There’s a reason why oil lamps are still being used today. Sure, their old-fashioned designs will bring vintage charm to your home and give your shelf a little “pizzazz” (bonus points for decor), but their real treasure is the reliable light they provide. You’ll always have a source of light!
Power outage? Just reach for an oil lamp.
Off-the-grid cabin? Oil lamps.
Dim rooms? Yep…oil lamps.
Their steady glow of light is instant comfort, and they’re easy to use, too, with a little instruction.
New to non-electric lighting? Here are our tips and tools for using oil lamps:
#1 -Keep your wicks trimmed evenly.
We recommend trimming your wicks each time you refill the font with oil. (Note: If your lamp is smoking, the wick is either set too high or needs to be trimmed.)
Stock Up on Flat Wicks: Choose Your Size
Replace Your Aladdin Lamp Wicks: Fits Aladdin models #23, #23A,#23E60, and MAXbrite 500 series
(Helpful Hint: We also carry Aladdin Lamp Wick R151 for models A, B, C and 14-English lamp burners.)
Clean Your Wicks: Near-Universal Wick Cleaner
#2 – Don’t fill your oil lamp completely.
Okay, this is a simple tip but super important if you want to prevent oil from overflowing from your lamp (a.k.a. – a big mess!). Oil expands during burning, so avoid filling your lamp to the very top. Instead, fill it to about 1/2″ below the filler cap.
(Bonus Tip: When you’re done filling your lamp, make sure you store the rest of your lamp oil away from sunlight and at room temperature. This will help extend its shelf-life.)
Best Lamp Fuel: Aladdin Lamp Oil
Great Kerosene Alternative: Klean-Heat Lamp Fuel
Kerosene: 1-K Kerosene
#3 – Maximize your light.
Lamps with reflectors can help direct light where you need it most in the room, while Aladdin lamps are 6x brighter than other wick lamps – they’re bright as electric!
Versatile Lamp: Reflector Oil Lamp
Best for Spreading Light Downward: Hanging Oil Lamp with Top Reflector
The Brightest Lamp: Aladdin Genie III Oil Lamp
Learn more about oil lamps and lanterns in our video below:
EXCELLENT ARTICLE FOR BEGINNERS TO OIL LAMP USAGE, WITH A FEW WISDOM REMINDERS TO SEASONED USERS AS WELL. I ACTUALLY LOVE LEHMAN’S OIL LAMPS SO MUCH THAT I WANT ALMOST ONE OF EVERYTHING IN YOUR CATALOG! YOU’RE WONDERFUL SERVANTS TO MANKIND, SO KEEP UP YOUR EXCELLENT WORK AND PLEASE DON’T EVER GO OUT OF BUSINESS EITHER!
I needed this. I bought 3 old lamps. One has a big metal can that sits in the glass bottom. Other you pour oil in the glass.
I need to know how to measure to get correct wick.
My family lights our old colonial summer-only house exclusively with kerosene lamps and has done so since the 1930’s, so we are experienced users! We have tended to use the Aladdins less and less over the years for a number of reasons, but still keep them around for occasional usage. We have a nice collection of normal kerosene lamps and are getting a few new ones too. Meanwhile, I’m wondering about the possibility and advisability of weaning us from kerosene to a cleaner-burning product. Here are some questions:
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1. Would we have to do a special cleaning of the lamps themself and replace the wicks?
2. I see you sell three types of oil: Aladdin lamp oil; Kleen Heat Kerosene alternative; and Kerosene 1-K.
What’s the difference in cost?
Are they interchangeable?
I’ve seen other non-kerosene lamp oil alternatives out there. Do you recommend any of them or know how they compare in usage cost to the oils you sell?
Thanks for helping us carry on doing things they way they used to be done!!
Hi there, Ireme! You can either measure the width of your old wick, or measure the wick channel.
Here is how you do that:
1. Access the channel. If you don’t have the old wick, you’ll need to measure the wick channel in the burner. You may need to remove a top piece of the burner to access the channel.
2. Carefully measure. Once the wick channel is exposed, carefully measure its width.
3. Consider the gap; Remember that the wick needs to fit snugly within the wick channel or “gap”
Hi there, Deborah! Thank you for your questions, here are some answers for you:
1. You would probably want to do a cleaning of your lamps when you empty out the old fuel and switch to something different (soap and water should be fine, unless there is a lot of dirty residue left behind). Be sure to let the font dry out completely before you add any new fuel. You may want to switch to a new wick as well. Some people have been successful in cleaning a used wick, but it will likely be easier to just use a new one.
2. Kerosene, Klean-Heat, and Aladdin lamp oil may all be used in the same oil lamps and lanterns. Each has pros and cons. Kerosene and Klean-Heat are relatively the same cost (roughly $.15-$.17/oz). Kerosene does burn with a distinctive odor and produces some smoke, while Klean-Heat burns cleaner. It is not completely odorless, but is better than Kerosene. Aladdin lamp oil does cost more than the other two ($.37/oz), but it is the cleanest burning.
Depending on the type of lamps or lanterns you have, another option would be liquid paraffin, which we also carry. It burns completely odorless. However, this is a much thicker fuel, so this really only works well in lamps/lanterns with a wick size of 1/2″ or smaller, and is not suitable for Aladdins. It is too thick to wick up properly in larger wicks and you would end up burning the wick and not the fuel. Cost-wise, it runs in between the Kerosene/Klean-Heat and Aladdin.
You can find all of our fuels here: https://www.lehmans.com/category/lamp-lantern-fuel