# How To Make An Olive Oil Lantern



## IrritatedWithUS

*Olive oil lamps are a great natural alternative to regular paraffin candles and kerosene lanterns. Paraffin candles and kerosene are both toxic when burned and are byproducts of the petroleum refining industry. Olive oil, however, burns clean and very slowly. Burning an olive oil lantern is less costly than using electricity and can save you money. They are also great for camping. Here's how to make your own easy olive oil lantern.*​
(PICTURES BELOW)

*STEP ONE*

*You will need a clear glass container to make into a lamp. It should be at least three inches wide to keep from getting hot. * *
I prefer to use a handled glass mug or a large glass mason jar with a handle on the side so that the lantern can be carried easily from room to room. Any glass jar will do, however. If you want your lantern to be portable for hiking or camping, you can use a short wide-mouthed jar with a tight-fitting lid. This will make it easy for you to pack up your lantern with the oil still inside and take it anywhere with you.*

*STEP TWO*

*You will also need a wick. You can use wicking made for a kerosene lantern, or you can make your own wick. I prefer to make my own by cutting a thin strip of fabric from a cotton t-shirt that is ¼ inch wide and about 3 inches long. Your wick must be 100% cotton or it will not burn. Other materials can be extremely toxic to burn.*

*The wick must be supported by some type of lead-free wire. I use 24 gauge craft wire or thicker. You can also use wire from an uncoated coat hanger or other type of craft wire. If you have fairly thick wire, you can make a handle for your wick which will help make it easier to light, but is not necessary.*

*To make a wick holder, coil a four or five inch long piece of wire into a spiral that is as wide as the inside of the bottom of the glass jar. You should be able to set it flat inside and turn the jar side to side and the wire should stay centered in the jar fairly well. Pull the center part of the spiral up so that when laid flat on a surface, the center stands up about an inch high. If you have thicker wire, you can make the end of the spiral extra long for a handle. Just add enough wire to the end of it to reach the top of the jar once the wire is set inside.*

*STEP THREE*

*Make a small loop at the center of the spiral and insert one end of the wick into the hole. Crimp the loop around the wick so that it is just tight enough to hold it up. You should have about 1/8 inch of wick standing
up above the wire loop. The rest of the wick should dangle down below the loop under the coil.

Place the wick and wire down inside the bottom of your oil lamp. Now you are ready to add the olive oil. *

*STEP FOUR*

*Only extra virgin olive oil should be used. It seems expensive, but burns very slowly so it is less expensive than many alternatives. You should be able to find it at any grocery store. Pour the oil down into the lamp just so that it is high enough to touch the top of the wire spiral at the base of the wick. Your wick should stick out above the top of the oil about 1/8 inch. Be sure that you wet the entire wick with oil.*

*STEP FIVE*

*Never blow out your olive oil lamp. It will create lots of acrid smelling black smoke. Instead, jostle your lamp slightly so that oil is swished over the flame to extinguish it or find a safer method. When used correctly, your olive oil lamp will give off no smell at all or it will smell faintly of olive oil. There should be no unpleasant scent or smoke. If your lamp begins to smoke or the flame becomes too high, add more olive oil to the lamp so that it is refilled to its original level.*


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## BasecampUSA

> Burning an olive oil lantern is less costly than using electricity and can save you money


Yeah, if you are generating electricity with Bacardi 151 or Wild Turkey...

With virgin olive oil going for $41.00 a gallon, I'll stick to kerosene, it's only $3.31 a gallon.

Oh, wait, sorry - you said Extra-virgin... that goes for $63.00 a gallon...

Thanks anyway 

- Basey

Hmmm... maybe he's rich


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## IrritatedWithUS

BasecampUSA said:


> Yeah, if you are generating electricity with Bacardi 151 or Wild Turkey...
> 
> With virgin olive oil going for $41.00 a gallon, I'll stick to kerosene, it's only $3.31 a gallon.
> 
> Oh, wait, sorry - you said Extra-virgin... that goes for $63.00 a gallon...
> 
> Thanks anyway
> 
> - Basey
> 
> Hmmm... maybe he's rich


I'm not hinting to use all olive oil lamps. A few of those lamps would be cool. I find it nice to make your own things. And in terms of being "green", olive oil is the way to go as opposed to stricktly kerosene. It's nice to know there is an alternative.


