Dietz COMET lamps 1952

[wagoneer]

anyone use these???? I love my non hissing oil lamps. official lamp of the Boy Scouts, kicked out for smoking in 1959, I am now a girl scout and hope not to be kicked out as well

 

[wagoneer]

sorry new digital camera

 

[DannyB1954]

I have one, but tried Kerosene and it smelled & smoked. The odorless k1 fuel may be just right, but at $10 a gallon too expensive. Lamp oil may also work, but is pricey. If you are using them to heat a small space, it may work better than candles even with high dollar fuel. I decided the light they put out vs the hassle factor makes other lighting sources more attractive. Especially now with LED's that can be charged from solar and cost nothing to run.

I did just buy a Wenzel pressurised kerosene lantern, because besides being a bright outdoor camp light, (about the same as a 500 watt bulb), it can also be configured into a heater, and cook top, (with lots of ventilation of course), with the right cheap adaptors.

I am thinking about going all kerosene instead of propane. You can cook, heat, light with it. Kerosene is relatively safe, (does not explode or catch fire on it's own easily), and has a lot more energy per pound making it economical. Being rectangular, a gallon container can be stored easier than a round propane tank and is easier to carry. When you want to move whatever you are using, you only have to fill the device, (not carry around a tank and hose). I have had kerosene heaters when I lived on a boat and they worked well. The only drawback is when first started or put out can produce an odor, (not hot enough to burn completely all the vapor).

 

[WriterMs]

I've heard some/several people mention fumes making them feel a bit ill. Are the fumes really only at times of lighting and extinguishing?

I can't be around perfumes or colognes most of the time without getting a headache, but I am not a fan of propane myself. Though I could not have been without my Mr. Heater Buddy on cold nights. I'd be interested in the experiences with the Wentzel.

Wagoneer, other than no hiss, why do you like them over things like the solar lanterns? Do you use yours for a bit of heat, too?

 

[ccbreder]

I like the warmth color of the flame. The comfort of a flame is like an old friend. I had the same feelings for a coal stove fire.

 

[Gunny]

Sort of off topic Wagoneer, but I noticed your phrase on your ID. I posted this months ago. One of my favorites and fits your choice.

 

[highdesertranger]

low tech needs to chime in he has several kero lanterns. when I was in his camp he had several burning and I didn't notice any smell. although I don't think a skunk smells bad. highdesertranger

 

[WriterMs]

 although I don't think a skunk smells bad.  highdesertranger

Biting my tongue... slapping my typing fingers to keep from posting several thoughts that make me chuckle.

 

[highdesertranger]

go ahead WriterMs, I can take it. at least I think I can. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

low tech needs to chime in he has several kero lanterns.  when I was in his camp he had several burning and I didn't notice any smell.  although I don't think a skunk smells bad.  highdesertranger

well do i have a place for you,put it this way,a couple years ago i met a friend at a bar two towns away and he asked how i was doing and i said like crap,damn skunk keep popping off at 3 in the morn,a lady sitting near by ask,do you live ....,yes why,well she lives down the road and got the same thing,so i meet my neighbor because of death skunk stink

 

[highdesertranger]

amazing. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

Are the fumes really only at times of lighting and extinguishing?

That is the only time I smelled them. I had a model called double clean-100. It had a type of catalytic converter in the top section. https://www.toyotomiusa.com/factoryOutletStore/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=128 This would be way too big for a van. Coleman made a catalytic heater that ran on coleman fuel. http://www.laurelleaffarm.com/item-...ng-heater-laurel-leaf-farm-item-no-s37151.htm being catalytic, I assume they burn hot and clean. 

I plan on having lots of ventilation. Maybe even a fan powered heat exchanger. I seen a DIY type made from thin wood and aluminium foil. I wish I could find the plan again, but basically it was a multi layer sandwich with every other layer having the inlet and outlet 90 degrees to the next layer. Kind of like if you made a very small Lincoln log house and put a sheet of aluminium foil between each layer. then put holes on one layer North and South, the next layer East and West.

 

[WriterMs]

go ahead WriterMs,  I can take it.  at least I think I can.   highdesertranger

Haha, HDR. I don't want to hijack wagoneer's thread, and I'm hoping he shares more of why he likes the lanterns /fuel source. Like CC's comment, I can see enjoying the natural flame. I've put a few of those Dollar Tree tall "devotional" candles in a metal bucket to make a small indoor warming fire on occasion -- my van has natural ventilation (otherwise known as massive gaps around the doors LOL).

The comments in my head would not have been about you personally, just generally about those with a warped sense of smell. Old joke sort of thoughts not really appropriate here. PM me if you are really curious. LOL

 

[wagoneer]

If you keep your wick trimmed and the flame low I get minimal smoke and smell, Those asking why? it is part romance nostalgia and a little theatrics thrown in.

 

[wagoneer]

Reading about the skunk smell not my favorite brand but I do not find it offensive, it's pungent and to a point almost overwhelming.We get skunk in the backyard looking for scraps cats stay away but some dogs will investigate and we get the skunked air freshener.

 

[wagoneer]

I am sorry if I am stepping on anyones toes, you will learn off topic is a good thing here (sometimes) lightens the mood. Please let me know if this is the case?

 

[Tinman74]

I like to use a kerosene lantern on the picnic table in the evening for the nice warm hypnotic glow and the haunting shadows it casts but the dear wife doesn't like it so we reached a "compromise" and don't use it..

 

[highdesertranger]

doesn't seem like much of a compromise. highdesertranger

 

[Tinman74]

I don't know about that, she thinks it is fine

 

[DannyB1954]

It is a compromise in that she gets what she wants, he gets what he wants.
I am divorced, but still remember how it works.