Hi We’ve got an old French pigeon lamp and we’re trying to change the wick I think we’re supposed to put it in from the bottom but it seems impossible to thread it with anything inside the cage When I try to put it in from the top I can force it about halfway down but when it hits the wheel / teeth it just seems to compress and although the teeth catch it I can’t get it down below the mechanism… completely stuck would love some help ♥️ thanks Dan & Emily
In short - wet the wick with fuel, insert from beneath. A dry wick will easily be torn without some lubrication. It may help to use a thin piece of wire threaded down the wick tube from the top, sew the wire into the top of the wick making a loop, twisting the wire around the upstanding length, then gently pull upwards while turning the wick wheel. The Pigeon lamps, of which we have a couple, generally are fuelled with 'Au essence minerale' - in English, petrol. Not paraffin, not white spirit, not methylated spirit. They can use pump petrol, but Coleman White Gas is preferable - that's Gas as in Gasoline. Coleman Camping Gas (the liquid) has fewer contaminates than pump petrol. It is essential the fuel tank has its internal wadding in place. This wadding is usually cotton waste of sorts, stuffed in to prevent an explosion, hence 'inexplosible'. A dry wick should not be inserted. Always wet the wick with fuel. If you have sufficient teeth on the wick winder - lucky you! The wire below the burner is to stop the wick from bunching up when inserting the burner with wick back into the tank. Properly 'stuffed', the wadding will fill the tank completely leaving a hollow 'cylinder' of space for the wick and wire. Their light is brighter than a comparative paraffin fuelled lamp. But do be careful with the fuel! You may already know all this of course, but I thought I would add for general interest. La lampe à pétrole
Just got a small pigeon lamp and came here to ask about the wadding in the fuel part. That’s been answered but I’d like to know if it’s impossible to use any other fuel than petrol? Thank you.
Hi @Mary Brooks-Davies and Welcome! sadly i don’t have a Pigeon lamp but i’m sure other members do? hopefully they can advise best regards, p
Really? dried mushrooms ?? that’s very interesting Do you mean similar to a field mushroom or some type of toadstool ? thanks @WimVe
Afaik the tanks of these lamps are filled with camel hair or horse hair. The mushroom thing is known to me as to be used as tinder fungus for making fires because they are very easy to light and smolder for a long time
I have a selection of pigeon lamps and I burn paraffin in them although I do buy the more expensive stuff with less odour
