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I have a few of the straight galvi ones, and one with the black over galvi. They're the same great lantern and should weight the same. I see that only the set with the colored globe is 4lbs, I'd guess the fancier colored globe has more/heavier packaging. WT Kirkman finds manufacturers to make things to their specs, so probably the clear globe and colored globes come from different manufacturers in different packages. I've got extra globes that came in heavy cardboard tubes. These things are pretty tall, so packaging is not easy. All-in-all they work really well for a 20 some dollar machines. They were sub $20 when I bought several. WT Kirkman is great to deal with in my experience, so just call them if you have questions. One I received got smashed by UPS, and WT Kirkman was real nice about getting me a new one. I've had my since before Y2K and all still work great. I use one camping every time I go, because they're so easy to get going, robust, portable, and provide adequate light to do things with. I have several Dietz brand lanterns too, but the WT Kirkman's seem better, not only because of the corrosion resistant galvi finish. |
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But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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You mean mantles, dont ya? And yes, a spare wick or two wont hurt.... but they last a very long time. |
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Paddle faster, I hear banjo music!
Its like trying to teach a pig to sing. Its a waste of your time and after a while you realize the pig likes the attention. |
We need more links to some of these lamps and lanterns!!!!!
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Thanks, like I said, I would have never known anything about these lamps if it had not been for the info in this thread. I also would not have known it was a good price. I don't think aladdin sells anything new for under $100.00. I thought $34.50 had to be a mistake, thought maybe I misread and it was $134.50. But I pulled them down from the top shelf and asked if that was the correct price. I think the old guy at the store was glad to get rid of them (after 33yrs) ETA: The burners are 'C' models. |
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That new I was quoting is really "Not used, still in the box" but manufactured 30 years ago. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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I'm sure they do, however compared to a flat wick its a delicate instrument. |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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Compared to the railroad lantern style flat wicks, yes. The Alladins are not really made to be moved around a lot. They equal your desk lamps that sit on furniture and never move. The flat wick lamps are more like your trouble lights and could be an old style flashlight. When I was really little we had small, glass, flatwick lamps with a handle on them for night time runs to the bathroom.... and in the winter when the water line was frozen we used a railroad style for trips to the outhouse. The Alladins would not have held up well for those uses. But if the Alladins are sitting on a table somewhere and not moved except for dusting and such the wicks and mantles last for a very long time! |
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Paddle faster, I hear banjo music!
Its like trying to teach a pig to sing. Its a waste of your time and after a while you realize the pig likes the attention. |
TJ, didn't read all the posts to see if someone thanked you, but wanted to say thanks for the write-up on lamps. very comprehensive, helped me a lot....
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"Focus on the front sight.....Smooth on the trigger..."
Armalite 20 inch - or nothing. When they come to take your guns, give them up. One round at a time. America is not at war.The Military is at war. America is at the mall. |
Its amazing how this stuff sparks memories of our youth and often those memories remind of us long forgotten survival skills. Its one of the reason's I watch older movies especially those with rural settings. I'm watching the Sissy Spacek movie "The Raggedy Man" one day which setting is a rural Texas town in WWII, when suddenly I see something I hadn't thought of in years. I was laughing so hard my wife thought I was nuts. One of the little boys in the movie had a habit of gong to the outhouse in the middle of the night. In one hand he always had his trusty railroad lantern and in the other one a short stick. When he gets to the outhouse, he rattles that stick around the hole. OMG! That just broke me up. I had totally forgotten the old stick down the outhouse rattle to scare the snakes off trick. Now tell that's something we think of everyday? Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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Ever wonder how much you would know if you could recall everything you knew once? Thats one huge benifit of this place... I learn some, but I am reminded of more forgotten stuff than I realize I had forgotten.... if that makes any sense! We didnt have to worry about snakes.... but our outhouse was wood on 2 sides and canvas on two sides. In good weather you could pin the canvas back for air and view. We kept a H&R 22 revolver and a box of shells down there so you could shoot red squirrels. I got a couple rabbits to! |
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Paddle faster, I hear banjo music!
