(2) Clear Milk Glass Raised Oil Lamps (2024)

FAQs

How do you clean a glass oil lamp? ›

Simply dust as needed. Occasionally wipe with any glass cleaner.

When it comes to collectibility and value in oil lamps of all types, look for good condition, decorative fonts of molded glass with geometric shapes or patterns, pressed glass, depression glass or other colored glass, mouth blown glass, transferware ceramic stems, hand painted designs, etc.

In the early nineteenth century a variety of fuels were used in lamps in American households. These fuels included whale oil rendered from whale blubber, the more expensive spermaceti (from the head of sperm whales), lard and rapeseed oil.

The main problem is often caused by using the wrong oil. The oil that is best for oil lamps is purified clear paraffin (in the US called kerosene, but not the Jet type kerosene) which burns odourless. If a cheap lamp oil is used, it often contains sulphur and other contamination.

Yes! Oil lamps are capable of being used safely in indoor areas if used properly. Oil lamps are alternatives to electricity and are perfect to light inside rooms in the dark without the need for electrical lighting.

Clear lamp oil is often labeled for purity and designed for indoor lamps.

It is widely used as outdoor torch fuel. It is smokeless and odorless, making it the perfect paraffin oil for indoor and outdoor use.

Start wiping: Wipe the glass part of the shades with a microfiber cloth dampened with water, or vinegar. If the glass is still dirty, use rubbing alcohol with a paper towel and/or Q-tips to get into any crevices. Remember to get the exterior and the interior of shades.

As with many types of antiques, vintage lamps are likely to have a date stamp or maker's mark somewhere. Typically, these marks are on the base of the lamp, but sometimes there are also stickers on the light fixing itself that will include a name or date or manufacturer.

The purpose of the salt is to provide a support for the stick to stand. There is no chemical reaction between oil and salt to light a lamp.

What kind of oil do you put in an oil lamp? ›

Kerosene and paraffin-based oils are still the two primary lamp fuels used today.

Oil lamps give both light and heat when the grid is down. You can burn kerosene in them but they tend to smell like the space heater when you do. If you have an old leaky metal five-gallon bucket, you can punch some air holes in it and turn it over on top of the lantern to make a passable space heater.

The most important thing to remember when lighting your oil lamp is to never burn a dry wick. It will smoke and neglect to catch the oil. Prepare your wicks by soaking them with lamp oil.

A textile wick drops down into the oil, and is lit at the end, burning the oil as it is drawn up the wick. Oil lamps are a form of lighting, and were used as an alternative to candles before the use of electric lights. Starting in 1780, the Argand lamp quickly replaced other oil lamps still in their basic ancient form.