RE: Alternative to Kerosene

this is the lamp oil that i am referring to...purchased at Walmart, says that it is kerosene based and has a photo of a lamp that is not pressurized...here is the link

http://www.walmart.ca/canada-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?searchString=lamp+oil&ancestorID=alldept&startSearch=yes&skuTypeParam=Normal&catgId=&_requestid=29622

i've seen it but for the price i've never bought it.

now i talked to the prepper of all preppers, he has seen it all and done most of it. . . at least twice lol
lamp oil is one of a couple of things, 1) kerosene 2) kerosene mixed with paraffin or 3) kerosene and or other hydrocarbons mixed with paraffin/kerosene etc. there is also a liquid paraffin that can be used with a wick for a liquid candle type thing (less parts then an oil lamp i guess?!?!)

i asked "can you add liquid paraffin to kerosene to make your own lamp oil. . he didn't think it was a good idea. . . might get something that smokes or smells bad.

all i got lol.

I have been looking on the internet and I have seen different articles that olive oil has been used in these lamps and that it burns clean. I have made other little emergency lamps with olive oil and they work great. Olive oil has been used for lamps for many centuries apparently, but I havent tried it on a modern lantern yet...not a mantle based lantern of course, but just a plain ol wick lantern.....olive oil will climb the wick btw....

I tried the Olive Oil in my Kerosene lamp,
it did not work good at all, I think the wick is somehow too thick? When I changed the wick out for a homemade wick it worked much better, though you need to keep the Olive Oil/Veggy oil up very high for it too work.

I do not bother with them anymore, I found the Natural fibre string with a wire stand in a mason jar just as good and safe.
Google or go to instructables.com and look up veggy / veggie ?? oil lamps, you will get lots of info that way.

Entropy, you are correct.
I was responding to the previous post that suggested using naphtha in a kerosene lamp/lantern. Didn't want somebody to get an unexpected surprize!
Arkbuilder

Agreed ! Naphtha is very volatile and burns so hot and fast, I only use it in the proper lamps or stoves. Poof fireball.. I like that expression.

I have been looking on the internet and I have seen different articles that olive oil has been used in these lamps and that it burns clean. I have made other little emergency lamps with olive oil and they work great. Olive oil has been used for lamps for many centuries apparently, but I havent tried it on a modern lantern yet...not a mantle based lantern of course, but just a plain ol wick lantern.....olive oil will climb the wick btw....

i've got mixed feelings on olive oil for lamps.
1) it's a food, it's a HEALTHY food. . . why burn it. . . put it on salad
2) you can cook with it. . . without cooking oil, you're screwed long term. . . food/cooking beats light in my book.
3) ok, cooking, eating and light, if you're going to use it (and it's worth while for light) it's got three uses, Store a lot of it. . . but it does break down over time, storing 100's of Litres for three reasons won't work. you'll use 50L for cooking and by then the rest is no good for eating/cooking after it turns bad. . .so yeah the triple threat use of it doesn't work either.

store lots of oil, when it goes bad you have a back up light source! yeah i'll go with that 🙂

i don't believe in using food for fuel (ethenol in gas) or feed for making pastic bottle. . .etc.
food is food, feed is feed, and fuel is fuel.. . . but that's my opinion, if you don't like it, that's ok, we're Canadian lol 😀