Whale oil substitute for lamp?

[Joe Yanta]

I have read that whale oil burned brighter than any other oil in lamps. What is the best substitute for whale oil when used in lamps? Has anyone ever tried blending oil? Any light you could share on this subject will be very appreciated.

Thanks

Joe

 

[Riley/MN]

Just a thought, 'cuz I've never tried burning it. I've heard that transmission fluid was developed as a whale oil substitute. I'm sure that was for the lubricity of it and not for the lumens, but one could give it a try I 'spose.

~Riley

 

[wszumera]

I'm just making a wag, but how about olive oil?

Clutch

 

What kind of lamp? A lamp made espically for whale oil?

Most of the lamps we use now were developed for use with petrolium products, Kero/coal-oil/perifin/white gas. I have no idea if they would efficiently burn whale oil.

I have several primitive lamps of the betty lamp/grease tray type and they are very smoky and difficult to keep burning with the reccomended fuel of bacon grease.

My Greek and Roman type stone and ceramic lamps do not like olive oil as we know it today. They will burn sunflower seed oil but prefer commercial lamp oil. Makes me wonder how the Greeks and Romans got around in the dark!

With any fuel, all of the primitive lamps tend to blow out very easily. Globes solve this problem and also magnify the light, but are not practical on many styles.

Since we stand no chance of obtaining whale oil we may never know how well it really worked or how it compares with the petrolium based replacements.

Now if we lived in Norway...

 

[Joe Yanta]

I have several candle lanterns I plan on using at rendezvous. I will either purchase or make my own betty lamp. I dont know if the typical wick/kerosene/globe/hurrican style lantern is even PC for pre 1840? Just dunno. The liquid parafin works fine in the wick/kerosene lanterns I have.

What sort of grease or oil works best in the betty lamps. I have never tried anything yet, I dont even have one yet, but it would seem cured fats such as bacon with alot of salt, sugars and brine injected into it wouldn't burn clean. How about pork, elk, beef, buffalo maybe bear fat? Also, someone told me once that the fat on the kidneys is really good for something but I forgot what it was , terrible getting old.

I have about an ounce of whale oil my grandfather gave me about 40 years ago. If I still have it and can find it I will try burning some of it to see how bright it burns.

Joe

 

[Many Klatch]

I have experimented quite a bit with oil burning lamps at camp.

1st lesson was don't use Kerosene :nono: in a plain wick type lamp, it will burn with a lot of smoke and carbon and stink. Kerosene apparently needs the special wide aireated burners that you see on kerosene lamps.

I did find that Baby Oil burns quite well in a simple wick lamp and the amount of smoke is greatly reduced. For a wick I use a strand out of a cotton floor mop. One mop should provide enough wicks to burn for 100 years.

Olive oil will work, but it seems to be a little harder to keep the wick trimmed.

I have tried a Betty Lamp with bacon fat and found that it is OK on a hot summer night, but trying to get the fat liquid and keep it liquid on a cold night is real difficult.

MK

 

[FireMaker]

I use bear oil in mine. Can't find any whales in Superior anymore.

 

[fiddler]

I've never tried it, but I'm told that jajoba oil is the closest you can get get to genuine whale oil.

 

[Ron LaClair]

Whale oil would probably burn clean and bright but if a feller had any I think it'd be a waste to burn it up. :shake:

I like a Betty lamp because it'll burn just about any grease you have left over in the pan after supper. It shouldn't bother anyone that's used to sittin around a fire If it smokes a little. [url] http://www.pafcs.org/pafcsbettylamp.htm[/url]