Where can I buy an oil lamp?

So you have decided to buy an oil (kerosene) lamp but where do you start?

The first consideration is what type of lamp you wish to purchase.

To begin with, you may wish to refer to my previous article:  Why do people buy oil lamps?

If you decide on a practical oil lamp, what should you look for?

The answer is there are several levels or types of practicality available.

Let’s take a look at these areas now.

Flat wick kerosene lamps

There are basic no frills flat wick lamps such as barn lamps (also known as hurricane lamps) and glass  lamps  for the home available from most camping or disposal stores and also from selected variety stores.

Flat wick lamps offer low starting prices and ease of use but don’t produce a high level of illumination.

They are also suitable for burning citronella as an outdoor insect repellent.

Centre draught kerosene lamps

The next level of practicality is to move to a centre draught oil lamp which will offer greater illumination, durability and aesthetic appeal but as these are no longer manufactured, the only option is to purchase one second hand.

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Why do people buy oil lamps?

There are many reasons why people decide to buy their first oil / kerosene lamp.

Practicality

For some people it is purely practical. They need a non-electric light source that is cost effective, easy to use and gives good illumination.

Period home decorators

Other people come to oil lamps, particularly antique oil lamps, through a desire to decorate their period home in an authentic manner. For these people, the aesthetic appeal is the principal focus.

Investment

Yet other people purchase antique oil lamps as an investment. Age, authenticity, condition, rarity, working order and provenance are all considerations in this category and contribute toward determining the investment value of a lamp.

Memories

There are also a group of people who have fond childhood memories of staying with relatives during school holidays, particularly in rural areas, where the only lighting they had was from kerosene lamps.

Which group do you belong to?

No matter what the reason is for buying your first kerosene lamp, it is highly likely that it won’t be your last purchase.

Most often, when the wick on an antique oil lamp won’t move freely, it is because it has been dried out for a long period of time and the fibres of the wick have adhered to the draught tube. If the wick on your oil lamp won’t move freely using the wick raiser, do not attempt to force it. If you do force it, there is a strong likelihood that you will damage the wick raising mechanism and repairing it may not be possible.

In the majority of instances, all that is needed to free up the wick is to fill the lamp with enough oil to cover the bottom of the wick and then let it stand for a while so that the wick can draw the oil up. Often it only takes an hour or two to loosen the wick but in some instances it can take a day or so. Once the fibres of the wick have been adequately soaked, the strength of the bond between the wick and the wick tube should be reduced.

The next step depends on the type of burner on your oil lamp and here are some examples.

With earlier style oil lamps such as this one, remove the flame spreader and the burner to expose the wick around the draught tube.

Fully assembled before you start

Burner and flame spreader removed from font

Grip wick on draught tube and twist gently back and forth

Grip the wick with your hand and gently turn it backwards and forwards around the wick tube. If it still won’t move, leave it to soak awhile longer. Once the wick moves freely on the tube you can then test to see if the wick raising mechanism is working properly.

If you decide to remove the wick completely, take particular note of how the wick is secured around the draught tube so that you can re-assemble it correctly.

For later style oil lamps where the wick and the wick raiser is incorporated into the burner, the procedure is a little different.

Fully assembled before you start

Wick is integrated into the burner assembly

Again, remove the flame spreader first. Now unscrew the burner a little then work it backwards and forwards (a little more each time) to free up the wick. Once the wick is free, unscrew the burner and remove it completely from the oil lamp.

For any oil lamp, once the wick has been removed from the draught tube, it often pays to give the tube a light sanding with a fine grade wet & dry or steel wool to remove any build up and will assist in keeping the wick raiser working smoothly.

Re-assemble the oil lamp and the wick raiser should be able to raise and lower the wick smoothly. If it still isn’t free after this time, then generally there is a problem with the wick raising mechanism itself…..but that’s a whole other story.

An antique is not held to be an antique until it’s had its 100th birthday.  It’s this centenary that gives it the title “antique”.  However, it is not just the age of the object that classifies its value.  

By example, a little Roman oil lamp in original condition can be purchased for a very small price, although the lamp was made in some provincial Roman pottery in the year A.D 100.  The reason is that these little oil burning, pottery lamps were made by the thousand, lamps of this style being the standard throughout the vast Roman Empire.  Even with losses through breakage and damage over the past 2000 years, very large numbers are still available for a small price today.

Availability and condition are two major factors which influence the value of antique lighting, in fact, all art and antiques are subject to this rule.

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