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## JayJay

BasecampUSA said:


> Yeah, if you are generating electricity with Bacardi 151 or Wild Turkey...
> 
> With virgin olive oil going for $41.00 a gallon, I'll stick to kerosene, it's only $3.31 a gallon.
> 
> Oh, wait, sorry - you said Extra-virgin... that goes for $63.00 a gallon...
> 
> Thanks anyway
> 
> - Basey
> 
> Hmmm... maybe he's rich


Why do I have to make something?? Why can't I use the 3 oil lanterns I have with my supplies??


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## JayJay

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I'm not hinting to use all olive oil lamps. A few of those lamps would be cool. I find it nice to make your own things. And in terms of being "green", olive oil is the way to go as opposed to stricktly kerosene. It's nice to know there is an alternative.


Let's all strive to go green while Al and Nancy fly in their jumbo jets twice a week???


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## IrritatedWithUS

Hmmm, I just wanted to show people a different alternative to lanterns.


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## drhwest

I think it's an interesting idea. Two thousand years ago it was commonly used as lamp fuel. I think I'll try it just for the novelty of it. You can get 1.3 gal.(5L) at Sam's Club for $22.

I think it is a wise thing to go green. Petrochemical products will only get more expensive as the years go by. I believe that Peak Oil is a real issue and I see my children dealing with a world with dwindling oil supplies.


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## The_Blob

it's a nice thought, Irritated, there are plenty of food & non-food oil producing plants with better fuel-oil yields for your purposes tho... it is unfortunate that most of the *well-meaning* people involved in many 'greenovations' have had their efforts misdirected by corrupt (I believe Algore was mentioned) sociopolitical puppetmasters and channeled into the least efficient/effective avenues of study, while better, less mainstream processes are scoffed at until 'proven'.

List of vegetable oils - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

has good list to *start* any research with, it is by no means exhaustive or to be considered research in & of itself


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## nj_m715

Man, rough crow around here. There's no need to buy the oil or use any special type of oil. For this purpose veggie is veggie. I made two last month with my son after someone here posted a link when I asked about making candle wax. All of the parts were already laying around in the basement, so you could say they are free lanterns. You can burn used or waste cooking oil making the fuel free. 
Why not just use your 3 lamps you already have? Maybe you need to light more rooms, maybe your neighbor or family needs light, maybe you want to cook ramen noodles or instant coffee, maybe you dropped one of your lamps and broke it. It's always nice to have more options. 
A very fast simple way to make one is to use a 1/4 or 5/16 nut as the wick holder. Just put a couple short pieces of string into the nut and pull them about 1/4 through. The long ends get fanned out on the bottom of the mason jar. Add oil and keep it just below the top of the nut.


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## nj_m715

It's just the same as you described, but here's the link:

Quote:
Originally Posted by nj_m715 
That's what I was thinking Sue, but I just can't find anything ( I'm normally pretty good w/ google key words). If veg oil can burn in a wick lantern and soap is just veg oil with a little lye... who knows? I'm half tempted to stick a wick in some home made soap to see what happens. 200 yrs ago everyone had candles. I don't think it all came from bees. That's a lot of hives to tend.

Bunny, I found a good book at Sam's about preserving food from your garden. Covers freezing, dehydrating, root cellars etc. Tons of info for only $6.
With a heat proof jar some wire and wicking you can make a nice veggy oil lamp.
Homemade Vegetable Oil Lamp
I've done it with olive oil and a bit of cotton from a cotton ball.
Olive oil doesn't seem to wick up too far so I did have to adjust the hight of the wick in the oil but it burns clean and doesn't smell funny.
__________________


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## OldCootHillbilly

The_Blob said:


> it's a nice thought, Irritated, there are plenty of food & non-food oil producing plants with better fuel-oil yields for your purposes tho... it is unfortunate that most of the *well-meaning* people involved in many 'greenovations' have had their efforts misdirected by corrupt (I believe Algore was mentioned) sociopolitical puppetmasters and channeled into the least efficient/effective avenues of study, while better, less mainstream processes are scoffed at until 'proven'.
> 
> List of vegetable oils - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> has good list to *start* any research with, it is by no means exhaustive or to be considered research in & of itself


Not ta hijack the thread er nothin, but Blob, will used, filtered veggie oil work to? I've heard some folks use it in there oil lamps so I would think it would work in this application to wouldn't it?

