just some humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
It is recommended to not fill them more than 3/4 full. This allows the oil to expand a bit as it heats up.
And make sure that they set level - both when lit and when not. The oil can and will leak/wick out the burner if given a chance. So take extra care when packing them away in your vehicle, or in camp. If it is tilted enough, you could end up with oil soaked into everything near by.
As already stated, don't turn that wick up too far! You might get a little extra light for a bit, but it will start to burn dirty/sooty, and coat the inside of the glass with soot. And cleaning the inside of the glass globe is a messy job. That soot sticks to everything, and is oily ta boot!
Trim the wick when needed - semi often depending upon usage. When the end gets crusty/black, it probably needs to be trimmed a bit. That cruddy buildup interferes a bit with the flow of oil to the flame, and also spreads it out more - causing it to sputter and create soot more.
Try not to let it ... burn dry. If it runs out of oil and burns out, the last thing it does is burn up a little extra wick - that usually extends above the metal burner. This eats up your wick faster than necessary, and also requires you to trim it to get it back to burning right.
When you raise the glass globe with the lever to light it, be careful when letting the globe back down. It is very easy to slip and let it drop. That has cracked and/or broke a lot of glass globes.
Have fun experiencing that gentle glow. And then, if you are getting curious about such things from history past, look up a book called A World Lit Only By Fire. It's all about the thoughts, ideas, and philosophy that developed back when the only "artificial" light was fire light. Interesting reading.
Just some humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
Seems KDA have bumped their prices up to nearl £1.75 per lantern, £1.56 I think if you buy more than 30! If anyone is still interested, I'll start a new thread on them.
