[TheForge] coal or charcoal

[Peter Hirst]

Andrew wrote:

"D00d, ANY oil will work in a wicked lamp"

 Not exactly.  In my historic shop, I want to use Aladdin mantle lamps --  
because they produce real light, about 60 watt equivalent.  I can tell you 
from experience that they and other center draft lamps will clog if the 
right fuel is not used.  I worked as the lamp guy in an old school general 
store for a year, and saw any number of Alladins, Rayos and similar with 
wicks that looked like they had been dipped in epoxy.  For technical reasons 
that I can explain if you like, the denser, heavier compounds in certain 
fuels build up in these wicks and eventually prevent the capillary action 
that they rely on from drawing any more oil.  Alladin speciies not using 
"smokeless, odorless" lamp oil, for example, because of its paraffin 
content, recommending only kerosene.  Which is in fact smokelss and odorless 
in a properly tuned center draft lamp.  I am currently working on 
formulation of a recycled veggie based fuel that will not clog a center 
draft wick.  I'll let you know how it turns out. So far I can tell you, it 
has to be mechanically filtered pretty fine.


Keziah