What is an oil lame for?

[jamie]

I've seeing these around and while surfing the web I found a place to make them with all the parts.

I'm guessing these are a lot like the old "coil oil" lamps that my grandma used when the lights when out.

Is this oil for light and decoration only, or does it throw out a frangrance? I do know that the old original coil oil lamps used only certain oil that we bought at Wal-Mart. I don't think that type of oil isn't made for FO.

Jamie

[CareBear]

My mom has one - as a matter of fact when we moved out each got an oil lamp as a "just in case" gift (except me cause we were afraid the cats would tip it over). The oil my mom used was a cinnamon one - very cheerful red color when the lamp was just sitting there, very mild scent if I recall. But that could have been the oil itself - who knows what FO they used.

I don't know what a coil oil lamp is, but these had a bulbous base containing oil, then a long thick wick that was mostly in the oil and went up through a thingy so you could crank up more as you need it. Then on top was a glass chimney.

I think my grandmother called it a hurricane lamp.

[Antique Collector]

Kerosene lamps? They're good for light. I collect old lamps, kerosene (everything from flat wick to Rayo types to Aladdins), whale oil, lard, gasoline, etc.

Generally, older lamps are better quality than the new lamps, K-1 grade kerosene works in any kerosene lamp. That bottled lamp oil is nothing more than an industrial solvent with maybe some perfume added and marked up in price. Plain old kerosene (clear as water and low in sulfur gives little or no smell) gives the best light. Most of the lamps you see at places like walmart ain't very good in quality. A site, lehmans.com, has some of the best currently made lamps, but still not as good as a real antique.