Its like trying to teach a pig to sing. Its a waste of your time and after a while you realize the pig likes the attention. |
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I have a Britelyte lantern. It's been a while since I used it but I can remember most of the good and bad points. Executive summary: I recommend them, they're a nice piece of kit but lighting them takes some practice and they might need a little tinkering to get running right. They are supposed to burn any petro-fuel, but I'm a little wary of a pressurized container of gasoline. I use Kerosene, sometimes with a little coleman fuel mixed in. Mine has the stainless nozzle (the part that the mantle ties onto, they refer to it as part #3) and the high-performance mixing tube, and the sombrero-like reflector. It generates tremendous light and quite a bit of heat, I sometimes use it to knock the chill off my work shop. I recommend their easy-pump adapter and a bicycle pump. Using the built-in pump takes a LONG time. They are fully serviceable, I believe you could build one from scratch by ordering parts. I ordered spare seals and a spare globe. Order at least a dozen mantles as they're easily broken once they've been lit, and only cost about a buck each. The design is also a little bit finicky, and some of the parts get extremely hot. The thermal cycling can loosen screws, especially the mixing tube and nozzle. I found this out the hard way and the mixing tube height has to be just right, thermal cycling tends to make it creep downward. If the adjustment is wrong the tube will overheat, expand and the nozzle will drop out with an incandescent mantle leaving an open pipe with vaporized fuel coming out under pressure. Lighting them can be a little tricky. Get a can of SLX denatured alcohol and use it for priming. Don't be shy with the little blowtorch. Practice with the shiny cap removed as it'll get sooted up pretty badly when the thing flares up. Do not light them inside any structure, they are prone to flare up if not sufficiently preheated. The instruction video is pretty helpful Tip: light using Coleman fuel the first few times, then graduate to kerosene. There were a couple of workmanship issues with the lantern - the threads around the pump are a little crooked, but work OK and there were a few leaks around the valve and preheater but they were easily fixed. I had to trim the heat shield a little bit to get it to lay flat. Nothing worth sending back to the factory for. Interesting factoid: shortly after I got this lantern I was in Papua New Guinea for business. We were traveling back to our hotel around dusk and got stopped at some sort of checkpoint; they had a britelyte (or original petromax, I wasn't going to chat up the guards about the finer points of their light source) hanging in their shack. |
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Nice write-up TNC, very nice, thanks.
Britlyte, Petromax, and few others are all off takes from the old original SVEA European multi-fuel outdoor products. They use the same principle. I have a Optimus Hiker stove which is the same principle. It was kind of neat to read the same issues except on the lantern, things like lighting and the impact which fuel you use has. The stoves have the same priming issues. I did learn a neat little trick from one of our members here who on a camp had a SVEA 123 probably the ultimate hard to light stove but very fuel versatile. He used Sterno to heat up the genrator tube. I don't think that will work on the lanterns but that was pretty innovative. The products based on this principle certainly are amazing though. First time I used my hiker, I was putting through a test using Coleman fuel. Cooking a 2 gallon pot, I had the thing on full up. Man, I was impressed with the performance as it was beating a home gas range on output. It was at looking at the heat it was generating, I got worried I had a small bomb in the making. I simply turned it down some. I sometimes think many of us are gear spoiled. I know I was. We're so use to idiot proof gear. The Colemans now you don't even need a match on the newer models. I'd venture to guess most people would even ask what that little metal crank is for on the old Coleman 1510s. Another problem I have is this what I think of as "Man Job" thing like tackling all things mechanical. Having a 17 year old son has really pointed out to me how I always do this stuff leaving my family a little handicapped. Last night my son's truck had a flat. Use to my large compressor and now its broke, he didn't think of using one of the little electric pumps. I didn't think and just hooked one up. I look over my shoulder and watch him take it off and put it back on himself so he would learn. I have come to the conclusion this has impacted my gear selection opting more for idiot proof stuff. I'm working to correct that. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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I want to ask a question.
