There are many different kinds and types of oil lamps and oil lanterns out there in the world today, but I find that the railroad style oil lantern is my favorite. They are not complicated to use and there is not a lot of upkeep to them.
When shopping for an oil lantern to use in your decor you start by finding the size that you would need. Each size oil lamp has a different candle power. The candle power of a lamp was measured by judging by eye the relative brightness of adjacent surfaces, one illuminated only by a standard lamp (or candle) and the other only by the lamp under test. So a good rule of thumb is the larger the lantern, the higher the candle power.
The 50 series little camper lantern is a small lantern. It has a candle power of 6 with the height of the unit being 7.5 inches. The fuel capacity of 4 ounces or a half a cup, and the wick size is about 3/8 inches, and on average it burns for about 8 hours on a tank of fuel
The medium size lanterns are also known at the 76 series lanterns. It has a height of about 10 inches and holds about 8 ounces or a cup of fuel. It burns on a ½ wick and burns for about of 15 hours on a tank of fuel. It also has a candle power of 7.
The larger lanterns come in many different sizes but the average size is about 12 inches or greater I deal more with the 12 inch size. If you find on that is in average of about 12 inches the fuel capacity should be about 12 ounces and that is about a cup and a half. They have a burning power of 8 and normally use a ½ wick. In average they last for about 35 hours on a tank of fuel.
There are different types of fuel that you can use in the oil lanterns that I found on woodstove-outlet.com, but read the instructions first because some vary with the information that I have found. It is always safer to read the instructions, rather than just take someone’s word for it. The fuels that I have found to use for the lanterns are the lamp oil, kerosene, paraffin oil and my favorite citronella oil. The citronella is an insect repellent and when I have to use my lanterns it is on camping trips and outside is always more fun when there are fewer bugs around.
I have seen people use these lanterns as lamps for decorative lighting and they come in handy during power outages and camping trips. As a reminder, you need to remove the fuel out of the lantern to prevent rusting of the fuel chamber.
Fuel isn’t that expensive, but I would rather use the citronella oil instead of batteries. The citronella smells good, keeps bugs away and burn very well. I like doing my part to help the environment too.
Railroad lanterns can be used for more than just functional uses. I have seen them used for center pieces at weddings or hung by the doorway to light up a room. They’re really quite beautiful and functional. If you have ideas for oil lanterns please tell us.
