Collecting oillamp's

[MrGreenJeans]

Over the year's i have came across several old lamp's. I have my great grandfather's lamp. Still look's fantastic and work's perfect every time. I like to use them every now and then it's like a 40 watt bulb. Do not know why i like them i,ll pick another one up if i can. Post a pic or two of them. I,ll anti up when i get this dang black box fixed right. Or it could be operater error. I,d say that's it for sure. ;D

[backlash]

I got 6 new cheap oil lamps off craigslist for $10.
I suppose they would work but I doubt I'll ever light one.
I should give them to someone that would actually use them.
backlash

[NCLee]

My Mom's oil lamp serves as the centerpiece on our dinning room table. I've bought some of the odorless lamp oil for that.

IMHO, everyone should have enough oil lamps to light the house when the power goes out. Backlash, do try them out before you give them away. Keep at least one, even if you have a generator. My brother's gen died during the last ice storm that took out our power.

MrGreenJeans, I collect oil lamps, too. Can't afford the antique ones, so I look for what I like at yard sales and such. Also like lanterns, but I rarely see those anymore. Lanterns are just about perfect for sitting with company on the backporch. Filled with skeeter oil, they give a nice soft light, just about perfect for conversation.

The only downside to collecting oil lamps is that about every 6 months it's time to wash the chimney's again to get rid of the dust. Takes a while, as I have about 30 of them.

For a variation on oil lamps, google "olive oil lamps" and "bottle lamps" for directions on how to make your own. And, if you don't have one, you might want to look for the lamp works that screw onto a regular mason jar. I like those to go on mason jar mugs (canning jar with a handle.)

Lee

[Mr.B]

I just picked one up down the road at the second hand store, $3 not a bad deal.

-B

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I love oil lamps. I give them for Christmas presents to some of my family many years. The younger girls (daughter in laws) don't have a love for them, but my sister in law and my sister always loved them.

I have several, but never burn them. I read recently that you can actually burn olive oil in them. I might try that. It is expensive, but the odor would be cleaner than lamp oil. They are beautiful.

[MrGreenJeans]

I kinda cheat and use a good oderless or sented oil's. Yep they are a pain to clean. At the price of olive oil around here it would be cheaper to burn liquid gold.

[NCLee]

Last year Lowes had odorless kerosene for sale in 1 gal and 5 gal containers. Expensive, compared to regular kerosene, but it sure works well in oil lamps. I have a lot of sinus problems and can't handle the fumes from regular kerosene, but haven't had any problem with that stuff from Lowes in my lamps. Need to pick up another gallon, when they put out their fall heating displays.

I wouldn't use olive oil in lamps, except in an emergency situation. Any vegetable oil can be used in those lamps mentioned earlier. I like the concept of those lamps, as they are a way to have light when traditional oil lamps aren't available. Easy to make from mason jars, mayo jars, and even beer bottles.

Lee

[Genevieve]

We have 4 glass oil lamps that the hubby's g.parents gave us for xmas gifts over the years. We also just bought another oil lantern at walmart in the camping section.That gives us 2 of those.
Our problem here is finding the scentless oil. I managed to find a small bottle at my local Dollar General store. It was the last one. According to the lady that was working there, they get their shipment of that oil in the summer. So, thats something to store for future use LOL
Anyone know of a relatively cheap place to buy the oil? I haven't gone to the local hardware store yet. I think I may hit a couple of different ones to check to see if they have any and to compare prices.

[MrGreenJeans]

Just read an add in the local trader paper, 15 antique oil lamp's starting at $15. I think i,ll keep looking at yard sale's. Last one was $5 and it's 18 inches high. Nice old heavy lamp.

[Dawgus]

We have quite a few oil lamps and lanterns. I find them all the time at thrift stores and yard sales. I like having them around for power outages,but sometimes we just use them to light a room rather than turn on lights. Last year I posted a "wanted" ad on the local Craigslist, and ended up with 3 cases of lamp oil for $1 a bottle. I keep spare wicks for each style, along with spare chimneys. Only a few are really old. One is an old railroad lantern, and one was Lisa's grandmothers.