I got gallons a used veggie oil, would be another use fer it.

Never hurts ta have alternatives.


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## nj_m715

nj_m715 said:


> All of the parts were already laying around in the basement, so you could say they are free lanterns. You can burn used or waste cooking oil making the fuel free.


Oil is oil, some will thicken at 40 degrees and some will still pour at 30 but it all burns.


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## Sonnyjim

IrritatedWithUS said:


> Hmmm, I just wanted to show people a different alternative to lanterns.


I agree. Infact I just watched a few vids on youtube where there are olive oil lanterns from 'Lehmans' that can also use other oils. This means that people that make their own oils at home from corn or soy or whatever it may be would be a good self sufficiency oil to have because they could then power their own light. Thanks for this link, infact it could even be made a sticky. This is good info to have.


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## Marlowe

JayJay said:


> Why do I have to make something?? Why can't I use the 3 oil lanterns I have with my supplies??


You could probably put that same veg oil into a standard hurricane-style oil lamp and it should work fine. If SHTF, you might be making a lamp out of whatever you can find.

To keep the cost down, and since olive oil is reusable, I should think this lamp would work with used olive oil, correct? No need to use new oil necessarily.


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## Idaholady

Check out Lehman's website for olive oil lamps. I purchased one to see how the coil was made to hold the wick. Lamps/Lights*|*Olive Oil Lamps - Lehmans.com

And, I'd like to make my own oil and found this website: PITEBA oil press oil expeller oliepers oilpress : universal oil press for nuts and seed They are in the Netherlands and you'd have to go to your bank to figure out the EU value and US values.

I want to grow sunflowers and expell the oil from the seeds; but if you look at the website, you can use nuts and other items as well.

Or just do some research on the Internet for "oil expellers.'

Look, here is another website: http://www.oekotec.ibg-monforts.de/en/oil-presses/oil-press-ca59-1h.html

It's really a fun challenge to see how you can be more self-sufficent.


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## UncleJoe

Idaholady said:


> They are in the Netherlands and you'd have to go to your bank to figure out the EU value and US values.


$140 plus shipping and duties. 

And here's an article to get you started on pressing your own oil from sunflower seeds.


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## BasecampUSA

Marlowe said:


> You could probably put that same veg oil into a standard hurricane-style oil lamp and it should work fine. If SHTF, you might be making a lamp out of whatever you can find.
> 
> To keep the cost down, and since olive oil is reusable, I should think this lamp would work with used olive oil, correct? No need to use new oil necessarily.


Been there, tried that... NOPE...

Hurricane lamps and lanterns don't do well with veggie oils... and you will probably wreck an expensive Alladin-type kerosene lamp.

When you find that out for yourself, you can then remove the wick, wash it out in gas (or solvent), dry it, put it back, and then fill the lamp with kerosene like it was intended.

Veggie oils just don't saturate long wicks as well as petroleum, so the wick "starves" for fuel (due to lack of capillary action) at the flame level and goes out after a few minutes.

That is why ancient lamps made for olive oil were made _low and shallow_, so the wicks wouldn't have to stick up more than 1/4" or so...

*Check it out ==> * WWF: Oil Lamps

I have one of these ancient types made of brass, -but I'll keep my expensive olive oil for the salad 

- Basey

"It was the responsibility of the woman of the house to keep the lamp burning day and night. 
Between trimming the wick and filling the lamp, it seems reasonable to assume that these duties 
would be done several times per night." (link above) :congrat: :kiss:


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## horseman09

Irritated, thanks for the post. I prolly won't be making the lamp anytime soon, but info is info. Never know when it might come in handy. After all, we are preppers.

Frankly, I am a little irritated that some members on our "friendly" forum pounced on you simply for sharing some info.