Any of you guys wall mount a mantle type Alladin? say with a reflective disc bracket? It strikes me that would be a great idea and good solution to lightng the long hallways my house has. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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A CO/fire alarm would be a good thing to have- of course I'm sure knowing everyone here, they already have them in the house. |
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We are definitely gear spoiled, good ol' fashioned tinkering is a dying art. Ha - I'd almost forgotten the little crank on the old Colemans. That brings back some memories. My dad has a coleman 2-mantle lantern and 2-burner stove, they're probably 35 years old and still going strong. Once I got old enough, my big job was to light that old stove in the morning on camping trips, always cranked the little handle without any real idea what it was doing. That stove ran without a hiccup, all we had to do was oil the little leather washer once in a while. Then I grew up and bought my own Colemans, I had 3 of them (a little backpacker lantern and a big lantern and 2-burner stove). They all developed leaks around the needle valve. Now, I used my dad's Colemans for 12 years without a problem so I concluded (maybe wrongly) that Coleman had some QC problems and wrote them off. This was in the early 90's. Anybody had more recent experience with their new Exponent gear? Years later I got the Britelyt, primarily because I'm pretty sure it can be serviced and eventually I'll hand it down to my kids. It also has a retro-cool factor. The price paid is some time spent learning to run it. And they're pretty expensive up front, but if they last a decade the cost-per-year looks pretty good. RE: wall mount lanterns. I have a couple of nice wick lanterns from Lehmans, wall mounted with reflectors - one lights a hallway, basically a night light for those midnight bathroom trips. I also got 2 of the Aladdin (genie III I think), but haven't tried to wall mount them. One is for the kitchen, and sits on the counter. The other is basically a spare. The aladdins are pretty heavy, and generate a lot of heat. If you wall mount, be sure: 1. The bracket is sufficiently strong and anchored into a stud. The penalty for a lit lamp falling off the wall full of fuel would be severe. 2. The top of the chimney has sufficient clearance from the ceiling. The hot flue gas will, at the best, blacken the ceiling. At worst it'll burn the house down. I believe they make a little brass shield to hang above the chimney. 3. Mount them high enough to clear your shoulder so they don't get bumped when you (or the tallest household member) walks by. But not so high they are difficult to refuel. Also see (2.) above :) A wall mount reflector behind the lantern will almost double the effective light delivered to the room, almost for free. |
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Here's a pic of my daughter camping with our galvanized WT Kirkman Lantern. I always take this one camping because it's so quick and easy to get light. Not a lot of light mind you, but if it's close it's enough to read and brush teeth, and eat, do dishes, find things, etc. I have a Petromax, and it's a great "whole area industrial type light" but is just too much work and time to want to use frequently, and the jet engine noise, often spoils the ambiance. The WT Kirkman lights only cost about $20, so everyone should have at least a couple.
WT Kirkman does not make that model anymore, however. It was called the model 21 or something, and was similar to a No. 8 AIr Pilot, which was designed later in the era of these types of lights, so it was sort of the state of the art in cold blast lanterns. This model is full size, yet is shorter than the Kirkman's flagship model, the No. 2 Champion, such that it fits in a 7 gal bucket, which is just like the 5 gal plastic food bucket, but taller with a Gamma Seal lid. This carrier set up, is great because it provides a sealed, rugged, breakpoof container for the lantern. These lanterns do not completely seal the kero inside, so a little can leak out if tipped upsidedown, and kero contains sulfur so it stinks, and it's non-volatile, so if spilled, it won't evaporate away. |
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But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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So for one with no experience with the old school lanterns, what would be best between Dietz and Kirkman? I notice the Kirkmans are a bit more expensive. Does that speak for any difference in quality?