Our local ACE Hardware stocks oil and wicks for the larger sizes, I get the rest when we go to Lehmans a few times a year. You can burn olive oil in a lamp, but you need to change the wick if it has been used for regular oil or kerosine, and it doesn't burn nearly as bright.

One thing I can't stress enough is to have a GOOD fire extinguisher onhand when you're using oil lamps. I've never had to use one, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[sonshine]

Last year I was unsatisfied with oil lamps in stores and the "antique" shops were really expensive. So I looked on ebay. I now call it my oil lamp "collection". I have about 30 in all shapes, sizes and colors. I balked at $50 for one in lavender and let it go to someone else. Although I think lavender is the only color I don't have in one particular style that I have many.

I have tiny ones and large ones, small to medium ones and a good deal of lamp oil, so I'm covered in the oil lamp collecting thing. I'd probably sneak in another one from time to time but I have absolutely no place to put another lamp.

I would have used them last fall when we lost electricity for about 18 hours during hurricane gustof, but I also had some nice LED lanterns and a good supply of batteries. Plus it was hot and the lamps would have added to the heat.

At a thrift store I found globes for 50 cents apiece, naturally I bought them all. I got the burners and wicks and rings on ebay too, I have a good supply.

I love my lamps and I may give one or two to my Daughters in law, maybe.


Judy

[NCLee]

Judy, a few years ago we had an ice storm in early December that took out the power, in some places, for up to 2 weeks. I used that as the theme for my Christmas gifts that year.

FOR THE NEXT TIME.

Made up a gift bag that included an oil lamp (found some decent ones at a Family Dollar store), and a bottle of lamp oil. Included an inexpensive flashlight and a set of batteries. A box of emergency candles and a box of matches. Also included a small manual can opener. It's been a while, but it seems that I also included a few other small but relevant items. (Old age is catching up with my memory this morning. :confused: )

Do remember one more -- a cigarette lighter.

For the immediate family, I included a folding campstove that uses canned (steno) heat. If memory serves, it was about $10 at the time.

Anyway, this might be an idea for you to use, if you're thinking about giving a lamp or two to your DIL's.

Lee

[sonshine]

Thanks for the good ideas. These would make good gifts right before hurricane season. We don't usually have power outages in the winter. Although, I often give children flashlights in their Christmas stockings and thanks for reminding me for this year.

Judy

[pamsabear]

Would it be more economical to use oil lamps in the evening rather than CFLs?

Pam

[Anon001]

No.. I don't think there's anyway a CFL will cost as much as lamp oil or kerosene.

Paul

[kawalekm]

Would it be more economical to use oil lamps in the evening rather than CFLs?
Pam
Look at it this way. One dollar will buy you one single 15 watt CFL. You are not very likely to buy an oil lamp for 1$, but lets say you do. At 20 cents for a kilowatt-hour of electricity (grid power), 1$ worth of electricity would run that CFL for 330 hours. Assuming that alternative power cost 5 or even 10X as much, one dollar would still run that CFL for between 33 and 66 hours.

One dollar's worth of lamp oil will let you run that lamp for about 8 hours. So, the CLF wins no matter how conservatively you price electricity. Add in the soot, smell, and fire danger and you can forget about it!

[DiggerDirect]

Look at it this way. One dollar will buy you one single 15 watt CFL. You are not very likely to buy an oil lamp for 1$, but lets say you do. At 20 cents for a kilowatt-hour of electricity (grid power), 1$ worth of electricity would run that CFL for 330 hours. Assuming that alternative power cost 5 or even 10X as much, one dollar would still run that CFL for between 33 and 66 hours.

One dollar's worth of lamp oil will let you run that lamp for about 8 hours. So, the CLF wins no matter how conservatively you price electricity. Add in the soot, smell, and fire danger and you can forget about it!

