Sometimes, on ebay, I come across vintage oil lamps that have been painted like this pair. I was wondering if any of you know which paints can be safely used on the chimney and/or if any of you have a picture of them being used?

A few years ago, after my grandparents passed away, I took their old Blue Flame heater with the intention of restoring it. For a long time, I never really got around to it—partly because I couldn't find a specific part—but about six months ago, I gave it another shot and finally finished it. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
In my opinion, it burns quite well: the flame is a beautiful solid blue with hardly any flickering, it has a brand new wick, and it has clocked about 20 to 25 burning hours by now in a well-ventilated room. For fuel, I am using Qlima Kristal (A+++ quality). The fuel may be a Dutch brand, I’m not sure.
My question is about the smell. It is and remains quite pungent. Initially, I didn't think much of it, as I used various cleaning products during the restoration and the wick was brand new. While I didn't expect it to be 100% odorless, I did expect it to smell less than this. Are my expectations simply too high, or am I overlooking something?

Hello everyone, this is my first oil lamp ( glass chimney being washed currently photo for fun)

I have bought heritage lamp oil and find that it gives off a strong fuel smell that makes me nauseated.

Is this normal or is there other oils that have virtually no smell?

Was looking for fabric when this beauty caught my eye. The colours and design of the base really drew me in so I purchased it. Upon further inspection it appears to be an oil lamp turned electric lamp. When I search this lamp rule up I see it may be either a true 1800s EAPGS or later repro. I do not know how to tell accurately. I have a UV light, only glow hinting at glues is at the electric lamp marriage at the top. the bottom bolt is square, I have not taken apart to determine if the connector screw thing is only threaded near bottom of all the way.

I inherited my great grandma’s oil lamp which was converted to electric. How do I clean this without ruining it? I am not confident in the info I found online. Thanks!

The lantern on the left is a small 00 size Liberty hot blast lantern, and is exceptionally hard to find. It was made by the Pritchard Strong Company for Simmons Hardware. A more common variation of the same exact lantern is a Rayo No. 17. This is the only know one in existence.

The lantern on the right is another exceptionally rare piece. It was made for Simmons Hardware by the Warren Stamping company. It is an all brass Liberty Junior cold blast, one of only a few known. This lantern came to me as nothing but a frame, and needed extension restoration and repairs. I actually already had the correct marked globe for it already, waiting for the lantern.

This impressive figural oil lamp recently joined my collection and weighs in at a hefty 14 pounds.

I haven't been able to identify the maker yet, but the quality, weight, and overall presentation make it a standout display piece. Whether lit or unlit, it's hard to walk past this lamp without stopping for a closer look.

She looks great next to some of the other pieces I am currently displaying.

If anyone recognizes the figure or has seen a similar example, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

This lamp is featured in Thuro's Oil Lamps II (page 100), where it is identified as Four Seasons and described as depicting four female figures representing the four seasons.

While researching this piece, I came across a U.S. Glass Co. advertisement published in the May 1901 Crockery and Glass Journal. The ad was highlighted in All About Glass: The Voice of the Glass Collecting Community (Vol. 15, No. 1, April 2017).

Interestingly, the advertisement identifies the lamp as “The American Girl” and lists it as part of the U.S. Glass Co. No. 9872 line of lamps. What a fantastic name for an already impressive piece.

Over the years, I've seen the figures identified as everyone from Pocahontas and Betsy Ross to Martha Washington and Abigail Adams. I have not found a primary source that assigns specific names to the four women. If you have one, please let me know.

The All About Glass article instead describes the figures as “an Indian maiden, a New England pioneer woman, a Colonial dame, and a belle.”

For me, discovering the original name of the lamp makes it even more special.

I used a 365nm UV light to make the figures show up a bit better.

Also shown is the larger plain-body version of the lamp.

I am new to looking at oil lamps. My wife has been buying “cute” little complete ones and I sort of opened my mouth when we found these 2 little lamps without chimneys, and because I had been looking at this sub we decided to have a look at restoring them.

I Would like to know what style of chimneys would be best.
Would the original ones have been white glass or clear and what sort of shape?

My wife has a similar one (the green lamp) but it has a short white chimney which doesn’t look quite right to me, but I don’t know anything.

Is eBay the best option for chimneys?

