Making oil lamps: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:54, 2 December 2004

To make an easy modern recreation of a period oil lamp you will need:

A vessel - search your local op-shop for a shallow bowl, ashtray, fake lamp, beaker or similar in glass, stone, ceramic or metal.
some wicking- apparently cotton mop heads work as well, if not better than commercial wicking (and a lot cheaper)
oil - buy some cheap olive oil at the supermarket. Don't worry, a small bottle should last you for a long time.
a way to hold up your wick - you can just drape your wick over the side of the vessel, or you can wind a triangle out of some wire around an eyelet shape to hold the wick, or with some cork and a washer create a floating wick.
a saucer - if you drape the wick over the edge of your vessel, it will drip oil. A saucer underneath your lamp will save the tablecloth, and keep the autocrat happy at feasts.

Assemble your components and test out your new lamp. Tell your friends.

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 *some wicking- apparently [[cotton]] mop heads work as well, if not better than commercial wicking (and a lot cheaper)
 *[[oil]] - buy some cheap [[olive oil]] at the supermarket.  Don't worry, a small bottle should last you for a long time.
-*a way to hold up your wick - you can just drape your wick over the side of the vessel, or you can wind a triangle out of some wire around an eyelet shape to hold the wick, or with some work and a washer create a floating wick, both of which work better for hanging lamps
+*a way to hold up your wick - you can just drape your wick over the side of the vessel, or you can wind a triangle out of some wire around an eyelet shape to hold the wick, or with some cork and a washer create a floating wick.
 *a saucer - if you drape the wick over the edge of your vessel, it will drip oil.  A saucer underneath your lamp will save the [[tablecloth]], and keep the autocrat happy at [[feast]]s.