This is not necessarily true at all, sure if your on the grid and your power companies only charge was for the electricity (here the 'delivery' charges and taxes,ect. is way past the kilowatt charge) then certainly it would be cheaper, having only alternative power, off the grid as we are, oil & kero lamps are way cheaper to run than ANY type of electric, mainly due to the fact you are not going to find a generator that runs even close to 8 hours on a dollars worth of gas (almost half a gallon these days), whether your using 15 watts or 100, the smallest use .2 or more gallons per hour with most using much more if they are any size at all. Solar, wind, water ect. power would be cheaper unless you figure the initial costs.
soot isnt a real problem if you keep your wicks trimmed & adjusted, same with the smell, and with proper usage the fire danger isnt any more than your propane stove.
I'll take what soot, smell and hazard they have any day over reliance on a power company or the steady drone of a generator.

[B00kW0rm]

I, too, love oil lamps:-). This link will allow you to view a pic of my favorite one: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/catisfaction/item/RF-Hn-Oillamp?gbase=1. It has a hobnail milk glass shade and ruby colored base.

Also, I have a couple of the railroad lanterns + a few of the newer ones that were given to me as presents.

[NCLee]

Beautiful lamp, B00kW0rm. I can picture it sitting on a table in front of the window with crochet doily beneath it.

Agree with DiggerDirect. Using oil lamps with properly trimmed wicks doesn't create a material soot problem. No more and actually maybe less than burning candles. Odorless lamp oils are available, if you're senstive to the odor of regular lamp oil or good quality kerosene. BTW, even candles stink when first extinguished, IMHO.

And, if properly handled they are safe. Far more safe, IMHO, than candles. The sturdy base of a good oil lamp is harder to knock over than a candle sitting in a flimsy stand. Especially when using tall tapers.

While a single CFL compared to an oil lamp does indicate the CFL is less expensive, there's another aspect to consider. For example, there's 3 bulbs in the light over our dinning room table. Old fixture had 5. When the notion strikes, I light my mother's oil lamp (it stays on my table) instead of turning on the overhead lights. I like the peaceful mood the lamp provides.

For us, the most important point is that when the power fails, oil lamps provide all the lighting we have to have in order to get things done. Since they don't have the safety issues of candles, I can place them in the bathrooms, den, and kitchen without worry. The old fashioned ones (bowl on a pedestal) are easy to carry from room to room as we prepare to go to bed. All lamps are extinguished when we're asleep.

As you can tell, I like oil lamps. Grew up with them in the days before we had electricity on the farm.

BTW, DiggerDirect, made a good point about the cost involved in running a generator. And, one more point to add to that. My brother's generator failed during an ice storm that took out the power. He had to scramble to find alternative lighting at the worst possible time. I gave him an oil lamp & oil, for the next time.

Lee

[DiggerDirect]

Bookworm, that type is our favorite also, they are beautiful lamps and functional as well. The one you linked to is very reasonably priced! We have two victorian era lamps in this style with the swing out wall mount brackets adorning our living room that have been in the family for five generations. Have about a dozen all different that are used regularly as well as a 'parts' dept.:) (extra wicks, chimneys, burners, ect.)


I use the kero lanterns for evening nightiime barn work or those midnight runs to the privy, now just use the new style dietz lanterns, had a ny railroad lantern for years that hung off a nail on the porch, but getting home one night noticed it was missing, hope whoever took it is using it because it was a good lantern, but probably not, likely its sitting on a shelf somewhere.:mad:

[tomato204]

Walmart is selling a railroad-type lamp for 5 bucks. Don't buy it unless you just want to look at it. I had one given to me as a gift and tried to use it. The wick-holder part doesn't seal to the oil tank, so you smell kero all the time, 'cause it's evaporating into the room, especially if it's warm. I quit using it and a couple weeks later when I went to dump out the fuel, it was bone dry. All evaporated.

[kawalekm]

you are not going to find a generator that runs even close to 8 hours on a dollars worth of gas (almost half a gallon these days), whether your using 15 watts or 100, the smallest use .2 or more gallons per hour with most using much more if they are any size at all. Solar, wind, water ect. power would be cheaper unless you figure the initial costs.
soot isnt a real problem if you keep your wicks trimmed & adjusted, same with the smell, and with proper usage the fire danger isnt any more than your propane stove.
I'll take what soot, smell and hazard they have any day over reliance on a power company or the steady drone of a generator.

I never used the word "generator" in my post. When I used the word alternative, I was refering to solar/wind/hydro, ect. Of course, there is no way generator power could be economical for just 15 watts.