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## BasecampUSA

IrritatedWithUS said:


> Hmmm, I just wanted to show people a different alternative to lanterns.


No problem... very interesting! I have experimented with olive oil myself.

I'm always concerned with the _economics_ of things.

If I had an olive grove, it would be practical.

If I had an oil well, that would be practical.

I_ have _grown canola oil here on the farm and used it as biodiesel in a tractor and a generator. 
But canola won't burn in a regular lamp... only my ancient style brass "genie" lamp works with olive/veggie oils.
http://www.worldwideflood.com/ark/technology/oil_lamps.htm

_Sorry if I was the one who came across as "pouncing"_  

- Basey


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## Idaholady

Thanks UncleJoe for the article on sunflowers and expelling the oil. I'm too lazy and DH is not skilled in those matters, I continue to search for an affordable oil expeller...


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## OldCootHillbilly

Think I'm gonna whoop up one a these next week end. Would be a good lamp in a emergency.


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## horseman09

Just had a thought -- building on IrritUS's original olive oil post.

Many of you know what a carburetor float looks like. It is a very thin-skinned brass float in the shape of a donut.

Instead of fastening the wick to a fixed-height wire that requires a constant adjustment to the oil level as burns down, why not use very thin wire to fasten the wick into the center of the donut hole of a carburetor float, allowing the wick to dangle in the oil? As the oil level burns lower in the container, the float will follow. No need to adjust the oil level. ???

Carb floats could be a little scarce. Anyone have any ideas of what more readily accessible that might substitute for a carb float? 

Might be a good way to use up expired veggie oil for use in an emergency or in an ice fishing shanty or some such thing.


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## OldCootHillbilly

horesman, that be a good idear. Him, lawnmowers still got carbs, wonder if one a them would work? Gotta be a old lawnmower round here somewhere what can be scavanged.

Don't they make a floatin candle wick thingy? I'll have ta do a bit a lookin.

Found these:
http://www.wickstore.com/Products/Floating-Candle-Retail-Pack__FWICK-8.aspx

Also had a idear, wonder if a small floatin bobber, ya know the slip type ones, would work?


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## nj_m715

Cork with a small metal sleeve, like a steel brake line. You still need to trim and adjust the height of the wick.


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## IrritatedWithUS

nj_m715 said:


> Cork with a small metal sleeve, like a steel brake line. You still need to trim and adjust the height of the wick.


Sounds good!


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## Idaholady

Okay, I've got to start saving my money; I found an expeller that will work for my purposes at this website: 4Ever Outfitters: Manual Oil Extractor

If I start saving now, I'll be able to get it by December! Check out the website for yourself.


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## kristina dansie

Thank you very much. I do not care what anyone thinks I think this is brillant and I am going to make one right away so I will remember how. I think we can never have too many ideas to fall back on if times get rough or we are in a tight spot. Thank you again! Also thank you to those who added other helpful suggestions.


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## IrritatedWithUS

kristina dansie said:


> Thank you very much. I do not care what anyone thinks I think this is brillant and I am going to make one right away so I will remember how. I think we can never have too many ideas to fall back on if times get rough or we are in a tight spot. Thank you again! Also thank you to those who added other helpful suggestions.


You are welcome!!


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## JAMES09

BasecampUSA said:


> Yeah, if you are generating electricity with Bacardi 151 or Wild Turkey...
> 
> With virgin olive oil going for $41.00 a gallon, I'll stick to kerosene, it's only $3.31 a gallon.
> 
> Oh, wait, sorry - you said Extra-virgin... that goes for $63.00 a gallon...
> 
> Thanks anyway
> 
> - Basey
> 
> Hmmm... maybe he's rich


If you are burning 1 Gallon of Kerosene, and it last but a day, then you burn 1 Gallon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil & it lasts a week, though the cost is more up front, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be less expensive in the long run, AND better for the environment. 

PLUS, you can cook, bake, etc with Extra Virgin Olive Oil....try doing that with Kerosene.

Not saying I'm right & you are wrong, just pointing out cost comparison in the long run...


