On Nov. 10, 1998 @ 13:43, Fred wrote:
I have seen whale oil lamps burning mineral oil. I know that mineral oil smells a lot better. For wicks, I assume the lamps had 'standard' rope/round wicks. I think Fil can correct me here if I am wrong. Best of Luck
On Nov. 10, 1998 @ 20:48, Fil Graff, Guild Secretary wrote:
Mark: Fred has it nailed! "Mama's favorite laxative", plain old el-cheapo generic Mineral Oil is the easiest. Replaces whale oil, Colza and any of the refined "heavy oils" that are near impossible to get. And, it doesn't SMELL DEAD! You'll ned to do some playing around with wicks. The tubes in a whale oil burner aren't any too big, and stuffing a wick in the tube will likely result in restricting the flow of oil. The round wick available today for the Chinese pseudo-Pixie mini-lamp burners is too thick (too thick even for a rally good burn with a burning fluid lamp using kerosene!) Mayhaps an athletic shoe shoelace would work...that's a place to start, anyway. :: Fil ::
- On Nov. 10, 1998 @ 21:34, Mark Deppe wrote:
  Fil, That's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! You have saved me the experience of stinking up my house with dead smell! How well does standard paraffin lamp oil work in these things, do you know? And while I'm on the subject, what would you recommend for a burning fluid lamp - kerosene, paraffin, or mineral oil? I've noticed my local OSH hardware store sells various sizes of cotton rope and cord, which I was thinking could be unraveled to get some of the smaller strands, and might just fit. So I think that's where I'll start with the search for a workable wick material. Thanks again, Mark
  - On Nov. 11, 1998 @ 07:07, Fred wrote:
    Mark, I would not use Kerosene (Paraffin in UK parlance) as it is too volatile. You really don't want the flame to travel down the wick into the font. Fluid Burning lamps, which followed whale oil, had taller stems on the burner just to keep the flame away from the font and the more volatile "Burning Fluid". Today, I would use mineral oil (and maybe mixed with a drop or two of turpintine) in a fuild lamp. Colza is - if I have my facts straight - oil from the rape seed which is a common cooking oil in some countries. So it is still available in some places. Fred
On Nov. 12, 1998 @ 11:33, Heinz Baumann wrote:
Hello Mark, Fred and Fil, Here are my experiences with using oil-burning devices: I prefer any type of regular vegetable oil over mineral oil. There are two reasons: 1) Mineral oil is somewhat an anachronism (a "modern" substitute for animal or plant products which had been used before introduction of coal or crude oil distillates) and 2) burning vegetable (or animal) oil produces a distinct odor whose flavor can't be reproduced by the "sterile" mineral oil. I call it lamp enthusiast's perfume that adds to the addiction of some, or to the dislike of others (then called "stinking smell"). Every open-flame whale oil burner generates appreciably more odor than chimney-equipped ones. A simple way to get a "string wick" for a whale oil burner is by twisting together some strands of non-dyed cotton yarn (or string). For flat or annular wicks to whale/lard/lard-oil burners, a regular kerosene wick will do, or alternatively, straps of loosely woven cotton cloth stitched together. Regarding terminologies. As mentioned by Fred, "Paraffin" is the British term for kerosene. However, "Paraffin Oil" is equivalent to light mineral oil and is available from chemical supply houses. "Fluid Burning Lamp", or more commonly called "Burning Fluid Lamp" (or misnamed "Camphene Lamps") use a mixture of alcohol and turpentine spirit in the ratio 4 to 1. Here again, whoever wishes to use such lamps will encounter the typical smell of turpentine that is rather intense with open flame burners. To complete this excursion into terminologies: The true "Camphene Lamps" (also called "Rosin Oil Lamps") use straight turpentine spirit. But to achieve complete combustion of turpentine, a well directed air draft is needed; hence, those lamps are invariably found with chimneys. Mark, I wish you a pleasant experience with whale oil lamps. I assure you, one can get hooked on it. Heinz Baumann
- On Nov. 15, 1998 @ 19:19, Fil Graff wrote:
  Heinz: OK, I'll agree with the lack of authentic aroma when modern sterile substitutes are used! My problem with using vegetable oil (commonly found as low-cholesteral cooking oils...Canola Oil is very close to Colza) is that they seem to harden the wicks to the point where they won't draw at all. There must be something added (to prevent spoilage?) that remains in the wick as the fuel is vaporized. I didn't find this with mineral oil. I'm not sure I really missed the aroma of original fuels when I switched to pharamceutical grade Mineral Oil!
  I want to caution those that wish to follow Heinz's suggestion and try to recreate burning fluid. This is a dangerous product at best! If you want to make a burning fluid lamp burn safely, use kerosene. If you want to experiment with "actual" burning fluid (and I have found 6 or 7 patents for different formulas, so Although Heinz's formula may be "correct", it's not the ONLY "Burning Fluid"!), do it as an experiment under controlled conditions, and don't burn down your house because you walked away from the lamp to refresh your pre-prandial libation! :: Fil ::
  - On Nov. 16, 1998 @ 17:38, Heinz Baumann wrote:
    Fil and whoever is experimenting with "burning fluid": The chimney-equipped burning fluid lamps could be used with kerosene. However, such lamps are fairly rare, if not very rare. More common are the open flame types and those you just can't use with kerosene. The kerosene flame will produce the prototypical incomplete combustion with soot all over (it would be comparable to the burning of an outdoor torch with kerosene). Burning fluid got a bad reputation not because of its properties but because the people has used it carelessly. I rank burning fluid as not more dangerous than gasoline, and gasoline is a well respected fuel for a variety of lamps (in particular pressure lighting). Not to forget, a number of the interesting vapor lamps of the period from 1850s to 1870s require burning fluid for optimal performance. In those lamps, kerosene would behave miserably. There are a number of recipes for burning fluid, but most of those are formulated for fragrance at best (hiding turpentine smell). Most paint shops will sell highly purified turpentine spirit (crystal clear) that mixes well with alcohol (95% or 190 proof). There is one point to remember, the mixture that starts out as clear will slowly turn yellow then brown when stored over weeks. Maybe an antioxidant will help preventing oxidation, but I tend to used the fluid before it get too dark. Moreover, I prepare just the amount necessary for few lamps. Regarding hardening of the wick by vegetable oil. For all those lamps which allow easy adjustment of the wick, I simple wind down the wick and leave it submersed in the oil until the next time use. Since we light many solar lamps, we have a number "under oil", often for weeks. The lit lamp is simply extinguished by turning the wick down into the oil. When the lamp is used again, the wick is brought up, the residue left from the previous burning is trimmed off the wick top, and the wick is ready for relighting like a fresh one. Needless to say, vegetable oil stored for long periods in lamps has the chance to turn rancid.
On Nov. 15, 1998 @ 19:27, Rob and Beverley Isdale wrote:
I would like to post my thanks to Mark,Fred, Heinz and Fil for the excellent comments on alternative fuels, wick sizes and materials,length of wick support tubes, and terminology equivalents. That is is great practical knowledge , firmly founded in hands-on experience. Thank you all.
Regards, Bev and Rob, Brisbane, Australia.
On Nov. 20, 1998 @ 17:31, John Ferrarone wrote:
Mark, (and others), I have used olive oil for several years with quite a bit of success. I start it by applying a drop of kerosene on each wick, then lighting. With regards to smell, I do notice some, but mostly after I blow it out. Personally, I don't find it that offensive. I have got to try mineral oil. It sounds like it would work well. John Ferrarone

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