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It's my understanding WT Kirkman is an official distributor for Dietz and the Kirkman line is their theme park specialty line. I was under the impression that all Kirkman's came from the same factories as the Dietz except to different specification on finishes with emphasis on corrosion resistance, galvanized or paint over galvanized mainly, since park lanterns are designed to be used outdoor and left outdoors. In short they are a Dietz. Its the same basic historic designs with beefed up and offered in colored lenses etc. The Heritage line, once again Dietz factory in China, is a premium line with emphasis on decorative made just for Kirkman. Some of these are quite expensive, don't have the cost advantage of volume of the Dietz traditional products, but man some are really sharp looking stuff rivaling Wheems and Plath yacht lamps. I actually bought my first Dietz lanterns from Kirkman until I found I could get them for less say at Lehman's. Though without a doubt galvanized and choice of materials will beef up the corrosion resistance, the actual period antiques were typically not galvanized etc and still have endured a century or so. Other than one lantern, I keep on my boat none of mine are outdoor only and left in the outdoors. I personally tend to lean to more decorative lanterns for the indoor cosmetic aspect. Of course, Kirman addresses this as well with their paint over galvanized versions. To some of us, the additional corrosion protection is important and to others it is not. This takes me back to my original post on this topic even cheap lanterns that don't leak work will last a couple lifetimes. Its a very simple concept of tank, wick, crank, and glass globe. I personally do not have a galvanized version and certainly won't knock them either. In fact, I think they are pretty darn nice just not something I don't see a need for me personally. On a boat in salt water, or hanging outside 24/7 365, they'd be high on my want list. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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Could someone refresh my memory about the cleanest burning fuel for kerosene heaters, burning indoors, like the convective or radiant KeroSuns with about 9000 BTU's output.
Also, the oil company here says they have kerosene for about $4.75/gallon and that it is the same stuff as jet fuel with one less filtering step. Is there anything else to burn in kerosene space heaters besides kerosene that is clean? |
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The warning on the top of my railroad lantern reads "Use kerosene only". Does that mean I can't use lamp oil? Serious question.
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You guys are a bad influence.
I have a few old lamps, and two Alladin lamps. I just bought a WT Kirkman #2 Champion with the warming plate. For those of you with an Alladin lamp; use a tomato wire "cone" thingie, to slide over the lamp. You can then heat or cook on the wire. Thanks for all of the input guys. God bless America M |
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"Use of Deadly Force Authorized"
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Originally Posted By robie1:
The warning on the top of my railroad lantern reads "Use kerosene only". Does that mean I can't use lamp oil? Serious question. That's probably mostly about trying to keep idiots from filling it with gasoline and lighting it. Which people have done with kero heaters, with predictably disasterous results, since gasoline is volatile and must go like mad through that big wick, filling your house with just the right fuel air mixture to go off like a MOAB. Kind of humorous to think about, if it weren't for the human tradgedy involved. This "mix-up" is somewhat understandable since (as I understand it) in some states in the past, kero was sold at gas pumps, maybe even self serve, with the only distiguishing feature between the two liquids being that of the painted writing on the pump. Your railroad lantern is not very complicated. If you take away the safety and convinience features, it's just a wick set on fire in bowl of liquid, with some chimney junk to try and get a draft of air. And wicks are cheap. I doubt you could screw it up by some liquid that's only slightly different than kerosene. Try it and see. See if one gives better light. Just don't use anything volatile. |
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But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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Originally Posted By robie1:
The warning on the top of my railroad lantern reads "Use kerosene only". Does that mean I can't use lamp oil? Serious question. Yes, I'd I'd say so. It probably has a wick diameter over 5/8s. If not, then its just a warning to keep the non-informed at bay. It should run lamp oil OK though, see my earlier post on this. In short wicks work, well by wicking, which is a capillary action that pulls the liquid upward. Its dependent on pore size and the specific gravity (how thick it is) of the liquids they are intended to be used on. Liquid Paraffin and mineral oil are lighter than kerosene. Lamp oil is simply liquid paraffin that kerosene is added to to get the specific gravity up to where it will wick. It doesn't burn as clean as liquid paraffin but still cleaner than kerosene. If you use liquid paraffin in a larger than 5/8s wick, it will still work well on low settings but when you try higher settings it will flicker. Simply put the wicking action can't keep up with the amount being burned off. Its that flicker condition everyone calls gumming but its actually burning the wick that clogs the wick up preventing capillary action. The burned wick will prevent the liquid from moving and sitting there then gum up as the lighter hydrocarbons in the mix evaporate due to the heat. The flickering also adds to the soot levels by an incomplete burn. Many companies don't expect their customers, especially commercial customers with hired help, to know all this and often they will stamp all their lanterns Kerosene only. The rule of thumb is the width. Some sites say 7/8 ths of an inch but I've found the cut off really is more like 5/8s. 5/8s is typically used in standard size or smaller lanterns. I have three standard to smalls which I burn only paraffin and two larger ones I burn only Kerosene or lamp oil. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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I use the cheap lamp oil from wal-mart in my deitz jupiters with no probs........liquid parifin will not work on the big wick.....I tried.....seems like the cheap lamp oil is just a better refined kerosene......I think
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Thanks for the info. It has a 1/2 in. wick, so I guess it is gtg with lamp oil.
