Tips & Hints
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TRADITIONAL OIL LAMPS: These are lamps with a base or font for the oil, a fitting for the wick, called the burner, with a winder, and a glass chimney which covers the wick to protect from breezes and enhance the light produced . Wicks may be round or flat, depending on the lamp.
OIL CANDLES: These are lamps with a narrow wick in a small fitting, usually no chimney, producing a smaller, candle-like flame. Wicks need to be very low, only 1-2mm above the fitting for best operation.
LAMP OIL: “Oils aint oils” – This is very true when it comes to lamp oil. Poor quality lamp oil may be made on kerosene and will smell like kero and cause your lamp to emit nasty black smoke. Qld Lamp Oil Supplies makes all our oils on a quality, highly refined hydrocarbon product which is virtually odourless and smokeless. To this base we add colours and fragrances if required.
The term Paraffin Oil does not mean the same thing in every part of the world. In Australia you can buy Paraffin Oil but it is often very viscous and some oil lamps and most oil candles have difficulty getting the oil to the top of the wick which can result in a small or non-existent flame. In the UK, they call regular kerosene, paraffin oil.
WICKS: Can be made of cotton or fibreglass, Cotton wicks can be round or flat. Fibreglass wicks are round and usually last longer but can become clogged if using fragranced lamp oil.
A tip to help with inserting round wick into a lamp fitting when the wick is frayed: Wind a long piece of sticky tape round and round the end of the wick beginning about 2cm down the wick. Wind the sticky tape on an angle so you eventually go past the end of the wick you are winding the tape around itself and can make a point with the tape. This point is much easier to insert in the lamp fitting, then just remove the sticky tape once the wick is in place. See this video for a visual explanation of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-elxMrDcXdQ
CHIMNEYS: When measuring a traditional oil lamp fitting in order to buy a replacement chimney, one hint works well: Find a flexible piece of cardboard and roll it up to fit in to the lamp fitting neatly. Use sticky tape to hold the cardboard roll at the right size. Then simply measure the diameter of your cardboard “Chimney”.
FIRELIGHT GLASS CANDLES: For best results follow the instruction leaflet provided with your glass candle. Ensure the fibreglass wick strands are flush or only slightly higher than the top of the glass wick holder. For taller candles, ensure your candle is filled at least 4/5 full for the initial lighting so the oil doesn’t need to work too hard to get to the top of the wick. Use clear or unscented coloured oil in these candles as the fragrances can clog the fibreglass wicks. For further information on the use of Firelight Glass Candles, please refer to the USA site: http://www.firelight.com If you see any items on the USA site, not listed on my site, please feel free to request a special order for no additional charge.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Traditional Oil Lamp” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:25|text_align:left|color:%236d1a41″ use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”3213″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