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## JAMES09

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I'm not hinting to use all olive oil lamps. A few of those lamps would be cool. I find it nice to make your own things. And in terms of being "green", olive oil is the way to go as opposed to stricktly kerosene. It's nice to know there is an alternative.


I think having Olive Oil lamps is a cool idea!!

Q;
Can Olive Oil be used exclusively in all lamps? to replace Kerosene I mean...


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## JAMES09

The_Blob said:


> it's a nice thought, Irritated, there are plenty of food & non-food oil producing plants with better fuel-oil yields for your purposes tho... it is unfortunate that most of the *well-meaning* people involved in many 'greenovations' have had their efforts misdirected by corrupt (I believe Algore was mentioned) sociopolitical puppetmasters and channeled into the least efficient/effective avenues of study, while better, less mainstream processes are scoffed at until 'proven'.
> 
> List of vegetable oils - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> has good list to *start* any research with, it is by no means exhaustive or to be considered research in & of itself


OH WOW!!!
I had NO IDEA that so many plants, fruits & veggies could be used for their oils....
That just blows me away!!:2thumb:


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## JAMES09

kristina dansie said:


> Thank you very much. I do not care what anyone thinks I think this is brillant and I am going to make one right away so I will remember how. I think we can never have too many ideas to fall back on if times get rough or we are in a tight spot. Thank you again! Also thank you to those who added other helpful suggestions.


There comes a point in life where we have to stop doing what we are doing because we discover that the trail we are on is not the correct trail for us individually...so we change trails & stay on that trail because it suits us & we now have the attitude that...

"This is me. This is who I am. If you like me & want to help me along life's journey, GREAT! but if not, so be it. I am staying on this trail till it suits me no more."


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## nj_m715

JAMES09 said:


> If you are burning 1 Gallon of Kerosene, and it last but a day, then you burn 1 Gallon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil & it lasts a week, though the cost is more up front, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be less expensive in the long run, AND better for the environment.
> 
> PLUS, you can cook, bake, etc with Extra Virgin Olive Oil....try doing that with Kerosene.
> 
> Not saying I'm right & you are wrong, just pointing out cost comparison in the long run...


I know Basey knows, but you might not. You don't need to buy the lamp oil. You can burn used veggie for free. I don't want to cook with it, but we can drive, get electric, heat, soap and now light from used veggie. You can't beat putting up a couple hundred gallons of free fuel.


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## Emerald

JAMES09 said:


> I think having Olive Oil lamps is a cool idea!!
> 
> Q;
> Can Olive Oil be used exclusively in all lamps? to replace Kerosene I mean...


I don't think olive oil can be exchanged for other lamp oils as olive oil will only wick a short distance up and will not travel up the distance of a good lamp wick. (there is probably a fancy term for this, but I can't remember what it would be). 
Cheaper light olive oil would burn as well as EVOO. Plus it could still be cooked with(just not as tasty).
I also like the post about the oil expeller by Idaholady -there are many nut trees and other plants that you cold possibly get oils from, for food and for light.. like canola and sunflower(if you can beat the darn birds to them that is) even a weedy plant like evening primrose seeds have oil in them(but that would be way to much work) or in the warmer areas like Texas and CA and Florida, why olive trees could be planted and olive oil made and aged. Great trade item.


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## Ezmerelda

I made this, just to see if I could.



















That's used corn oil in the jar, and the wick is a lamp wick from Wal Mart, cut in half and sewed up with cotton thread. I haven't burned it for long periods yet, but it burns pretty well.

The only thing: you have to put it out with a wet sponge or it smokes terribly.

Now all I need to do is cobble together some kind of chimney for it. And before I get slammed, the lid was already damaged before I punched the hole for the wick.

I tried to make the pics smaller, but nothing I did translated to here. :scratch


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## Scorpion70

This is a cool idea. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the info.


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## Immolatus

Ezmerelda said:


> And before I get slammed, the lid was already damaged before I punched the hole for the wick.


Just as I thought "Wait, a wasted lid"

Is there any reason not to make one out of any generic (tomato sauce) used jar?


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## stayingthegame

if the shtf comes you can use old oil that has been strained. it might smell of the food cooked in it, but at least you would not be using "good" oil, you would be using something you might otherwise be throwing out. also hobby lobby sells the floating candle holder and wicks. they are in where you can buy candle and soap things.


