More Light From Your Kerosene Lamp

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by Merve Fedrau

One dusky winter evening, as I labored over my typewriter under the dim glow of three kerosene lights, my tired eyes began to make me wish for electricity. Then I noticed that one of the lamps (an antique handed down to me by my grandmother) was at least as bright as were the other two put together! Since all the lamps had just been trimmed, I figured that the reason for the one light's extra efficiency must be in the construction of the hand-me-down . . . and so it proved to be.

The brightness of the old lamp resulted from the width of the flame, rather than from its height or intensity. A comparison of the burner domes provided the answer: A barrel-shaped device—fastened to the inside of the old lamp's dome—caused rising warm air to converge at the top of the burner . . . "pressing" the otherwise slender flame into a thin, broad sheet of light.

I soon discovered that—in the course of ten minutes' work with a pair of tinsnips and a discarded tin can (the lightweight metal found in soft drink cans is easiest to work with)—I could produce a copy of the little light-giver.

To make one yourself, cut a 19-mm X 102-mm (about 3/4" X 4") strip of metal, then trim it to the shape and dimensions shown !n Fig. 1. (Since the appropriate measurements may vary slightly from one burner to the next, it's best to work with a paper pattern first.)

Now, bend the strip at the dotted lines shown in Fig. 1, curve the sides, and overlap the ends to produce the shape shown in Fig. 2. That done, insert the "barrel" inside the burner dome—with the tabs protruding through the slot in the dome—and fold the tabs out. Replace the modified part on the lamp . . . light . . . raise the wick . . . and trim for maximum flame without smoke. As you can see from the "before" and "after" pictures of a kerosene lamp—which were taken under identical conditions and camera settings—this little homemade device can really help to light up your life!