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damn. Took 2 hours to read all that. Thanks for all the info TJ and everyone.
I bought 5 cheapie chinese lanterns last week at the flea market. IIRC the wicks were about 5/8. Painted red. $4 each.........Haven't tried them yet. Not even sure where to get Kerosene in the little town nearby. I'll try them and give some feedback. Thank you gentlemen. |
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Originally Posted By hnrybwmn:
damn. Took 2 hours to read all that. Thanks for all the info TJ and everyone. I bought 5 cheapie chinese lanterns last week at the flea market. IIRC the wicks were about 5/8. Painted red. $4 each.........Haven't tried them yet. Not even sure where to get Kerosene in the little town nearby. I'll try them and give some feedback. Thank you gentlemen. You know I don't really count my cheap ones when I do these posts but I have many. Its one of my favorites for burning citronella lamp oil. The only ones I've had a problem with had a shiny chrome finish. They leak since the seal on the bottom of the lanterns really isn't that good. The painted ones seem to work just fine. Its kind of odd, I learned many of the cheap China off brands are specifically made for paraffin. From what I gather apparently the Chinese still use these lanterns a lot in their homes so want the lower smell and soot output. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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hey Tj, what would be the value of an old CM&S PRy lantern? It looks to be maybe 75 years old, in good shape. Same name embossed into the glass. What can you tell me about that? Saw it at the flea market today for $75.
Did buy 2 old Dietz. Green Giant is close to perfect, other is older, Little Wizard, not perfect, wick ass'y is shot., bottom is rusted through in a couple spots, put 3 coats of JB quick on it, that should hold up to the fuels. $6 and $7!! Also picked up several glass lanterns. One in particular has a heavy, discolored, thick glass base. $10. It has "Giant" lightly embossed into the base. The brass says "Queen Anne No. 2. Got 2 made by Lamplight Farms, both decorative glass, one is 7" dia. and the small one is 4" dia. Got one small white with no globe. 2 "coach" lanterns, small brass glassed housings with small brass lanterns. I think like the Omish use on their carriages. Others were small and $2-$3 each. Pretty good score I think. I've got a feeling I should've bought the old CM&S but I've got his phone #. Also picked up one gallon Kerosene 1-K and a small bottle of parafin oil. I want to try them all out soon. Tried them all, at least tested. All but the Wizard. Still strugling with it. Like I needed another adiction.........Besides black rifles! I'm hooked. Thanks. |
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Mainly intended as a bump, to try to catch Tj's attention for answers to previous questions.
I think I have repaired the old Wizard Dietz. I JB quicked a new wick ass'y onto it. 3 coats on rusty bottom. Next need to rob a glass support ass'y from one of the chinese copies. Should be GTG. Lever to raise glass is still there but glass bottom plate was rusted and in pieces. |
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Just the thread I was looking for. Thank you! Just bought a couple to try out.
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The Nuge "To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic."
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Cool info, now I have to go get out my Grandads lanterns, to see if they still work.