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## JAMES09

BasecampUSA said:


> No problem... very interesting! I have experimented with olive oil myself.
> 
> I'm always concerned with the _economics_ of things.
> 
> If I had an olive grove, it would be practical.
> 
> If I had an oil well, that would be practical.
> 
> I_ have _grown canola oil here on the farm and used it as biodiesel in a tractor and a generator.
> But canola won't burn in a regular lamp... only my ancient style brass "genie" lamp works with olive/veggie oils.
> WWF: Oil Lamps
> 
> _Sorry if I was the one who came across as "pouncing"_
> 
> - Basey


TY for posting that website. I'm sure that 1 day it will come in handy as I am real big on survival & living off grid.


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## Ezmerelda

Immolatus said:


> Just as I thought "Wait, a wasted lid"
> 
> Is there any reason not to make one out of any generic (tomato sauce) used jar?


I don't see any reason not to use any old jar, I didn't because I don't have any.


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## Emerald

Only one suggestion.. and this only due to my plastics phobia.. take the lid out and burn the plastic liner(I don't think I'd worry about the rims just the middle) off outside. 
You don't want that nasty BPA off gassing into your home. 
And before you jump on me like you did the poor gal who warned about the nitrates and possible link to cancer.. disregard this post if you just don't give a sh!t about plastics and poisons.


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## lickit

*He's got the right idea, just not now.*

after shtf, and nearly everyone is dead, many such oils, Johnson's baby oil, etc, will be left lying around to be foraged and used. For prep now, paraffin is $1 a lb on the Net. and 50 lbs of it will cook for a family of 4 for a year, if you are careful about it.


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## Oatmealer

Having the day off, I was just browsing and came across this thread. I thought it would be a fun quickie project to do to waste some time. Found a small mason jar, wire hanger, took a strip off an old t shirt and some EVOO. Works great! Thanks for the idea!


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## Oatmealer

Oatmealer said:


> Having the day off, I was just browsing and came across this thread. I thought it would be a fun quickie project to do to waste some time. Found a small mason jar, wire hanger, took a strip off an old t shirt and some EVOO. Works great! Thanks for the idea!


Forgot to attach the picture.


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## dragon5126

Someone else said siad it before, Oil is oil... and this goes for mineral and petrolium as well, HOWEVER some just are not suited for non ventilated areas. This specific type of lamp is historically known as a HOBO LAMP. And can burn USED Motor oil but that tends to smoke a bit. HOWEVER that particular fuel IS suitable for outdoor use... So... ever consider refiltering your used motoroil and saving ten or twenty gallons?


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## jdhavens

For what my two cents is worth, I am using canola oil in lieu of lamp oil.
It is not because I am a whAl Gore fan though. It is because lamp oil is sold
out, and a hurricane is heading directly towards us. I tested it in a new lamp, 
and it seems to work pretty well. A gallon costs me seven bucks.

Last year however, I did improvise an oil lamp using cottonn as a wick, some oive oil
I had in the cupboard, a camp cup packed with snow, and a cleaned metal catfood can to 
hold the oil. It provided enough light to read by while the nor'easter shut us down.. My source of inspiration for this was from the Bible.


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## hiwall

Oil is not all the same. The extra virgin olive oil burns at a much lower temperature than other oils. Does this make a lick of difference? I have no idea. Just throwing out a fact.


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## OldCootHillbilly

These be the ones what I whooped up quick awhile back:









Just some mechanics wire I had (copper wire works to) an used some a momma's makeup rounds fer a wick. In these here pics I used a piece a t shirt, I like the makeup rounds better.









Filled it with some used vegi oil an this be what I got.

This stuff should be found most anywhere cause most folk ain't lookin fer it.


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## Gians

Just made one for the heck of it, took about 2 minutes. I made my wire coil real low so I didn't waste too much olive oil. Takes a little while to light but then apparently it doesn't do much if you knock it over or break it, which would be good in certain areas. Might experiment with other oils. Thx Irritated, good idea.