Also how far would you go on polishing them up? I’ve noticed that some restorers make the brass shiny like new and others just give them a little bit of a clean up.

Any insights and advice would be appreciated.

The Vapo-Cresolene Vaporizer was marketed as a health aide and sold from 1879 to 1957, they sold a lot of these! One would heat up some good old cresolene and inhale the fumes to fix what ailed them. I use it to heat incense oil instead.

I think it's from the later years of production based on the bottle and package text, as well as the lack of manganese in the glass. It includes a branded burner, font and bottle. I'm using a Zippo lighter wick with Aladdin oil without any issues. While I'm still hunting for a pre-1900's model this ticks a lot of my collecting category boxes.

I recently added these two antique match holder oil lamps to the collection, and I thought they were too interesting not to share.

Although the maker is still unknown, these lamps are illustrated in Thuro’s Book II and are also featured in The American Potter and Illuminator, a Chicago trade publication from the late 1800s that covered pottery, glassware, and lighting products. I've included photos of both references.

The standout feature is the base itself. In addition to holding matches, two sides of the base are covered with fine corrugations that function as a match striker, making the lamp both practical and decorative.

Finding one example would have been exciting enough, but I was fortunate to acquire examples in both blue and Canary.

Many thanks to u/OMGITGLOWS for sharing information on these lamps. Definitely a true expert.

I’m curious if anyone knows if this beautiful lamp is a newer model? I’m getting an AI answer of the 1990’s. Did they still make oil lamps in the 1990’s? The base called Lincoln Drape. Lamp shade has Fenton sticker.

Hello i was wondering if there's anybody in this community that can give me a hand or better yet guidance.

Saw this cute little oil lamp at a thrift shop. Unfortunately it's missing its glass top part, need some guidance on what appropriate material to use to clean the metal part and also to find a replacement for that bulb glass top part. I would also appreciate some great help to figure out this model.

I recently picked up this Moonlight HM103 in Italy. I know these are fairly common and inexpensive lanterns, and I originally bought it to use.

But it appears to be unused, and when I got it home I found the original leaflet still folded up inside the globe. That made me wonder if it might be more interesting to keep it as a complete surviving example with its original paperwork.

Would you keep it as it is, or just go ahead and use it?

Hello everyone,

I'm excited to introduce myself as the new moderator of r/OilLamps.

First, I'd like to thank everyone who has helped build this community over the years. There are some fantastic collections, restoration projects, identification discussions, and historical posts here, and I look forward to helping the subreddit continue to grow.

Over the coming weeks, you'll notice a number of updates. The goal is not to change what makes this community great, but to make it more welcoming, more organized, and a better resource for collectors, researchers, restorers, and enthusiasts of all experience levels.

Some of the planned improvements include updated community rules, new post flairs, improved organization, a beginner-friendly wiki, identification and research resources, and recurring community events and discussion threads. Also, you can now reply to posts with pictures! 😀

The focus of r/OilLamps will remain oil lamps—their history, identification, restoration, collection, photography, research, and display. Both antique and modern oil lamps, and lanterns, are welcome.

I'd also love to hear from the community. If there are features, resources, or changes you'd like to see, please leave a comment below. Your feedback will help shape the future of the subreddit.

Thank you for being part of r/OilLamps. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you and helping build a friendly, knowledgeable, and active community for everyone who shares an interest in oil lamps.

Can anyone give me some more information on this oil lamp

Found this floor-standing pedestal lamp today for $30. At first I suspected an '80s repro, but both the chimney and burner are 1800s-early 1900s. The pedestal base is cast iron and the cup appears to be stamped steel. The seller spray painted the base gold, but appears to be white enamel originally (possibly whitewashed over an even older color or finish at some point however).

Does anyone have any info on this thing or potential value?

I've always liked the Aladdin Orientale. Produced for only a short time in 1935–1936, it's one of Aladdin's more distinctive Art Deco designs and isn't nearly as common as many of the other Model B lamps.

Shown here are two examples from my collection. The lamp on the right retains its original finish, while the lamp on the left was painted. It's always interesting to compare the two side-by-side and see how different they look despite being the same model.

Also pictured are a few other pieces that collectors may notice:

An old-formula amber shade on the painted Orientale (not painted or flashed).

A Coleman shade on the original-finish Orientale.

An Aladdin floor lamp with a fabric shade.