I have now acquired a couple of kosmos oil lamps and a flat wick oil lamp, I've been using "paraffin lamp oil" but its outrageously expensive, I've called around various local gas stations and hardware stores who tried to sell me zippo lighter fluid instead but no one seems to sell kerosene in my little corner of the world, could I use diesel without my lamps exploding? (at least, without it being any more risky than the paraffin oil I've been using). also read that mineral spirit paint thinner is good, has anyone here tried that? how is the smell/explosion factor? is mineral oil also good I've seen it marketed for food safe use. also, for hollow wire lights would it be possible to run open flame, bats wing type burners on it? or does the system only allow for mantle lights.
Zippo lighter fluid is gasoline (naphtha)! Don’t use it in a wick lamp! Addition: You need to use kerosene in a Kosmos wick lamp. Tony
As for hollow wire lights are you talking about gasoline (naphtha) powered pressure systems? Photos of your lamps will help us with answers. Tony
thanks for the reply, oh no, I don't have any hollow wire light, Im just playing around with the idea of installing gas lighting in my home, I only really started seriously reading up about it a few weeks ago. I really like early (1860s) gas lighting where the flame looks like a fan, instead of the pure white light from a mantle, more for ambience than usable light, but I don't think id be able to learn the skills needed to install the piping and everything myself, then I found out about hollow wire lights only needing a super thin little brass/copper? tube and not needing to be hooked up to mainlined natural gas, that seems like something I could do, although I had only just learned of its existence when I started this thread. I know almost nothing except that a series of lights are connected to one large tank, was wondering if they were something I should keep my eye out for
Gas lights and gas lighting is a complete other "sport". Old gas lights with mantles can be tricky because you first need to know if mantles are available. Open gas lights, like the bat wing, may not work at all simply because gas of today is not gas of yesterdays. Old open flame gaslights depended fro the light hugely on the carbon parts in the gas (coal gas). Now this gas is not available any more (I guess).
I use Lamp oil, I also get paraffin from a garden center, in 20lt Jerry cans. It works out cheaper. Don't use automotive fuels. I know someone, (from another forum) uses Olive oil.