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Originally Posted By JLREED:
Cool info, now I have to go get out my Grandads lanterns, to see if they still work. I'm with you on this, I have an old orginal Dietz Comet. (First Introduced in 1934 for the export market, Smallest Cold Blast Lantern produced by Dietz, once adopted by the Boy Scouts for official use.) ...and two Adlake Kero RR lanterns, all 3 were my grandfather's. I think one of the Adlakes needs a new burner/oil pot. Also need another Adlake clear globe, as one of them has a thick Red globe, great for a caboose (or house of ill repute), but not much good for usable light. Same question as others, can I burn lamp oil, liquid parafin in these, or do I need to stick with kerosene? The Comet is a 3/8" wide flat wick, but I might see if I can get a 1/2" in there, if it will fit. |
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Great thread guys. We just has a nice ice storm here in AR. After reading through the thread I decided to order a couple of the WT Kirkman #2 Champion cold blast lanterns, with extra wicks, and a few containers of their lamp oil.
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The philosophy of gun control: Teenagers are roaring through town at 90 MPH, where the speed limit is 25. Your solution is to lower the speed limit to 20."
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Originally Posted By ColtRifle:
Originally Posted By Shooter7:
I'm looking into buying one of these BriteLyt Petromax lanterns. Any of you guys have one you can give a report on? They purport to burn all fuels: "BriteLyt lanterns run on a variety of fuels.. kerosene, alcohol-based fuels, mineral spirits, citronella oil, gasoline, Biodiesel, diesel fuel, Coleman fuel, & almost every flammable fuel available on the market." www.britelyt.com/lanterns.htm www.britelyt.com/images/lantern004.jpg I'm interested in this one as well. Anyone have one and can give us a review??? I've had a Petromax (PM) for a few years and have used it some in parallel with other kero lanterns. My experiences are this: The PM gives a lot of multi directional light and it's a great tool to have. However... It's very noisy when running. It's significantly more difficult to start than a wick lantern. Since it uses delicate mantles which break after a number of uses, I would estimate that if you use it once a night, you may have to replace the mantle once a week, or maybe once a month, depending on how much it's moved, and how roughly. The problem with this is that it may be dark, you want light, and you find the mantle requires replacement. Wick (e.g. Deitz) types lanterns are much more reliable, faster and easier. PMs have to be pumped up to start (I found a tire pump much quicker and easier for this, and I used that every time I could (get the schrader valve adapter). After pumping up, the PM has to be preheated (when using kero) before turning to run. All of which can be a big pain. Another significant issue with the PMs is "flair ups". The PM requires auto exhaust pipe putty to seal the nozzle because of the severe expansion and contraction of the fittings. This "glue job" only lasts about a month, at which time the lantern develops a fireball inside the globe. This happened so severly once (or perhaps repeatedly) that my kero delivery tube is warped and my lantern is out of service needed a new part. The PM would be great when you need a lot of multi-directional light and you don't care about the noise, such as if you have a group of people that have to do some maintenance on a vehicle, or are setting up a large camp, or have a large group and need to cook or do some "industrial" type task. For indoors with my small family, I'd pass due to the noise, the smell and off-gas, potential for flair-up, and work to get started. I like the WT Kirkman "Deitz" type lanterns for their ease, reliability, silence, ruggedness, portablity and relative safety. They can be used in groups for more light and I've read by them, although marginally. I really like LED headlights as well. If it looked like we were headed for an extended time without power or ability to obtain batteries, I look at the Kosmos lamps fore more reading light, or Alladins. As I said, I have several kero heaters that I use every winter in my garage, so I store 15 gals of undyed kero in a 15 gal poly drum, and use this for lanterns as well. OBTW, I think you'd be a fool to ever put gasoline in a PM and the sellers that advertise that are doing a dis-service to the public (and they know it). Search the web for this issue and you'll find write-ups by real, unbiased lantern experts on this subject. I've had frequent flair ups with my PM, which would be disasterous and very dangerous with gasoline. They are really made for kerosene only. |
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But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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http://www.milesstair.com all things kerosine powered.
Parts, parts diagrams, wicks for heaters and lanterns |
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Reading this thread has inspired me. I have an old Rayo lamp that has been in the family for a while.
