Hey All, So does anyone else use or plan to use kerosene lanterns to supplement their lighting during bad times? Of course there are limitations, ( fuel being biggest ). But if using candles primarily, and more light is needed on occasion, a kerosene lantern could be a good choice. Posted a pic of one if my favs..
Good afternoon Jay, I am a strong opponent of lanterns using kerosene, naphtha, etc because of the fire hazard. Same with candles.
I prefer LED based lantern. When you have the mean to generate or store sufficient amount of power (generator, power bank, solar, etc) the benefits of using LED outweigh any oil burning lantern. However IF you do not have any mean to generate or store power, or expect to be in situation that you will not have any than I highly recommended Petromax. More so if you also use kerosene or Jet A-1 for other purpose (cooking or turbine fuel)
I have all of the above but for the longterm, the gasoline-powered ones will probably offer the best long-term chances of finding fuel. Even with the power down a hand pump will get you gas out of the tanks. I will probably have enough battery power to run LED lighting for a year or two but after that, we will go to fire-based lighting. I have 15 or 20 gallons of use peanut oil that can be burned in oil lamps, candles in mass, Kerrosine and gasoline lanterns, and a couple of candle lamps. The big thing is that people will adjust to the dark and need less than they now require. Sit in a dark room some time for 30 minutes and then light a birthday candle. DON'T looks right at it. Instead, turn your back to it and look around. You will be surprised how much light it provides if you can resist looking right at it and killing your night vision. One of the reasons that I have rather exceptional night vision is that I will not even look up at the moon if I am traveling in the dark. I also learned to look at things more from the corner of your eyes rather than look directly at what I want to see. These are things that I learned as a kid from an old man that was in his 90s when I was about 10. These are the lost things that people are going to have to rediscover and/or relearn in order to survive in a dark world. .My little candle lamps have mirrors that direct the light and I usually point it to a white wall unless I want to read or something that takes more light.
I have several kerosene lanterns and lamps mostly dietz, Aladdin, a couple wick type table lamps and a german made petromax.
Those Alladin lamps are great, aren't they? A have the parts for one but have not cleaned them up and put them together. I'm also looking for a globe for it.
The mantle lanterns burn bright and HOT. We used to light our cigarettes off them -- just hold the end of the cigarette near the opening of the lamp's chimney and whooooosh, one lit cigarette or cigar. Gotta watch out about touching those mantles while installing one. The oil in human skin gets into the webbing material of the mantle. The mantle will burn hotter in those places and will burn out / self destruct.
Recently bought up more wicks and wax to make more candles. We have numerous candles; still better safe that sorry. Wife bought a 20 lb. block of paraffin. One time when our kids were wee little ones, our TVA power did what guvment power does, went out. We five piled into the master bedroom with candles, lamps, and two dogs. We didn't freeze to death. Wasn't a three-dog night. It was a three-kid two-dog night. Freezing cold outside, but not for us.
A circle of women quilting, that was recreation / social-bonding, right? Maybe so, however quilts & blankets used to make the difference between going on living and getting sick & dying. There was never any scrap cloth thrown away in my world. My paternal grandmother used all leftover cloth (after making clothes) to make quilts. She had a pedal-power Singer sewing machine. Pap may have bought her that machine around 1920 (married around 1916) and she used it into the latter 1980s. It was never folded, was always in use.
This helmet is a dead-ringer for one that one of my uncles wore. Carbide lamps https://www.hsimagazine.com/article/illumination-evolution/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbide_lamp .
I have a couple of the old oil lamps (inherited them from my mom/grandma), plus candles and a few solar lanterns. Been making stone fat lamps but haven't used one yet for long. Dale
if there is a source of blubber, moss and soap stone, a kudlik can be fashioned together. Perhaps tallow, a piece of a cotton t-shirt and a tincan would suffice as a kudlik as well.
We have all three types; kerosene, gas, and battery. One of the battery operated is rechargeable if there is power. It has been a long time since we had to use them. It would be a good idea to make sure they still work.
for rechargeable lights I use light me light. Come with a solar panel about the size of a cigar box, a ten foot cord and a detachable light with a hook. I unplug them in the evening and take them inside. In the morning when I leave they are plugged back in. here's a link, I got a two fer deal but its the same light. https://www.ebay.com/itm/292767206932
Not me. They are smelly and create a fire hazard. I have a generator for "bad times". I have lots of LED flashlights for dark times.
Instead of kerosene you can use paraffin wax oil. You can buy it by the gallon. I used to at Walmart.