I have tried the #2 in the kerosene heater. It's a no dice. Now to change the wick and go back to the proper fuel. I will continue to burn lamp oil in the lamps. They will not let us use whale oil. Like where would you get it anyway.

 

Go with the Kerosene. It's probably the same. It's what you get to burn in the kerosene heaters that you could use in your house/garage with no fume problems. I'd be sure to go to a place that sells it specifically out of a separate tank, so it doesn't get residual #2 mixed in.

 

Is the 'heater fuel' at big box stores different from kerosene at gas stations?

Kerosene was $5.86/gallon, but the 'heater fuel' was $34 and change for a 2 1/2 gallon jug.

 

Local hardware store had plenty of the Medallon parifin . Priced about double what I paid for it 20 years ago, but what isn't?

 

Let me throw in a post to this thread that takes you to the specific page in my blog that talks about how to properly trim a lamp wick.

The hows and whys are a little long, so it's easer just to point you to material that's already been created.

 

We lived 10+ years off grid and several of those with no electricity. We had every manner of oil lamp and ended up with several propane lights too which have mantles like a Coleman lantern. We purchased a few Aladdin brand lamps which burned oil on a round wick below a mantle which were very bright like the propane lights so the kids could do their homework at the table. All our oil lamps got K-1 Kerosene and no one ever noticed the smell unless the wick was not shaped and adjusted correctly. It is sort of an art that you get better at with time. As a concession to nostalgia and for emergences we have enough of those (some with electric converters now) in our NH home. You never know when the power might be out for a week!

 

Our local Ace and Best Buy hardware stores have lamp oil on the shelf. Plus I have couple bottles in the basement... along with a collection of a dozen of or so old oil lamps including an old trainman's signal lamp. Just haven't used them in 10 / 15 yrs since we got the generator.
MikeC

 

Dyed diesel is #2 fuel...you want #1 or it will smoke and smell like a truck running in your house

 

Walmarts got it and will ship it to you.

 

I search for Lamp Oil. I get pages of oil lamps.

Using DuckDuckGo, searching for "lamp oil" with the quotes, I get mostly lamp oil hits not oil lamp.

 

Also look for candle oil. I only use the oil lamps when the power goes out. The last time was two years ago.

 

"red-dyed kerosene "

Dyed diesel? Tractor go juice?

I wondered about that.

Got the lamps from Dollar General 15 years ago or more from something like $5 each. Lamp oil is from there too, Medaliion brand, but I don't think they carry any of that stuff any more.

Found out these do a fair job of heating a small room if it isn't too cold outside. I'm low on propane and can't get any more for another couple of weeks. Just one lamp on a low flame has saved me quite a bit of LP. Not gonna say the price is better, but it's what I had on hand.

But I've got dyed diesel too.

 

"red-dyed kerosene "...Dyed diesel? Tractor go juice?

No, commercially available bulk kerosene is dyed red, just like off-road diesel. Standard practice. Only way to tell which is which is to pour them, diesel is heaver; kerosene is like water in comparison.

...including an old trainman's signal lamp.

These are what I've collected and restored: Railroad and roadway signal and marking. I won't have anything that can't be used as it was originally, with ONE exception: I have a super-rare Keystone Casey.

I need to start getting them sold; it's time for 'the next guy' to enjoy them.

... Aladdin brand lamps which burned oil on a round wick below a mantle which were very bright like the propane lights so the kids could do their homework at the table.

I have a few of these, made for railroad operation, and they are BRIGHT! Roughly the same light as 150 watts incandescent. Two of them are made for caboose service: they mount into wall brackets, and those brackets are sprung so that the lamp doesn't get busted from slack action.

One last note here: The best place to get lamps and lamp parts is Lehman's. They sell to the Amish, so you can guarantee that their stuff is both quality and reliable. Years ago, I was looking for a tall-chimney Champion - they are the best utility lantern, as they put out lots of light and don't soot up readily. Really nice gal told me they were out, but they had an order coming in, and offered to let me know when it did. True to her word, she did, and I ordered. The Champion is the best lamp in my arsenal for standing-flame lamps.

For pressure lamps, I strongly recommend not screwing around with ANYTHING used. You just don't know how good it is, or if it's going to fail on you - and a failure in a pressure lamp is so very not pretty...!

The very best lamp you can get in pressure lamps is made by BriteLyt. These people supplied lamps to the Armed Forces for years; the lamps will run off pretty much anything that will burn. Diesel, kerosene (best light and most reliable operation), even cooking oil (tried it and it works, but I don't recommend using used oil). The lamps appear to be similar in design and build to Petromax, but they are very different. They incorporate a heat shield which was Petromax' weak point - they'd mechanically overheat and then all kinds of nasty stuff starts to happen. If you do happen to have a Petromax, the people at BriteLyt will sell you upgrade parts, or just do the safety upgrades to the lamps for you. Their mantles are also the very best anywhere.

I had a 500cp BriteLyt for years, and besides being blindingly bright, it was completely reliable in all kinds of weather - stuff that would seriously bother a conventional standing-flame lamp. I could come in from working outside, let the lamp cool, then vent it down to no pressure; and put it on the shelf for the spring-summer-fall. Next late fall I would take it down, fill it, pump it up, light it, and go to work outside. Totally reliable.

 

If you can find paraffin, use that. Burns cleanly, leaves little soot if your lamp is trimmed correctly and the burn height set right. Doesn't burn as bright as kerosene, though. There's a local chain here called Bi-Mart that stocks it; should be something in your area. Keep in mind: No oil is "smokeless", any will smoke if you don't have your burner set correctly. Next thing down is as as Mark says above, K-1 heating grade kerosene. You can get that at the big box stores.

I've collected and restored lamps for over 40 years, and when I have something that's especially precious, I burn paraffin. Otherwise, it's K-1, or just red-dyed kerosene from the local gas station/heating oil distributor for the utility lamps.

 

Yeah, but olive oil is kind of expensive to use or lamp oil...actually, it's kind of expensive for cooking, too

 

Olive oil actually burns the cleanest and is a renewable resource. Kerosene has sulfur in it and makes it stink as it burns.

Bill

 

Use K-1 Kerosene

 

Here's what I found, searching for hurricane lamp oil.

2 Pack Gallon Smokeless Liquid Paraffin Lamp Oil – litvon online retailer

litvon.com

Bill