Paraffin Lamp advice / recommendations please
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I've had a lot of the cheap ones, use them in the garden as does my daughter, none of them leaked.
I've had a Feurhand leak from the base of the tank, one from the side and a cheapo develop a seam leak. In one of my trip reports you'll see a photo of a cheapo in use that has been hanging in my garden for years....still working.
Feurhand and Dietz don't impress at all.
I've had a Feurhand leak from the base of the tank, one from the side and a cheapo develop a seam leak. In one of my trip reports you'll see a photo of a cheapo in use that has been hanging in my garden for years....still working.
Feurhand and Dietz don't impress at all.
Nope, a non pressurised stove won't do that, certainly not in my experience of actually using them and not fantasising about them.
Pressurised stoves and lanterns may leak fuel if the temperature goes up depending upon stove and lantern design/model.
No name cheapo lamps arrived today. Looks OK - very colourful painted with red and blue. 3x in one pack - a lot cheaper that way. Parcelforce cost would have been tenner. So each lamp is about £4.50.
These are Xtra Large size 15" tall. I shall fill them with B&Q paraffin this evening, and get them running for the first time. I will do vid and upload to Youtube as well, if I can manage.
I also ordered 2x Feurhand lamps, Made in Germany as well, and these will take some time to arrive, as seller is away right now. This is problem with on-line shopping. If I want to try something, I always end up with more than a dozen, when I only need a couple.
This morning, I have ordered a vintage Primus clone pressure stove, and keep looking for more pressure lamps - Vapamux, Bialadin and Tilley type, portable gas stove, and garage heating paraffin heaters - cannot stop. Actually my fault, LOL.
cheers.
These are Xtra Large size 15" tall. I shall fill them with B&Q paraffin this evening, and get them running for the first time. I will do vid and upload to Youtube as well, if I can manage.
I also ordered 2x Feurhand lamps, Made in Germany as well, and these will take some time to arrive, as seller is away right now. This is problem with on-line shopping. If I want to try something, I always end up with more than a dozen, when I only need a couple.
This morning, I have ordered a vintage Primus clone pressure stove, and keep looking for more pressure lamps - Vapamux, Bialadin and Tilley type, portable gas stove, and garage heating paraffin heaters - cannot stop. Actually my fault, LOL.
cheers.
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Be worth standing them on a piece of paper overnight when full to check for leaks - mine didn't obviously leak - but there was a puddle in the morning!
Ha ha ha ha! Welcome to hell Spader! Lamps are addictive. I have all the lamps I'll ever need three times over, and I still look on eBay and in antique shops.
Must be quite deadly LOL. Well where the fun is, pain usually accompanies it, I suppose. 
I have never known stoves and lamps can be such a great fun before. I am glad I found them.
The Vapalux, Bialaddins and Tilleys seem a bit hard to get hold of, due to strong demands and natural high going prices. Kept bidding, but losing out. Most going for way over my max bids. I would be quite happy to get hold of one of each through time, if price is right for me. No hurries.
Any how, I did manage to give the new no name lamps first run in the shed, and they are quite OK. 3x of them with the Roadworks lamp burning together, they gave a good amount of light and heat enough to warm the shed nicely. I did some tidying up part of clear out. This shed has so many things piled in it, it was hard to get in, I decided to clear out, tidy up and use the work shop properly. No sign of leaking fuels from any of them yet. I put them on top of the wood burning stove, and will check them tomorrow if they leaked or not. If any of them does leak, then it was cheap enough to be thrown out. No sweat.
These paraffin lamps smell quite strong, so I am banned from using them in the house. But in the garden, tent, tarp and shed, they are absolutely great. Here are a couple of short vids of them tonight in the shed. cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odTX_fCgfLo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7f4asAPMRw
I have never known stoves and lamps can be such a great fun before. I am glad I found them.
The Vapalux, Bialaddins and Tilleys seem a bit hard to get hold of, due to strong demands and natural high going prices. Kept bidding, but losing out. Most going for way over my max bids. I would be quite happy to get hold of one of each through time, if price is right for me. No hurries.
