Alternative light sources: Oil Lamps for light, heat, and beauty.

First off, yes I know I need to dust but there is only so much time in a day and I have a lot on my plate everyday so dusting falls to the category of protective coating (giggles). That said, I always dust off my lamps before using them as one needs to be responsible with oil lamps in the house, especially if you are new to using them.

As I have mentioned in other posts I am keen on 1800s technologies and that extends to lighting. I do not currently live off grid but I have and I have done it with and without solar/wind. I have lived with no running water, no electricity of any kind and used an old school outhouse (which is no fun in the dead of winter in Northern New Mexico) and I can tell you that the stuff our ancestors were using in the 1800s is awesome.

So, onto oil lamps. This is just one of the redundancies I talk about in homesteading as I also have candles (know how to make tallow candles, beeswax, and paraffin), crisco stored to wick and use if need be, solar, electric.

I really love oil lamps and always have, I am not sure why but they spark my creative soul and add a sense of magic to my life. I feel more in-tune with nature and the turning of the days and seasons. There are a lot of types of oil lamps and it can get confusing at first so let me give you a general overview of what I use round my house.

The basic oil lamp that most people think of is the flatwick and they are easily the most common to find in the wild (secondhand stores, tag sales, ect) -- above is a double burner flatwick that puts out twice as much light as a single, obviously. However, all the flatwick lamps are really just ambient light and not good to do tasks by.

There are lamps of every style; glass, brass, cooper, bronze, silver, you name it. There are as many options for shades also. Something suitable for everyone can be found and used, from ultra utilitarian, like lanterns to utter whimsy like nightlights and nursery lamps.

Every room in my house has at least one flatwick lamp, be it hanging, wall mounted, floor lamp, or table type. They put off just enough light to get around and use a rather small amount of kerosene.

I also use a couple oil lamps to work some old folkish ways I learned from the women in my line, like this green prosperity lamp above that has some herbs, roots, charms, and other goodies to focus the will and mesh the energies of intent. I place my prayer papers under it and burn it with intent not for lighting the space but rather for illuminating my goals and pathways therein.

Below is a classic kitchen lamp. I just love these so much, this one is from the aesthetic movement of the late 1800s -- one of the things that is particularly nice about hanging lamps is that they have retractable chains that allow you to raise and lower them to your liking, not just to light and extinguish them but to bring the light closer in while working or when higher up the light pushes out in the room from above giving a much more illuminated space. The type of shade aids in the flow of the light as well.

Lets talk about lamps that are great for doing tasks by, things that you need real workable light. There are a couple types and we shall start with roundwick (Aladdin lamps are also roundwick but have a mantle, I'll get to them next) lamps such as this Juno below, they are wonderful and I highly recommend picking one (or three) up for the homestead. These roundwick lamps were a breakthrough when they hit the scene. This New Juno puts out light that is equivalent to a 60 watt bulb.

Aladdin lamps are considered the best light to perform real tasks by as they provide a clean white light due to the mantel (that is like you see in old train lanterns), they do use a roundwick system also but the mantle takes it to a new level of real workable light that is comparable to electric lighting.

Hanging and wall bracket lamps provide a sense of safety as they are out of the way. Table and floor lamps are the ones I use the least as I have cats and my cats love to jump on things so I keep all my flames above cat level for the peace of mind.

Below are more examples of roundwick lamps from Europe, they are slightly different yet the function of more light than a flatwick is still in play. The wicks for all lamps are easily available from a couple reputable sources, my personal favorite is:
http://www.milesstair.com
Miles wicks are truly the best quality I have come across and his wealth of knowledge is extensive as well as great customer service (he always answers email questions and has helped me figure out some of my more rare lamps) with a killer site that literally has all the info if you dig around.
*I am not affiliated with Miles in any way, I'm just a happy customer, especially after trying out so many other sources.

Below is an ancient type of oil lamp -- I use olive oil and place a wick in it and it burns for hours, this is more for ambiences, clearly. I use it more for very specific reasons, yet, I wanted to show you another example of what can be used.

This one below is a such a pretty baby, she's from the 1890s (as most of my lamps are but I do have earlier examples such as Whale lamps but this post is getting ever so long) and may have been used on a porch, carriage, or in a drafty hall.

My last example is another of my favorites, even in this state where much of the glass beaded fringe is missing -- lookit that slag glass.

Oil lamps put off heat, especially the roundwick and aladdin lamps (they can heat a room on their own) and are not fabulous during the dog days of summer so I tend to use mine more when it is chilly out, yet, I have lived in houses that were only lit by candles & lamps and would rise and set with the sun as a means to avoid overheating myself, it just seemed natural to live like that (says a night owl).

It's prudent to always keep some bits & bobs that you may need like extra chimneys and wicks. It is always sad when an antique breaks but the market is still filled with old original replacements and there are loads of reproductions if you prefer to go that route.

This is only a surface level look into oil lamps as I just wanted to show the range of styles and types that I have in service, if there is any real interest I am more than happy to get into specifics as I've been a user of oil lamps a long time. I will say this, in my opinion I feel that the new models in no way compare to well made lamps of the past that were made to be used daily, plus I am just attracted to old stuff, the patina, the beautiful of age and use, the imperfections and vibes. If you keep your wicks trimmed correctly you can make them last a very long time. Kerosene can be bought by the gallon at some filling stations and farm stores, even in 50 gallon barrels (how I used to buy it in NM) and is usually a decent price that way.

I hope you can find space for an oil lamp or two, if for nothing else the beauty and warmth they add to an environment, and certainly for the times when the power goes out.

Above is a shot of three turtles on a log from my walk about yesterday.

I hope your nights are warm and cozy as we head into the fall. <3