I routinely use both wick and Aladin lamps in my cabin, and I am not happy with the smell, the amount of light, or the constant nagging fear that I will kill myself in the fire after knocking over a burning lamp. I have a gasoline cooking stove, and it has never even occurred to me that it could be knocked over. However, whenever I light a lamp, knocking it over is the first thing I think of!

I've just purchased the solar panels for my cabin, and will be installing them once I get batteries for them. As soon as I can, I will put away my oil lamps so I can use electric light again.

[Anon001]

Congrats on getting your panels. I never regretted the switch.

Paul

[Idaholady]

I like to pick up an oil lantern from time to time; either at a yard sale or hardware store. I only buy the ones with the clear glass bottom; I like to know how much oil I have in it.

While at the hardware store, I also pick up a couple of extra wicks and some of the better, smokeless, odor-free kerosene. If I buy a little here and there, I'll have enough to share with family or others.

[MrGreenJeans]

Great advise and i,am glad you put it up. Even some quality lamps can have substandard wicks in them. I still have the lamp my great grandparents used in the mid 1800's. Smokeless oil for the lamp is something a new user normaly don't think of thanks agian.

[debidoodle]

We love our lamps here. We've got 12 antique ones from the late 1800's-early 1900's.
Dh has also managed to fiind two conductors lanterns with all the glass, and three old ship ones. Two of those are missing glass.
Does anyone know where you can get replacement glass for them?

[NCLee]

Check out these two sites. If you don't see the globes listed, contact the owners. They may be able to give you a lead.

http://www.milesstair.com/
http://www.oillampman.com/start.html

Lee

[debidoodle]

Thanks for the info Lee. I'll give them a call this afternoon, it would be awesome to have those two in working order for him for Christmas!

[NCLee]

Let us know if you were successful in finding what you need to restore those.

That's a good idea for a Christmas present! FWIW, that's the type present that I like. That's for sure. Doesn't matter the $ value. What does matter is the thought and effort of the giver.

I'd rather have a $5 item given with thought than a $200 grab it off the shelf just to finish up the Christmas gift list of obligatory presents. (Hope that makes sense.)

Lee

[debidoodle]

Makes perfect sense to me! (Said by the woman who was over the moon last week when her hubby made her three cheese presses out of pvc pipe, 2x4's, and some old bar bell weights that were in the shed!)

[wolfmoon]

I'm glad I saw this post. I have two but the glass tops are both broken and I was wondering about the smell aspect of the lamps. Is the odour linked to anything that could affect your health? I'd never heard of odourless oil so will have to look for that.

[nationalist]

I recently had some serious sticker shock at the local hardware store price for a 5 gal can of "lamp fuel".
I wanted to light up my wick lantern for an outdoors night light.

The local Shell station has a diesel pump and I filled up a 5 gal fuel storage container with diesel. I filled up my wick lantern and lit the wick. It burned OK with a good light and no problems. I would like to know if anyone else has tried this and their pros and cons.

[gregabob]

I've recently began collecting oil lamps. I had some lamp oil in the house and I used that, along with a little kerosene that was in one of the lamp fonts already. The kerosene has a nice smell to me....I'm going to get a gallon of JET-A fuel at the airport this weekend and try it--it's basically kerosene. A little lighter than Diesel #2. JET-A is around $4.50/gal. out here, way less than the $15 or so I've seen lamp oil go for. I'll try it and let you all know how it works.

[NCLee]

Those little bottles of "lamp oil" are EXPENSIVE! No doubt about that.

K1 kerosene, sold at some service stations for around a little under $5 per gallon (around here) work fine in oil lamps. Local feed/farm stores sell metal 5 gallon kerosene cans for around $10. From what I understand metal cans offer a longer shelf life.

FWIW, 5 gallons of kero will last a long time, if it's only used for lighting a couple of lamps, at night. IMHO, everyone should have at least a couple of flat wick type oil lamps and a few gallons of kero in storage. The weather we're having across the country right now is a good example. Weather folks, here, don't know, yet, what we'll be getting Thursday. Some computer models indicate the potential for a major ice storm. Hope the other computer models are the correct ones, this time.

Lee