Oil Lamps

[HankOnthewater]

Although this is an older thread, may I ask a question?

I have 3 brass/copper? lamps by DHR (Den Haan Rotterdam), and I concur what has been written in previous posts: great light for a nautical atmosphere, good to read by (large trawler light only), nice and warm on cold evenings, smelly when using the wrong oil, sooting when wick is not kept trimmed.

After 15-20 years the brass/copper is now badly affected by corrosion (aesthetics only), and I am in the process buffing it all back to a shiny metal. Actually buffing off the lacquer is harder than the places where the lacquer is damaged and corrosion has taken hold.

My question, what is the best product/method to protect the shiny metal?
Varnish? Epoxy? Your experience?

DHR has not replied to my (email) requests, and surely a weekly polish of the lamps is not on anyone's wishlist.

[cburger]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

Although this is an older thread, may I ask a question?

I have 3 brass/copper? lamps by DHR (Den Haan Rotterdam), and I concur what has been written in previous posts: great light for a nautical atmosphere, good to read by (large trawler light only), nice and warm on cold evenings, smelly when using the wrong oil, sooting when wick is not kept trimmed.

After 15-20 years the brass/copper is now badly affected by corrosion (aesthetics only), and I am in the process buffing it all back to a shiny metal. Actually buffing off the lacquer is harder than the places where the lacquer is damaged and corrosion has taken hold.

My question, what is the best product/method to protect the shiny metal?
Varnish? Epoxy? Your experience?

DHR has not replied to my (email) requests, and surely a weekly polish of the lamps is not on anyone's wishlist.

I use a product called Noxon, get it in the supermarket for a couple of bucks, Brasso will also work.

[zeehag]

den haan make goood lamps. i have a perko oil lamp fro anchor light and when the burner failed i rigged it for led and made it so bright the mexican navy requested me to dim it so they could sleep.
when it was just an oil lamp i noticed a difference in the oils.
liquid paraffin is tolerable by even my sensitivities and allergies, whereas mineral oil and kerosene are hard on my lungs.
mineral oil an d liquid paraffin burn differently, liquid paraffin being more viscous than mineral oil.
i used to have a trawler lamp in my dinette.. one night i lit it, and friends unexpectedly arrived before i had adjusted the wick and trim for use...
the soot blacked the entire interior. is still seen on my overhead..and so i clean yet from that, 5 yrs ago event.
other than that, even with my asthma and sensitivities to petroleum products exhaust and fumes, i am able to use my interior oil lamps when it is cold enough to warrant their use. i keep a port hole near the lamp open for ventilation, and am good with the heat and light.
awesome ambiance with my teakwood interior.
btw, i moved on board my first boat permanently in 1990, and have been using oil lamps since then. i prefer the patina maintained to keep lamps from looking like they were stolen from a french bordello.
shiny looks ok in a shiny production boat, but the oil lamps look so much nicer with a patina.
i have 1 beautiful yacht lamps with yacht globes over the chimneys in main saloon, and in my masters cabin, i have 2 used to be called miners lamps which in 1990s became known as yacht lamps by weems and plath.
many come with a thin film of varathane type protection, and when that is shined with brasso or other cleaners, it begins to peel off, and patina is patchy and ugly.
i leave mine alone except for dusting and inspections for functionality. mush prettier in my old wooden intertior boat with patina and antique appearance.

[farshore]

Use them all the time on my schooner. Lamp
Oil comes in different qualities and sometimes I use varsol which seems alot like the cheap ones. Most k1 kerosene in the US is very poor quality and that which you can buy at the box stores is 15/gal as is the varsol. Best I have found is JP-4 jet fuel available at local airport FBO. Runs around 6/gal. and very clean and not ever mixed with heavier fuels like gas station kerosene.