In early March, when we had some blustery storms during which we lost power for about 30 hours, we relied primarily on our oil lamps at night.
I love oil lamps. I've loved them since I was a teenager. I still have and cherish an oil lamp my parents gave me for Christmas when I was 16. At that age I often used it for lighting when doing homework in my bedroom.
While we have the makings for many such lamps, I keep three filled and on standby for power outages. Here I'm refilling them before storing them away. (The silver lamp with the handle on the right-hand side is the lamp my parents gave me for Christmas so many years ago.)
To fill the lamps, I find it easiest to pour the kerosene into a measuring cup. This way it won't splash everywhere when topping off the lamps.
Lamps shouldn't be overly full. Usually the base has some decorative marks and shouldn't be filled above those marks.
Because we live in a dusty household, I've taken to slipping plastic bags over the lamps...
...before storing them on top the fridge for quick access.
For additional (and harsher) lighting, we have some LED lanterns.
These can be powered by battery, by hand-cranking, by solar charging, or by electric charging, and put out a decent amount of light. Often they're preferable for reading in dark conditions.
After cleaning and storing away the three oil lamps, I decided to do something I haven't done in years: clean and prep the hanging oil lamp.
The story of this lamp goes back to when I flew out to Ohio with Older Daughter back in 2015 to drop her off at nanny school. During that trip, I made what I called my "pilgrimage" to Lehman's, the Amish goods store, which is something I'd wanted to see for years. On that trip, I admired a hanging oil lamp, but couldn't purchase it at the time since I couldn't get it home.
Unexpectedly a friend purchased it for me, and I love it. However in our old home, we never had a suitable place to hang it. Since moving here, I've stored it on top the fridge with the other lamps, but it was dusty and dirty and in desperate need of cleaning.
So I gave it a bath and filled it with oil.
Since it had been years since I'd used it, the wick needed a few minutes to absorb the kerosene.
Then I lit the lamp to make sure the wick was properly trimmed.
Don found me an "S" hook, and I hung the lamp next to the corner of the bookshelves.
It is such a thing of beauty that I almost can't wait for another power outage to use it.
So there you go. Genesis 1:3: Let there be light.
Your hanging oil lamp is indeed lovely. Is there a purpose for the circular piece of metal above the chimney?
ReplyDeleteIt keeps the hook or anything above it from burning up. Trust me, it gets HOT. Without that little metal plate, it would cause a fire.
Delete- Patrice
Thanks for the explanation! :)
DeleteI love your lamps and especially the pictures of them lit. It seems so cozy.
ReplyDeleteMy indoor animals are too much of a handful and I'm afraid they'd cause a fire with oil lamps. One kitty especially. He has a habit of "cleaning" shelves off to sleep in/on. He also "cleans" any surface he's curious about. I have reached the point that I'm doing something with him I haven't done with any cats for almost 3 decades. He is allowed out to hunt, roam, climb, and whatever cats do. I call him in midday, and he comes in for a snack and nap, then goes back out until late afternoon. He also is not allowed out until the day is bright, and hopefully predators have thinned out. So far our routine is helping us both, but I really wish he was more calm. He's only 7, so I'm hoping that isn't too far off.
Have spent many hours looking at Lehman's lamps.Should probably buy one just in case there's ever a time it would be safe to use.
Have burned out a couple lanterns like that, and have about 10 solar flashlights that seem to be on the decline after decade of use. Can't get them open to see if batteries could be replaced. Now I have backup power for regular lamps so at least lighting stays pretty normal during outages.
I really love the lamp from your childhood.
ReplyDeleteI am a camper, like to camp and like to travel and camp instead of stay in hotels. I like the small battery powered LED lights with solar recharge ability. I put them on the dashboard where they charge up so I always have a couple fully charged. There is nothing wrong with a kerosene lamp but there are better options.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you find your led lamps?
ReplyDeleteThe LED lamps are by a company called Agptek. The company used to sell them directly from their website, but that no longer seems to be the case. They can be found at Amazon (yuck, pitooey), a resource I try not to use except as a last resort.
Deletehttps://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Lantern-Emergency-Charging-Universal/dp/B013DAXFZA/ref=sr_1_5?crid=YB4GRGXDKKF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CKPgPhx3jSulJo6BEn2FXBq9fhMibgitSvjNfOQiK5EWjdWBHtA5ewkk1Fbi5wP0xJXrOEtytJDl92cwPs42Ll-V8D9VD-EW3B_r_mXZQtX6SUgPsA0kni-_xS6mL6miQqnGIlzyGVDLql6MA2iAXY9MPgIRz6cp9_oKhYnD8XRfqdFNDpZIEvz2tASioSgXXqAGtA26xyXJ4EiYUcSlyS1rDjjYnZVMeIvdg25d5dJDfYR0ab-zm_mpjwYzt0DYGRy8LLjfGXpe7mPCgCXMW-wrwr2QcTL8q9kOQYiHlhY.gmtAouZ_jZ3HzI1rwSRMQynGlvVRHm87LfojAu0a7HU&dib_tag=se&keywords=agptek+solar+lantern&qid=1711387809&sprefix=agptek+solar+lantern%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-5
- Patrice
Look up "Goal Zero crush light lantern" There are many others just as good. The reason I use this particular one is that it crushes down flat and can sit on my dashboard all the time. I have two. One is always on the dash and the other is in use when I need it. That way when the batter dies I have a replacement and I just swap them. No plug in needed. They can be charged by USB but the solar cell actually will charge them fully in a day or two.
DeleteI have two lamps and two lanterns plus ,supplies of candles. Along with the lamps, lanterns, and candles (with a good supply of oil) I have several alcohol lamps that will even burn rubbing alcohol. During a 2 day long blackout several years ago we even heated soup over a lamp.
ReplyDeleteYou need to get familiar with Aladdin lamps. They are much more efficient and a give a much whiter, brighter light. So cozy to read my on a cold winter night! Tractorguy
ReplyDeleteWe have several Aladdins, purchased back in 1998. However I don't like fussing with the mantles for short-term power outages. They're a better solution for longer-term issues.
Delete- Patrice
What 'fussing' do you have to do with the mantles? The only maintenance the lamps need is occasionally trimming the top of the wick when it gets get carboned up or uneven. The mantles are very delicate and you want to mess with them as little as possible.
DeleteJust saw an internet "show" that stated that non capital letter PYREX is not shatter proof as as pyrex is made of different glass as to semi sale of PYREX patent. ???
ReplyDeleteAlmost 2 decades ago a hurricane came through and I used a propane lantern. It's similar to an oil lamp but has a mantle, and sits atop a 1 lb bottle of propane. It puts out a massive amount of light. I've still got that, but doubt I would ever use one of those little bottles for that again since my last purchase at $5 each. Now I just keep them for Mr. Buddy. He has yet to be necessary, but almost was the last couple of years when the temps dropped so low. If the power had gone out additional supplemental heat would have been necessary. Lighting options have really expanded the last couple of decades.
ReplyDeleteYou live in a "dusty" household...I had to chuckle. DH used to complain about the dust in ours. I didn't have the time to get much dusting done - I hardly got vacuuming done! Between jobs he dusted once and complained how it was back in just 1 DAY! My response was the same as I would give to him - except in reverse. "I will draw in it all I want, but I promise I won't carbon date it!"
ReplyDelete