[Jerry McColgan]

My wife bought a British railroad lamp that apparently worked with kerosene.

Since we have lamp oil and no kerosene (short of going out and buying some) the question came to mind about whether there would be any reason not to use lamp oil in a kerosene lamp?

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[George Schreyer]

lamp oil is formulated for burning in hurricane and tiki lamps, ones with wicks. If yours has a wick, it will work.

 

[trainman707]

Jerry, yes it will work with a wick as George stated. I have a couple of RR lanterns that I use parafin lamp oil in. It's burns cleaner than most
other lamp oils.

Monte

 

[Dennis Paulson]

From what I understand , in the larger wicked type lanterns / lamps , the regular lamp oil is better than the ultra pure lamp oil . They say the ultra pure lamp oil will plug up / gum up in the wick more , and its ,ade more for the little round wick decoration type lamps .
I use the regular lamp oil in my large lanterns , RR marker lamps etc .

 

[Jerry McColgan]

Hi George, Monte, and Dennis,

Thank you all for your information.

I am always hesitant to try new things when others may have done it before me.

Regards,

Jerry

 

[Crisolite]

There is a prototype for everything they say.

I use lamp oil in the lanterns at the Camp 6 Logging Museum when I volunteered there. It added that extra touch durring the Santa trains.

Type at you later...
Ed

 

[Jerry McColgan]

Posted By Crisolite on 03/22/2009 9:44 AM
There is a prototype for everything they say.

I use lamp oil in the lanterns at the Camp 6 Logging Museum when I volunteered there. It added that extra touch durring the Santa trains.

Type at you later...
Ed



Thanks Ed,

Jerry

 

[Mik]

Always use lamp oil if you're burning them indoors, Kerosene simply stinks too much.

 

[aceinspp]

Work's just fine in any lamps as long as you do not get the type that's has citronella added. diffidently will smell up the house. Later RJD

 

[Spule 4]

Jerry-

One of the items I like are the old highway/traffic lanterns. Fun to collect and cheap, unless the uneducated seller thinks they are a railroad lantern, and finds an equally uneducated buyer. eBay is full of miss-sold "railroad" lanterns and even a few "railroad" museums have traffic lanterns listed as railroad lanterns....

Anyhow.......

There are a lot of lamp info on this site, check the FAQs for more:

http://www.lanternnet.com/

 

[Jerry McColgan]

Thanks for the additional good advice.

I will pass it on to Marilyn (she is the lamp collector).

As with most collectors she is the only one who really understands just which lanterns she likes.

I would kind of like to have kerosene side marker lamps on our caboose but having been made in 1973-4 it is too new to have ever had them. Instead it has small roof mounted lights on the 4 corners that were long ago painted over. I hope to eventually restore them to working condition.

Regards,

Jerry

 

[SteveC]

Jerry

Here's another resource for lamps.


(click the image it's a link)

 

[Jerry McColgan]

Posted By SteveC on 03/23/2009 8:20 AM
Jerry

Here's another resource for lamps.


(click the image it's a link)



Hi Steve,

I'll pass the link on to Marilyn.

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[George Schreyer]

another thing

In Britain, the stuff we call paraffin they call kerosene

Ain't English great?

 

[SteveC]

Posted By George Schreyer on 03/26/2009 3:38 PM
{snip...}[/i] In Britain, the stuff we call paraffin they call kerosene {snip...}[/i]
That's one of the nice things about the guild's web site...scroll down almost to the bottom of the page and you'll find two links "Lamp Term Dictionary" & "German Lamp Terms in English."

International Guild
of Lamp Researchers Ltd.

 

[Mik]

Since we are discussing kero lamps. Anyone know here I can get a burner, tank, and lens for a circa 1918 French locomotive light?

 

[Spule 4]

Mik, may be a stupid question, but do you know the maker of the lamp?

 

[Jerry McColgan]

Posted By SteveC on 03/26/2009 4:14 PM
Posted By George Schreyer on 03/26/2009 3:38 PM
{snip...}[/i] In Britain, the stuff we call paraffin they call kerosene {snip...}[/i]
That's one of the nice things about the guild's web site...scroll down almost to the bottom of the page and you'll find two links "Lamp Term Dictionary" & "German Lamp Terms in English."

International Guild
of Lamp Researchers Ltd.




It took me until now when I am 64 years old to realize that what the Brits (and GI's) were calling Paraffin heaters back when I was 17 years old used kerosene. Since I lived on base I never had a reason to buy Paraffin so I never realized it was kerosene.

Jerry



Paraffin: UK term for kerosene. US "Paraffin Oil" Paraffin Oil in the United States should be labeled "Not for use in Flat Wick Oil Lamps or Lanterns," here's why: In Europe, and other parts of the world, what Americans call kerosene is called "paraffin." In the United States, however, "paraffin oil" is NOT an equivalent to kerosene, and is not designed for use in either oil lanterns or lamps with flat wicks. The major differences between the two fuels are the flash points and viscosity. The flashpoint of 99% or 100% Paraffin Oil (Nowells, Ultra-Pure, etc.) is well over 200 degrees Farenheit, whereas kerosene has a nominal flashpoint of 150 degrees. Because of this, paraffin will only burn at 1/2 the brightness of kerosene in lamps or lanterns with 5/8" or smaller wick when the flame is adjusted to the same size. Paraffin Oil will not burn properly at all in lamps or lanterns with wick larger than 5/8", and will have problematic symptoms. Since paraffin doesn't have the same viscosity as kerosene, it cannot be drawn to the flame as fast as it is consumed, this causes the sputtering and wick charring, which in turn makes it even more difficult for the paraffin to reach the flame. Once you contaminate a wick with "paraffin oil", it must be replaced, and the oil must be drained and replaced with a proper fuel, either kerosene, or standard lamp oil. You should only use paraffin oil in "Un-Candles," "Floating Wick Candles" or or small wick, low consumption oil lamps. If you must use paraffin oil in a large wick lamp, it may be mixed 1:10 with standard lamp oil so that it will burn satisfactorily. I hope this info helps. Best Regards, Woody Kirkman

 

[Mik]

Garrett, the only marking is a stamped SNCF on the housing

 

[SteveC]

Posted By Mik on 03/26/2009 5:57 PM
Since we are discussing kero lamps. Anyone know here I can get a burner, tank, and lens for a circa 1918 French locomotive light?
Mik

Don't know that you'll succeed but try the link to the International Guild above, I know that they deal in and know a heck of a lot about any lamp the uses liquid flue and then some. I know once before I ran across some information on locomotive headlights, as a matter of fact that' how I found out about their web site, via a link returned by Google when looking for that headlight info. Take a look at their publications page they've got all kinds of lamp mfg. catalouges on CD that you purchase.