I need a new chimney and wick for it but I can't figure out how to take the burner out of the lamp. There are several sites that tell you how to rewick the lamp, but they all start with "remove the burner" which is easier said than done. Is there an Arfcom of oil lamps anywhere? Hooptie |
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"Rayo" cool
Maybe info here: Rayo's and Such or here: The International Guild of Lamp Researchers I've read about Rayos. Looks like they used a tubular wick, like the Kosmos you can buy new today, and were advertised as being good for reading by. I gotta get me a Kosmos some day. I like the idea of a wick vs a mantle (for robustness and trouble free ops). Hmmm, well maybe not. Look what I found here: The Rayo was a round wick central draft lamp as were all the lamp makers, such as Pittsburgh Lamp, Plume & Atwood, Rochester, Edw. Miller, etc. – they were greatly out-performed by the new mantle Aladdins around 1907. These gave 60 watt from a much smaller wick and used half the fuel. The Rayo needs 30 minutes to an hour to REALLY warm up & produce good light, after that the flame can be turned up as high as 2 to 3” – (if you aren’t concerned about breaking the chimney)! The Rayo is considered a fuel hog by today’s collectors, which likely served the purposes of Standard Oil, its sponsor, quite well!
Maybe I should get an Alladin then for it's light and fuel efficiency. |
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But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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Originally Posted By MonkeyGrip:
"Rayo" cool I think so I finally got the thing apart. The Rayos and Such page said to soak it in hot water with Oxy Clean added. Well, I'm fresh out of OxyClean so hot water alone had to do. I turned the lamp upside down and immersed the top in really hot water and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Then it opened right up. Now its off to Lehman's to get wicks and a mantle. At some point in its history, someone soldered the tripod onto the bottom of the gallery. I'm not sure when or why, and I'm not even sure it's a Rayo tripod. It is slightly different than the ones I've seen in photos. |
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Ordered 2 Kirkman #2 lanterns tonight. Thanks to everyone who posted the great info in this thread.
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After reading this thread I ordered several lamps from W.T. Kirkman and now I have a question.
I just purchased several bottles of the Medallion lamp oil (suggested for the lamps by the Kirkman employee) from Wal-Mart. I read in this thread that the bottles become brittle and break. My question is, how are you storing your lamp oil? Are you buying metal fuel cans and putting it away? I intend to store about 10 gallons so I'd like something capable of holding it long term. I know that Kerosene comes in metal cans, is that what everyone is putting away for SHTF? Thanks Tom |
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Originally Posted By sjerdude:
Ordered 2 Kirkman #2 lanterns tonight. Thanks to everyone who posted the great info in this thread. My long term stuff in the shed is in the new paint cans you can get at Home Depot. The usage plan would be to decant it back into the one remaining plastic bottle with a funnel. I looked for new square 1 gallon metal cans (like paint thinner) or larger, but found nothing localy. There are online places that have those. For what I needed, this was a cheap alternative to more plastic blitz cans or something bigger and metal I could get locally. |
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Originally Posted By MonkeyGrip:
I have use the same 15 gal blue poly mini drum for the last 8 years, successfully, and it looks like it'll last 10 more. Here's a pic of the type of drum I use for kero storage (the blue one). https://unionwarsurplus.com/store/images/B15.jpg Metal would be better/safer for storage, but I couldn't find anything affordable enough, and this drum is better than the standard 5-gal plastic bucket/containers that are standard for kero sales. I do have a bung wrench and manual siphon pump, that kero/heater dealers sell. I've used (Israeli surplus) Jerry cans, and they work well, but I don't like the fact that they are easily tipped over. The 15 gal drum is stable and is light enough when full to be lifted by one person. I have a surplus store near my house that offers these barrels in 5 gallon up to 55 gallon. I currently have water stored in some 55's and 30 gallon tanks, maybe I'll grab a 15 for my kerosene, thanks for the tip. Tom |
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Originally Posted By sjerdude:
Ordered 2 Kirkman #2 lanterns tonight. Thanks to everyone who posted the great info in this thread. I actually went the extreme. It took me a while but I found an antique metal lamp oil can and a bigger two gallon galvenized brother that feeds the 2 quart little one. Those are the cans with a large center screw top and a small spout off to the side to fill your lamps. Its the same things folks used a long time ago. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels; And not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows - And did it my way! |
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