One of the
kerosene table lamps I have is nice looking and inexpensive. The fuel stores
just about indefinitely and the lamp not being complicated it should work
whenever needed. It gives off a nice glowing light that will keep you from
being totally in the dark and that makes oil lamps a good lighting option for
emergency long term use.
As with all flame powered devices used inside your home there is always the possibility of a malfunction and a fire that could cost your everything you own and no place to go afterward.
As with all flame powered devices used inside your home there is always the possibility of a malfunction and a fire that could cost your everything you own and no place to go afterward.
The above
lamp has a less than 3 inch diameter base and is 13 inches tall with the globe.
Should the table it's on, like a kitchen table and someone accidentally bumps
the table the lamp with such a small base the lamp can likely tip over
resulting in a fire or worse roll off the table and break on the floor creating
a major fire.
Always use extreme caution and
care when using oil lamps.
To reduce the accidental tipping
possibility:
I
purchased an 8.5 inch diameter melamine salad plate and bonded the lamp to the
plate using a 2 part, 5 minute epoxy. Now it is as stabile as possible and the
likelihood of a tip over is greatly reduced.
Also it
is a very good idea to have handy an "A-B-C" dry chemical fire extinguisher.
I'd rather clean the house of dry powder than a kitchens burned out ashes!
Oil lamp
bonded to a melamine salad plate ($1.40).
A look at
the epoxy bonded lamp to plate. After centering the lamp on the plate I then
marked the plate with a magic marker following the diameter of the lamp base marked
a circle to aid centering the lamp and when applying a liberal amount of epoxy
inside the line to be sure all of the lamps base has epoxy contact to the plate.
Then setting the lamp into position. Be sure to scrub both the bonding surfaces
with alcohol to remove all traces of dirt, hand or lamp oils for the best bond.
It is
very secure (not that this photo shows much) but the lamp is permanently bonded
to the plate.
Be safe
with oil lamps! A spill, breakage or knock over can be a home disaster.
Here are
some wick trimming instructions.
This is a great idea as I have one of these top heavy lamps, too. I think I will use a metal pie plate so everything is fireproof.
ReplyDeleteI looked at Target and Wal-Mart for a metal pie plate and all they had were glass ones. But I agree the metal pie plate has its advantages.
ReplyDeleteIts strange that the base is small. Could they have been built to hang from the ceiling?? You can find metal pie pans at WM where you find cake pans and cookie sheets.
ReplyDeleteI purchased the lamp brand new in the box and it was to be a table lamp. There were no options to hang it enclosed in the box or instructions eluding to such a feature.
DeleteAs for the small diameter metal pie pans, that's where I looked and asking for help is a joke because the employees are not from this Apple Pie Country! I was surprised they only had glass ones which wouldn't work for me here. I guess where I live nobody was taught how to bake a pie, only how to eat an entire one by themselves in one sitting. :-)
Mike,
ReplyDeleteGreat idea especially, if you have animals or small kids constantly walking by the table or location where your lamp is located. Like you indicated, it's better to be safe!!!
Nice I will have to do this to my lamp . Mike while a lamp give light I saw a thing on line where a woman had used a can with both ends gone instead of a globe punched a few air holes and made an emergency hot plate.
ReplyDeleteLoving the updated Blog Title Photo of the Storm, Mike. :)
ReplyDeleteI searched for a free image and stumbled across this one. I think it makes one feel small and helpless when Mother Nature gets angry or the gov decides to without warning slam us, hence the need to live prepared in some way everyday. The big storm is coming and I'm not sure if it will be Mother Nature or worse a gov ending lifestyle as we know it! Your current tiny home lifestyle is what many have in the back of their heads as a way to live in the future and that's why your blog is so important in showing us how it can be done! Keep it up.
DeleteIt's time to clean-up the blog and try to organize the topics into a user friendly order. I'm running out of topics for things I do for myself and want to share with others who may be confused about what really works and what doesn't. I'm almost finished with the reorganization then I need to start re-writing each post to bring them up to date as some of my methods have been updated and if I'm any good at it, make video's of the topics as those I feel are easier to understand and give a much stronger connection than writing and photo's. Now I need to learn Windows Movie Maker or another free and very simple video editing software. Any ideas?
HI do you know how the oil is added to a lamp like this and where can you but the wicks? I was given one like this as a present but it had no instructions.
ReplyDeleteThe burner unscrews from the glass bottom or tank then you can fill the lamp. The wicks come in several widths, generally 5/8 or 3/4 inch wide. Measure yours or take it to a hardware store as they usually have the wicks and fuels you will need.
Delete