Any how, I did manage to give the new no name lamps first run in the shed, and they are quite OK. 3x of them with the Roadworks lamp burning together, they gave a good amount of light and heat enough to warm the shed nicely. I did some tidying up part of clear out. This shed has so many things piled in it, it was hard to get in, I decided to clear out, tidy up and use the work shop properly. No sign of leaking fuels from any of them yet. I put them on top of the wood burning stove, and will check them tomorrow if they leaked or not. If any of them does leak, then it was cheap enough to be thrown out. No sweat.
These paraffin lamps smell quite strong, so I am banned from using them in the house. But in the garden, tent, tarp and shed, they are absolutely great. Here are a couple of short vids of them tonight in the shed. cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odTX_fCgfLo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7f4asAPMRw
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Today, I checked the no name brands lamps out. They have not leaked at all. I placed 2x of them on the wood stove, and 1x on the wooden shelf, but no sign of leakage.
Just hoping they will keep working for long time. These were special ones Xtra Large 15" tall, and wicks are wide and large, which give lots of heat. 3x of them running at the same time, brightness was quite OK, and the inside of the shed was heating very well too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKeqUcOfumY
Finally managed to get a Vapalux M320. It will arrive next week sometime. Cannot wait trying this out. cheers.
Just hoping they will keep working for long time. These were special ones Xtra Large 15" tall, and wicks are wide and large, which give lots of heat. 3x of them running at the same time, brightness was quite OK, and the inside of the shed was heating very well too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKeqUcOfumY
Finally managed to get a Vapalux M320. It will arrive next week sometime. Cannot wait trying this out. cheers.
It's worth noting that you can get droplets of moisture condensing in the fuel tanks of the hurricane-style lanterns and if they're made of thin pressed steel the moisture can attack the tank and rust it through surprisingly quickly.
Solutions are either to check for moisture periodically or else occasionally put a bit of IPA (iso-propyl alcohol) into the fuel. The IPA absorbs water, makes it miscible with the fuel and it burns off.
Also worth stripping the lantern and giving a quick spray with high temp paint or plastikote (I know, I said it before). A tiny drop of your wife's perfume in the tank or on the top of the hood will stop any odour but keep your wicks trim and tidy, don't burn too high and there should be very little smell.
If you've not stripped one down before, the ring on the top is not for hanging, pull it while holding the tank to raise the hood which allows the globe to tilt back for easy removal and cleaning/wick trim/change or spraying with paint. The globes on the bigger lanterns will be fragile so careful how you handle them and wash in warm water.
Worth getting in a stock of wick, buy by the metre off ebay, its cheap enough.
If you've not stripped one down before, the ring on the top is not for hanging, pull it while holding the tank to raise the hood which allows the globe to tilt back for easy removal and cleaning/wick trim/change or spraying with paint. The globes on the bigger lanterns will be fragile so careful how you handle them and wash in warm water.
Worth getting in a stock of wick, buy by the metre off ebay, its cheap enough.
You will not be disappointed with the 320. If it is new old stock you get a couple of mantles with it, if not they are on ebay or base-camp.co.uk. Have fun trying different mantles.
I find the standard V42 vapalux mantles the brightest but the Tilley happy mantles 'form' the best but give a more yellow light, others have the opposite experience On my to do list is to try the Tilley 164X mantles from base-camp, supposedly they contain Thorium and should be the brightest??
Steve.
I find the standard V42 vapalux mantles the brightest but the Tilley happy mantles 'form' the best but give a more yellow light, others have the opposite experience
On my to do list is to try the Tilley 164X mantles from base-camp, supposedly they contain Thorium and should be the brightest??Steve.
Thorium mantles have not been around for years, may even be illegal these days. Look out on ebay for large gas mantles, tie on type which you can buy in bulk and with minor modding will work OK.
Just been having a play with my 320's and I can report that Coleman Camping Gaz Mantles form very well and are at least as bright as the V42 Mantles. You do have to cut the string both ends and re-tie to the Mantle support but I'm very pleased with the result as I have a stack of these Mantles
Steve.
. You do have to cut the string both ends and re-tie to the Mantle support but I'm very pleased with the result as I have a stack of these MantlesSteve.
Mine supposed to come with original mantle and a spare one as well, but not sure which one they are. I see your Youtube channel with nice vids about stoves and lamps, so subscribed to it.
Just been having a play with my 320's and I can report that Coleman Camping Gaz Mantles form very well and are at least as bright as the V42 Mantles
Steve.
