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antique oil lamps 2 Page 1Antique Oil Lamps - The Story Behind The Myth - 2
...As the oil cooled it thickened so the lamps were designed with the flame close to the front which was suppose to help keep the oil warm enough to remain liquid. The cost of whale oil continued to grow resulting in pressure for a different fuel source. What evolved was called the burning fluid which was a combination of alcohol and turpentine. This was a very dangerous fuel. It was so volatile it was known to spontaneously ignite and explode. Because it too was relatively expensive families began to make up their own mixes. The problem was these home mixes were even more dangerous than the "burning fluid," and resulted in many homes burning to the ground and many people suffering serious burns. But in 1850 things were about to change. A Scottish man named James Young patented a process of distilling coal that produced a lubricant that was called paraffin oil. The trouble is Young himself never completed the process of turning this paraffin oil into a liquid. But during the same time a Canadian geologist named Dr. Abraham Gesner had developed an illuminating gas which was essentially the same product as the paraffin oil except it was called kerosene gas. It burned well in lamps and was affordable. When refined oil began to be processed in Canada and the United States the days of burning whale oil and other fluids would quickly come to an end because the clear kerosene fuel which would become known as lamp fuel was cheap to produce. However, even with a more affordable fuel source improved illumination would not occur until the invention of a better mantle. The first decent burner actually was invented back in 1783 by Francois Argand and it was called the Argand burner. It was the first burner to use an adjustable round wick with a draft tube for combustion. It produced more illumination than several candles did. The last important invention was the mantle by Carl Auer Von Welsback, which increased the amount of light from the Argand burner by ten times. The mantle is a small bag made of a rayon mesh which has flamed off leaving an ash residue which produces an incandescent light from the Bunsen flame. It also produces a great deal of heat. This type of mantle is still used today on camping lights. It's hard to picture how our ancestors might have worked and lived with minimal lighting. Today we have so many choices and good illumination is never a problem. But it wasn't' always like that. Antique oil lamps certainly posed their problems but they were also a very important tool to daily life. Now that you know all about oil lamps and antique oil lamps, you should know if this is something that you need or not. Some people like to just keep one on hand for emergencies only, and then you have it in the event that you might need it. Related Articles Today lamp oil is a better choice because it produces less smoke and soot. It's still a petroleum based product just a little more refined. It is also not as toxic as kerosene or coil oil was as many of the pollutants have been removed. Lamp oil also gives you lots of wonderful choices to hel... |
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