Making oil lamps

From Cunnan
Revision as of 03:41, 2 December 2003 by JakeVortex (talk | contribs) (wikify)
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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 plenty of time
  • a way to hold up you 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 flowating wick, both of which work better for hanging lamps
  • 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.

see also: