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The Source for Tubular Hurricane Lanterns and Parts

Store Front


 

 

January 2, 2010
UPDATE

ON-LINE STORES
Browse Our Main Store
Browse Our Back-Up Store

PDF CATALOG DOWNLOADS
Our 2009 Lantern Catalog

Our 2009 Kosmos Catalog
To view these catalogs, you will need
Adobe Acrobat Reader

LANTERN HELP LINE:
1-877-985-5267
(9 - 5 Pacific Time)

INFORMATION
Frequently Asked Questions
Dietz American Lanterns
Dietz Company History
Lantern Care & Terminology
Lantern Patent Information
Links and Resources
Fakes, Frauds, & Forgeries  
LanternNet Search Tool
GREAT TOOL!
Dealer Locator and Information
About Us

VINTAGE DIETZ
OIL
LANTERN
INFO QUICK LINKS

Dietz 8-Day
Dietz Acme
Dietz Air Pilot
Dietz Beacon
Dietz Blizzard
Dietz Buckeye
Dietz Crescent
Dietz D-Lite
Dietz Hy-Lo
Dietz Junior
Dietz King Fire Dept'
Dietz Little Giant
Dietz Little Wizard
Dietz Monarch
Dietz Night Watch
Dietz Scout/Sport
Dietz Traffic Gard
Dietz Vesta
Dietz Victor
Dietz Wizard

All Other Dietz Lanterns

LanternNet Web Family
Lanternnet.com
Dietzlanterns.com
ElectricLanterns.com
Fauxflame.com
Kerosene-Lantern.com
Kosmoslamps.com
Lanterns.us
Lanternparts.com
Matadorlamps.com
Railroadnet.com
Synthaflame.com
WTKirkman.com

video-phone3000.com
 

Approved fuels for
Tubular Lanterns:
 
1.  Non-Dyed (Clear) Kerosene
2.  Synthetic Kerosene
(*Clear-Lite) 
3.  Klean-Heat Kerosene Substitute
4.  Standard Clear Lamp Oil
5. 
Genuine Aladdin Lamp Oil

6.  Citronella Oil  (Outdoor use only)
 
(Use Klean-Heat or Standard Clear Lamp Oil for odor free use indoors.)

*Clear-Lite Synthetic Kerosene is no longer being manufactured and has been replaced by Klean-Heat Kerosene Substitute.

Dyed kerosene or lamp oil will eventually clog the wick and inhibit proper operation.  It can also permanently stain the lantern.





 



Cowboy.com - Free Advertsing for the Western Community!

 

Welcome to the Most Complete Source for
Dietz Hurricane Kerosene Lanterns, Oil Lamps
and
Tubular Lantern Parts in the World!

W. T. Kirkman Oil and Electric Lanterns, the only Tubular Oil Lantern manufacturer in the United States, is proud to offer the broadest selection anywhere of new kerosene lanterns and parts in our newly expanded E-Store.  Many of the items we offer are exclusive to our line, and won't be found elsewhere.  We also maintain an ever changing inventory of old stock replacement lantern parts and lantern globes for Dietz, Adlake, Handlan, C.T. Ham, Embury, Paull's Leader, Regal, and several other lantern manufacturers.     If there is something special you are looking for that you cannot find, or if you just have a lantern question, visit our "About Us" to view the various ways to contact us.

LanternNet Destinations


Oil Lamps & lanterns, research books and CD-ROMs, Custom Electric Lantern Fixtures, and the most complete selection of lantern parts and globes.

The answers to the most frequently asked lantern questions.  Please note:
w
e do not appraise lanterns via E-mail or phone.

Annotated Compendium of all Dietz Lantern models made since 1868 with replacement glass and wick specifications
.
 
LanternNet
Store Front
Frequently Asked
Questions
Dietz American
Lantern Information

A
timeline of events, along with anecdotes and not widely known facts about the R.E. Dietz Company, the Largest Makers of Lanterns in the World.


I
nformation on the two types of tubular oil lanterns, the Principles of Operation, proper lantern care, globe removal and how to change wick.

The evolution of the tubular lantern from the inventor's perspective with direct links to the U.S. Patent Office listed in chronological order.
R. E. Dietz
Company History
Lantern Care &
Terminology
Lantern Patent
Information


Information on fake oil lamp and lanterns that collectors should avoid.  Must reading.

Additional websites on oil lamps and lanterns, lantern Collections, and restoration supplies.


W. T. Kirkman Oil and Electric Lantern policies,  references, and contact information
.
Fakes &
 Frauds
Links &
Resources
About Us and
Contact Info


The LanternNet Search Tool is a fast and easy way to find any lantern related item or topic.  It searches our entire LanternNet website, as well as a handful of other lantern related websites.  Enjoy!!
 

LanternNet Search Tool

 

JANUARY 2nd, 2010 UPDATE


UPDATE:  January 2nd, 2010
To help find a dealer in your area, we have just added a DEALER LOCATOR PAGE for North America to our website.  Prospective dealers will also more easily find our Dealer Terms and Application 

NEW 2010 CATALOG:
We are currently working on our expanded 2010 Catalog and Price List with Lantern Reference Guide.  We are hoping to have it have it available in February.  In the meantime, our 2009 Lantern Catalog is available here: 
2009 Lantern Catalog   and our Kosmos Lamp Catalog is available here:  Our 2009 Kosmos Catalog


SHIPPING RATES:
UPS and FedEx have both raised their shipping rates 4.9% as of January First.  While this increase is in line with the increases we've seen over each of the past few years, it makes shipping a single item more expensive than ever.  For single item orders, U.S. Mail is now the least expensive shipping method in many cases.  Shipping a second item will reduce the shipping cost per item substantially, so we encourage combining orders, or ordering spare parts in advance.


PREMIUM GRADE LANTERNS:
Our premium grade #1 Little Champ, #2 Champion, and newest model #350 Little Giant, galvanized lanterns are continuing to sell at unprecedented rates, mostly due to emergency preparedness orders.  (The #350 model is a nod to the Embury Little Supreme and Little Air Pilot lanterns, cousins of the Dietz Little Giant, first introduced in 1926.)  Our premium grade models are without a doubt the best tubular lanterns made.  The #350 Little Giant, shown above, will burn for over 40  hours on one filling, and is virtually tip-proof.  Our #2 Champion is the largest and brightest of our premium grade models, and is also our most popular lantern model.   
Here is an outside review of the No. 2 Champion worth reading.

UPDATE:  December 12th, 2009
LW Books, one of the largest publishers of specialty books for collectors, has closed their doors.  As a result, we have sold out of "Collectable Lanterns" and "Collectable Dietz Lanterns, 1917 Catalog Reprint," and are unable to restock these titles.  Additionally, Golden Hill Press, publishers of Tony Hobson's "Lanterns that Lit Our World" has discontinued Volume II, and most likely will not continue printing Volume I.  Earlier this year they discontinued the "1926 Dressel Catalog Reprint."

UPDATE:  October 19th, 2009
As anticipated, we have sold out of the Dietz #30 Little Wizard Lanterns in tin plate finish well before Christmas.  Due to its popularity, we are scheduling another production run of this model for 2010.  If you would like to be placed on our list to be notified when they are available again, give us a call toll free at 1-877-985-5267, or drop us an e-mail using the following directions:

Xinfo@lanternnet.com
*** This E-Mail Address is Intentionally Invalid as an Anti-Spam Measure ***
(IMPORTANT:  To make the above e-mail address valid, remove the "
X")  
 

Fall 2009:  Current State of Affairs:
It has been obvious to us for some time, (at least since November 2008,) we are experiencing a movement not unlike that of 1999 when everyone was preparing for the power to go off in Y2K.  We have also been adding a record number of new lantern dealers around the country.  With the increased number of orders we are processing, we have added extra help to maintain timely shipments.  We are also now automatically sending tracking numbers via e-mail for all orders placed on-line and shipped via UPS or FedEx.  If you need expedited shipping, give us a call toll free at 1-877-985-5267    

In response to numerous e-mails requesting a list of items that we produce in the U.S.A., we have added an American Made Items section to our E-store that lists the items that we offer that are made or assembled in the U.S.A., or that feature accessories that we make here in California.

This Just In:

Scientists are predicting that it is only a matter of time before Earth is hit with a solar storm similar to the one that hit in 1859 that shorted out telegraph systems and started fires in North America and Europe.  A major solar storm has the potential to interrupt power grids and communication systems world wide that could take months to restore.  The next peak in solar activity is expected in or by 2012.  Here is a link to a January 8th, 2009 Fox News story on the topic.  Here is a link to a Space.com article from October 27th, 2003 on the 1859 Solar Storm.

Something to Consider
There is a substantial savings on shipping by combining multiple lantern orders with your neighbors or congregation members.  Call us toll free at 1-877-985-5267 for assistance with placing combined orders.

In Other News. . . .
Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio, famous for their Non-Electric "Amish" Catalog,  has added our Galvanized No. 1 Little Champ and No. 2 Champion Lanterns, and our Polished Brass No. 1 and No. 2 Climax Lamps to their Lamp & Lantern Department, paper catalog, and website.  (Plan on spending at least a few hours if you visit Lehman's newly remodeled retail store.)  We have also started shipping our No. 2 Champion lanterns to McMaster-Carr again.      

Best Regards,
Woody and Dawn Kirkman

 

New Items Update

NOW IN STOCK!!

Dietz #330 "No. 3 Tubular - Pioneer" Globe

Produced using the old mold pattern, our new full weight #330 globes are the perfect replacement for the Dietz No. 3 Tubular and Pioneer Street Lamps, and have the raised lettering just like the original globes of 100 years ago. 

 

W.T. Kirkman #39 "Railroad" Globe

We are very proud to introduce our new full weight W.T. Kirkman #39 RR globes, made on our exclusive molds.  They will fit practically all #39 size railroad and fireman lanterns made by Dietz, C.T. Ham, Adams & Westlake, Handlan-Buck, Dressel, Armspear, Perko, Rayo, Defiance, Prisco, etc., etc..



W.T. Kirkman #206 "Queen" Globe

Our new W.T. Kirkman #206 size "Pearl Glass" globes are produced on new exclusive molds, and are a beautiful and exact replacement for Macbeth #206 globe.  They fit C.T. Ham #3 and #3 1/2 railroad conductor lanterns, and will also fit Dietz #3 and #8 Conductor's lanterns, as well as older Adams & Westlake, M.M. Buck, F. Meyrose, Post & Company, and Dayton railroad lanterns.

W.T. Kirkman No. 2 Warming Plate

To answer the requests for a food or beverage warmer for use with the larger lanterns, we have developed the No. 2 Warming Plate for dependable camping or emergency use. It simply snaps onto the lantern crown when needed, and does not inhibit the normal operation of the lantern. In addition to fitting our #2 Champion, it will also fit the Dietz #80 Blizzard, #90 D-Lite, #2500 Jupiter, as well as most all Dietz #2 size lanterns made since 1898.


New Style Adlake Candle Lamp Brackets

When we recently sold out of the new style candle lamp brackets, we discovered that Adlake destroyed the tooling for making them along with the tooling for the candle lamps, both of which were made up to just a few years ago.  Just like the Old Style Brackets, our only option was to start producing the New Style Brackets ourselves.  Our New Style Brackets are stamped from solid brass, not plated, and match the original bracket dimensions perfectly.  They are now in stock, and ready to ship.  We have also started producing the early style candle lamp wall brackets.  These cast brass reproductions are made on a mold that we made using an original bracket.  They will work with the slotted type candle lamps made by Adams & Westlake, Dayton Mfg. Co., Safety Car Lamp Co., and the Hicks and Smith Mfg. Co. 

July 13, 2008

After several years, and several attempts, we finally have our #525 replacement globes for Dark and Deck Lanterns in production.  We are very happy with the way they've turned out, and are sure you will be too.    The clear #525 Globes are in stock, and red, green, cobalt blue, and amber.   

June 16, 2007

Our new solid brass #275 Dark/Deck Lantern Oil Pots are now in production, and fit most all makes of Deck or Dark lanterns: 

April 8, 2007

We are proud to now offer our exclusive authentic replacement decals for the Embury Luck-E-Lite lanterns.  Click on the decal image below to be directed to the appropriate E-Store page.

 

Special Projects Portfolio

San Diego Railroad Museum
(Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association)

W.T. Kirkman has been selected to construct four reproduction Adams & Westlake #207 oil burning Center Lights for the restoration of the 1886 ROCKDALE, SANDOW, & SOUTHERN RAILROAD #3 Baggage/Coach Combination "Jim Crow" Car.  Here is the history of the car, and pictures of the restoration in progress.   Here is a related video from the San Diego Union Tribune.   We'll post pictures of the completed lamps when they're ready.   Should be a fun project!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


What a surprise to see where the above lantern turned up when we went to see the latest Indiana Jones movie.  Actually, there were five of these that we hand made to a very specific order about a year ago for Genre Productions, a prop company that was working on a "secret" movie project.  The name of the movie they were to be used in was never revealed to us, not even a working title.    "The lantern" is used and seen for about 5 minutes in the first half of the movie when Dr. Jones is "visiting" an ancient cemetery.  The lanterns were built with specially cut "vent" holes to cast light back onto whoever was holding the lantern.  The prop company used an ultra high powered, and very hot lamp as a light source, so the lanterns were made with welded and riveted construction so that they would hold up to the heat.  Although these were not based on any specific lantern model of the past, they certainly "looked" the part.  Take a look below, (click image to enlarge.)

Cirque Du Soleil

Below are pictures of two types of the nearly 200 custom lanterns we produced for the upcoming Cirque Du Soleil show at the Luxor in Las Vegas.  We also customized several standard Dietz and W.T. Kirkman lantern models for the show.   The lanterns will be a prominent part of the yet un-named show, and will utilize the newly developed 12 Volt version of our Fauxflame modules.  The "Police" type lantern was made for the ushers to use while collecting tickets and seating guests.  It features an ultra-high powered LED with a rechargeable battery pack.  The much larger (Photo not to scale,)  "Inspector" lantern with the crinkled top was made for use by the performers, and uses the brightest High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp available in its size.  Because of the time required for the HID lamp to "warm-up" these lanterns were built with a rotating blinder, just like their counterparts of 100+ years ago, so that "instant" light could be called upon.

 

Walt Disney World

We have just completed four custom solid copper and brass post lamps for Walt Disney World to match lamps that were originally built by T. A. Greene when the park first opened in the early 1970's.  One of the four is shown below.     

 

Purdue University Boilermaker Special

Our new American made Mittler Brothers power bead roller has had a workout while we have been building solid brass marker lamps for the Purdue University "Boilermaker Special" locomotive, (shown below.)  The bead roller will also allow us to make wire edges and hems on irregular shapes. 

One of Four Solid Brass Marker Lamps Built by W.T. Kirkman for the
Purdue University "Boilermaker Special" Replica Steam Locomotive

Other Projects

Martin Scorsese is making a new film with Leonardo DiCaprio in Massachusetts that required oil burning lamps and lanterns.  Among the assortment we shipped to them was our W.T. Kirkman #1 Climax Lamp.  The working title of the file is "Ashecliffe" but the story is also known as "Shutter Island."  Here is a link to the official Shutter Island website.

 

 

We take great pride in both our product line and customer service,
and strictly guarantee your complete satisfaction, or your money back.

Since 1984
W. T. KIRKMAN OIL & ELECTRIC LANTERNS
Authorized R. E. Dietz Co. LTD. U.S.A. Distributor
Exclusive U.S.A. Distributor of Gaudard Fine Oil Lamps

Ramona, (San Diego County,) California  92065

This Page Updated on January 2, 2010

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