Make Your Own Olive Oil Lamp

(Page 2 of 2)

June 29, 2009
By Deanna Duke 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Olive oil lamps have been used for thousands of years and people have relied on oil lamps in general up until the last few generations. They are reliable, plus they burn bright and long. The benefit of olive oil is that if the lamp gets knocked over, it stops burning because it has a high flash point, meaning that it’s not a very flammable material. As a result, an olive oil lamp is far safer than a candle or kerosene lantern. If you are having problems with it smoking when you blow it out, use wet fingers to put out the flame, or just douse it with the oil in the jar.

RELATED CONTENT

Notes on Materials

One of the benefits of using a canning jar is that, when the oil lamp is not in use, you can put a canning lid on top for storage. A wide-mouthed pint jar will also work well, you just need to adjust the size of the wick holder.

For your wick, you can use 100 percent cotton string or twine and salt it to ensure that it burns long. To salt your wick, take your cotton twine, put it in a bowl with a little water and then cover with table salt. Squeeze it dry and let it dry overnight, or until it is no longer damp.

If you need or want your lamp to emit more light, try using a braided, flat wick (a half inch or narrower), adjusting the way the wire supports this kind of wick by crimping it to accommodate the extra girth. You can buy flat wicks from stores that carry supplies for oil lamps (such as Lehman’s). Or, you can cut up an old 100 percent cotton tea towel into strips and use that instead.

Commercial Products

If this all seems a bit too complicated to manufacture on your own and you would rather buy an olive oil lamp, you’ll find old fashioned oil lamps online from Lehman’s. Be sure to check out the book I Didn’t Know That Olive Oil Would Burn while you are at it.

Have you used or built an olive oil lamp? Share your experiences by posting a comment below.

Deanna Duke is a software developer, writer, urban homesteader and friendly rabble-rouser. Check out her blog at www.thecrunchychicken.com.
Page: << Previous 1 | 2 |
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

  • Lucientia 9/9/2009 11:09:27 AM

    Hi there! I was really inspired by this article to make my own oil lamp, so here's the link to some pictures!
    http://inkexplosion.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/diy-oil-lamp/

    I did some modifications to the lamp by adding water and a flotation device for the wick. Would love to hear comments!

  • Donna 8/11/2009 11:39:47 AM

    I've been using olive oil to light our way for years. I made my lamps using 'mason' jar glasses with handles so we can move the lights without touching anything that may be hot. I've invested in a roll of wicking material from a craft store that has lasted a long time. I put a small shelf in every room to hold the jar-lamp so it would never compete with living space for added security. I take off the ring, leaving the lid and wick in place and cover each jar with a plastic lid that can be purchased during canning season. Regular and wide mouth are available. This is for safety during the day while my children play and for storage.

  • M. Haller Yamada 7/9/2009 5:20:25 AM

    V. cool! We have blackouts every year or two when hurricanes roll through, and I think this will be very useful. (-: Candles do not provide much light at all, but you can double the light by placing a mirror behind the flame. I bet the mirror trick would work with your olive oil lamps, too.

    Thanks so much for posting this!

  • Deanna Duke 7/7/2009 12:45:10 PM

    Thanks to everyone for their additional comments and help.

    Mark D. - You can certainly use stale vegetable oil, but it tends to stink more than olive oil and might smoke a little more as well.

    As Daniel mentioned, I don't believe that you can burn olive oil in a regular hurricane lamp due to the wicking issues. Using the wider hurricane lamp wicks in the canning jar (just adjust the wire to fit the larger size) would result in a much brighter flame.

  • Daniel Kim 7/6/2009 2:09:56 PM

    I've looked it up, and it seems that olive oil will not burn properly in a regular lamp that is designed to use "lamp oil". The viscosity is too high, and so it will not climb the wick fast enough to maintain the flame. Instead, the wick itself will burn.

    Lehman's is a retailer that sells a line of lamps designed for olive oil. I'd think that a standard oil-burning lamp could be modified to work with olive oil, perhaps by inserting an alternate fuel can that is flatter and closer to the end of the wick. Such an aftermarket modification could be an interesting and useful addition to this thread.

  • Daniel Kim 7/6/2009 1:53:47 PM

    Instructables.com has a large number of such lamps, including one that I posted there
    http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-oil-burning-candle/

    I would love to know if a Hurricane lamp will burn olive oil. I suspect that it will not, because the oil does not seem to wick very high. The viscosity of olive oil may be too high for this.

  • Maren Harvieux 7/6/2009 9:23:58 AM

    i was wondering as well.....can you use olive oil in a regular oil lamp? i have a small one a friend gave me that ive never used....

    should it be cleaned before i use it? will the olive oil work just the same?

  • JeannaMO 7/2/2009 1:15:24 PM

    I have made these lamps with canning jars, but I just used the lid with the ring that comes with the canning jar. I poked a little hole in the lid and pull the wick up through the hole. At Christmas we submerge a little christmas greenery and cranberries in there for a festive look! They work great!

  • gary bryan 7/1/2009 7:52:44 PM

    will olive oil work in an old fashion hurricane lamp?

  • Marilyn T 7/1/2009 7:34:43 PM

    Is it possible to use olive oil in a regular oil lamp? I have 7 of them like the one pictured here. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/1825/
    and would like to use them. They have been cleaned of all traces of oil lamp oil and have new wicks installed.

  • Mark D 7/1/2009 7:15:49 PM

    Can I use stale vegetable oil instead of olive oil?

  • Suzanne 7/1/2009 2:06:36 PM

    14 years ago myself and four kids started over on 40 acres and a tent. We used the olive oil lamps. They were great, if they fell over, they went out. I tried several times to light the oil on the tables without the lamp and it would not burn. It was safe and smelled decent. I now have a wonderful husband of 12 years, a large house on our homestead, a wonderful life away from the rat race. On our way to self sufficiency.
    Suzanne

  • Greg T. 6/30/2009 9:18:24 AM

    These are such great light, we use them at medieval re-enacting events (tho not with canning jars) They're inexpensive, charming, smell decent, and are about as safe as you can get with flame based lighting. The olive oil reservoir never gets hot enough to injure, and the volatility of olive oil is low enough that a spilled lamp will have a VERY hard time starting a fire. Generally it just makes a mess.

    Another great wick source are cotton rag mop heads, a $5 mop will yield . . .well. . .more wick than you will EVER use.

    2 other good additions to the olive oil lamp are that if you use a bale around the top and hang it, you get wonderful light from below, which is something candles just cannot do. Also, a layer of water under the olive oil will allow you to vary the level of the wick, as 2-3 inches is about all the draw you will get on oil in our experience. The added benefit is that the lamp will put itself out safely in the water once the fuel is exhausted.

Add Your Comment

Please note that there is currently a problem with the comments function and your comment may or may not post successfully. We are working to correct the problem and thank you for your patience. 

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Mother Earth News readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Mother Earth News?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.