Primative oil lamp question

[Mike8472]

Im in Bruges this week and popped into the lamp museum here. All the funky lamps in here got me thinking about using basic lamps for a bit of fun at home.

all the old greek and roman lamps used olive oil, so this got me thinking about the contents of the wifes kitchen cupboards.

can you use everyday kitchen oil like groundnut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil etc in an oldschool wick lamp as a fuel?

i voiced this question to the wife and got warned off the olive oil because its apparently too expensive for me to mess about with.

What do you think???

 

[Hog On Ice]

don't know about other oils but I have used canola (rapeseed) oil and it worked well in a simple tea light candle tin oil lamp

 

[Mesquite]

I've seen old style wick lanterns burning quite nicely using sunflower or vegetable oil

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

Pretty sure any sort of natural oil will do. Olive oil burns well if a bit sooty. Good modern lamp oil burns without smell or soot (or nearly), pretty much everything else will smell and soot to some degree.

You can experiment easily, and using very little oil. All you need is a saucer and some string for a wick.

 

[Mike8472]

I will have a play when i get home.

If anybody travels to bruges the lamp museum is worth checking out! Very interesting place.
Also lots of belgian beer around too!

 

[Toddy]

They'll all burn, but the soot is a right royal pain the situpon. It kind of insiduously greys the corners of the rooms in the house, and painting over it needs careful and thorough scouring first

Try it outdoors, seriously, and hold a piece of white paper (even newspaper) a bit above the flame. It's astonishing how much soot comes off....probably why "lampblack" was used to colour everything from ink to bootpolish.

M

 

[Hog On Ice]

wrt soot - I used a small loop of wire to hold a paper wick over the oil - by adjusting how much wick was above the loop (how much wick was actively involved in the flame) I could control the soot - in other words trim your wicks and less soot will be produced

 

[Toddy]

It helps, it really does, but you will still end up with black ceilings, corners of the rooms and anywhere that water vapour collects....try wiping a paper towel across the windows after burning an oil lamp or candles for a bit. It's filthy stuff

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goatboy]

I've had a go with rendered fat from meat and making rush lights. Smokey, dull but fun to do. LINK

 

[Stringmaker]

On the subject of oil, has anyone used it to help their tinder along?

Cotton wool + Vaseline is a great modern process, what about say clematis down (which only flares usually and not burn) and olive oil?

 

[Hog On Ice]

On the subject of oil, has anyone used it to help their tinder along?

Cotton wool + Vaseline is a great modern process, what about say clematis down (which only flares usually and not burn) and olive oil?

my standard fire starter is olive oil and toilet paper - burns long and well and will start thumb sized sticks easily - make a "cup" with the tp, pour in a good slug of oo, gather top together into a teardrop shape to form a wick, place in fire pit under a pile of sticks and light the top

 

[Stringmaker]

I shall have to experiment with oils.

I just thought of using old chip shop oil; the fire would smell great!

 

[santaman2000]

On the subject of oil, has anyone used it to help their tinder along?

Cotton wool + Vaseline is a great modern process, what about say clematis down (which only flares usually and not burn) and olive oil?

I use veg oils or old meat greas as a fire starting fluif for my charcoal BBQs. It's edible unlike the petrolium based starter fliuds.

 

[freenarative]

I think you'll like this idea, I saw it on a survival site and tested it, it actually works!
1) take an old Tabasco sauce bottle and wash it out (I use the 12 floz bottles). As the sauce is vinegar based water will be enough to clean it. No need for soap.
2) place somewhere warn to dry *WANING* remove ALL water before burning as oil+water+fire= problems
3) Fill with oil
4) take a piece of natural material string or cloth and poke onto the neck. Tie a knot into the other end
5) done
TIPS:
Use a syringe with a blunt needle to wash out and fill the bottle with oil. these can be gotten from eay for less than £1
use natural materials for the wick as these soak up oil, synthetics don't AND they tend to melt.
Vegetable oil works well but olive oil smokes and is a bit too thick to flow well.
I hope this helps in some way.
Pic related:

 

[freenarative]

On a side note to my other post. if you're feeling crafty try making an oil lamp from clay (CHEAP cat litter is simply shredded clay £1 a bag) and bake it in the oven. it need not be perfect. For the shape just try copying the below pic.
For the fuel,,, well here comes the craft part.
1) trim fat from red meat. Trim it before cooking. Beef is best but pork belly fat is good too. The thick stuff you usually use fro crackling etc
2) place it into a pan and put it onto the hob on a lo-medium heat. For the love of Satans cod piece NOT HOT!
The aim here is to rend the fat NOT to cook it
3) stand over the pan and stir it SLOWLY
At first nothing happens but after a while the fat starts to liquefy.
Once all the fat is liquid strain it. This step isn't necessary though. if you leave the bits in it makes the room smell like a bacon butty
4) Dip your wick into the hot fat to soak up a charge.
5) pour the fat into the lamp and allow to set.
Notes and tips:
liquid fat is hotter than Pauley Perette on any given day! be careful!
A wide open "bowl" type build means that if the lamp gets low on fuel in the future all you need do is slap in a lump of fat and the heat will do the rest of the work for you; no need to red it.