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## jsriley5

Gians said:


> Just made one for the heck of it, took about 2 minutes. I made my wire coil real low so I didn't waste too much olive oil. Takes a little while to light but then apparently it doesn't do much if you knock it over or break it, which would be good in certain areas. Might experiment with other oils. Thx Irritated, good idea.


I was reading to the end and was just itching to make that very point. If you got kiddos even or especially clumsy teens around that will want to have a lamp to use it is much safer that that kero lamp if the kero gets dropped you gotta fire if the oil lamp is dropped you just got dark.

Also to the feller who mentioned not having enough bees for all the candles they used 100 years ago alot f the candles they used back then were Tallow candles from rendered beef or buffalo fat. Cook it down enough it gets to the hard waxy state. Folks have been know to eat their candles in hard times :factor10:

I also like the float idear I was thinking using a hole saw that goes in your drill to saw out a "donut" from a piece of one by lumber it would already have the lil hole in it then and should float low enough in the oil with a wick a dangling to keep the flame offn the wood. If it didn't you could weight it down a might with a washer or two on top or use a denser wood. If you wanna be fancy you could drill you three equally spaced holes in the sides of it to stick some peices of dowel rod to keep it centered (kinda like them ole tinker toys) thin the three spokes should allow you to still get it in and out of the slightly smaller jar mouth four might tend to hang up on ya I think.


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## clark_leach

Baby oil works, too.


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## Wendyjo

Wow I am shocked that this person was attacked. They are just giving an idea and they were insulted and their idea put down.  Is there no room for diversity in here? Maybe there are people who would prefer to use Virgin Olive Oil. He/she says it burns clean and longer. I love the idea and others mentioned. Please be kind and a little more open minded before you make judgements.


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## stayingthegame

a word of advice... use jars that can take the heat not all jars can. you can use pottery items, again if they can take the heat. also add a small amount of water to the jar as it will take less oil. just make sure to keep the wick out of the water. if using a jar plan on some kind of handle or put it on a plate so that if you need to you can move it.


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## kappydell

nj_m715 said:


> Man, rough crow around here. There's no need to buy the oil or use any special type of oil. For this purpose veggie is veggie. I made two last month with my son after someone here posted a link when I asked about making candle wax. All of the parts were already laying around in the basement, so you could say they are free lanterns. You can burn used or waste cooking oil making the fuel free.
> Why not just use your 3 lamps you already have? Maybe you need to light more rooms, maybe your neighbor or family needs light, maybe you want to cook ramen noodles or instant coffee, maybe you dropped one of your lamps and broke it. It's always nice to have more options.
> A very fast simple way to make one is to use a 1/4 or 5/16 nut as the wick holder. Just put a couple short pieces of string into the nut and pull them about 1/4 through. The long ends get fanned out on the bottom of the mason jar. Add oil and keep it just below the top of the nut.


There ya go...fat lamps can burn ANY fat or oil - it depends on what you have. 
Oil lamps are a good way to use up 'old' cooking fats, and fat lamps that burn solids can burn fats rendered from cooking. They smell different is all. You can even burn used motor oil and get light, but it smokes bad so I'd save that for outdoors use. But lets not make things more complicated (expensive) than they need to be!


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## DJgang

Wendyjo said:


> Wow I am shocked that this person was attacked. They are just giving an idea and they were insulted and their idea put down. Is there no room for diversity in here? Maybe there are people who would prefer to use Virgin Olive Oil. He/she says it burns clean and longer. I love the idea and others mentioned. Please be kind and a little more open minded before you make judgements.


You resurrect an almost two year old thread to say this? I only saw one person, just one, say something and he's not been here on this forum since July.

I definitely didn't see any "attack". Nor any "judgements"

There is much more to this forum, I promise. All in all, everyone supports each other.


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## PackerBacker

It was less then 2 weeks old when she posted. just sayin. :cheers:


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## DJgang

PackerBacker said:


> It was less then 2 weeks old when she posted. just sayin. :cheers:


Take a peek on page one. And no, I'm not drinking.


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## PackerBacker

DJgang said:


> Take a peek on page one. And no, I'm not drinking.


It wasn't 2 weeks old when she posted though. Scroll down to post 51.


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