Primitive Oil Lamp
It’s cold, wet, and rainy out so I figured I’d stay inside today and work on some stuff here.
I made an oil lamp. It burned for about 40 minutes before it ran out of fuel.
I used a clam shell as the lamp (I use clam shells to melt pine pitch in) I took a piece of cedar bark and processed it into cordage. I used the cordage as a wick and leftover grease from the kitchen .
The clam shell remained cool enough that I could handle it, although, with much caution as to not spill it on myself.
cedar bark
Processed
Made into a braided wick
Clam shell and wick
After about 15 minutes of waiting for the wick to absorb oil I lit it.
This is the lantern after 35 minutes and the rendered fat has melted
Even at the very end, the clam shell remained very cool on the far end so that I could move it when needed. It burned for a total of 40 minutes before it was just about out of oil and I blew it out.
Excellent! We used grease lamps & candles for about 20 years in our home. The grease lamps were a bit smoky though. I think the ceiling up in the cottage is a darker colour now because of the smoke.
Regards, Keith.
A Woodsrunner’s Diary.