Yes, Most Lamps and Lanterns are designed to use Lamp Oil and Kerosene.  However, other fuels existed, and were often the result of being the best available product, and/or cheapest available product. 

Whale Oil is a relatively low flashpoint fuel in regards to those derived from plants or animals, and not crude oil. At around 250 degrees F, it is about 100 degrees higher than Proper Kerosene, but was low enough to be used in lamps until Kerosene being readily available due to crude oil being found in Pennsylvania in the 1859, coincidently the earlier the same year Dietz Patented a new burner designed to burn Kerosene.  

Fuels like Camphene Oil Made from Pine Trees, (Originally spelled Camphine) are more volatile fuels, and were last commonly used around the 1860's.  These burners often have long wick tubes that keep all heat and ignition away from the lamp fount.

White Gas is modern day gasoline without the automotive additives.  It was used in many lamps, both mantle and natural flame lamps, from early on, and had a surge of popularity in the 1890's on up with automotive gas becoming more readily available.  These lamps absolutely burn a fuel as volatile as actual normal gasoline.  Although not as safe as Kerosene, these lamps were designed to keep the fuel tank away from any heat or ignition, and often had two valves in line to control the fuel.  One main value to control if there was flow, and a second valve designed to control the exact flow into the generator/burner.  These lamps did not burn liquid gasoline, they instead had a pre-heat cup where gasoline was filled and lit to burn as a liquid to heat the generator.  As the flame of the preheat cup was nearing an end, the burner should be hot enough to properly vaporize gasoline inside.  The main valve was opened, and the secondary generator value was slowly opened, to admit gas into a hot chamber to produce gas vapor, and to be burner in the jets of the burner.  The burner is designed in such a way to take heat from this flame, and continue the process of vaporizing gas to burn. 

There were more fuels available for use, however these common fuels cover the variety of different designed lamps that exist to burn these different grades and types of fuels.   For the most part, if you have a lamp that uses a specific fuel above, then it is not designed to use any fuel is a different bracket of volatility. A Lamp designed to use Whale oil which needs to be heated a lot to burn normal, would practically be a Molotov cocktail if used with gasoline. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Generally No, there are fuels out there that can cause a runaway flame where you no longer have control of the strength of the flame AND it is continuing to get larger.  There are fuels that will clog the wick and cause excess amounts of Carbon Monoxide.  There are other fuels that take so much heat to even begin to burn that burners that are not designed to burn that fuel, will instead put out a very small flame.  This will often cause the user to turn the wick up in an attempt to amend this, but that will cause the wick to begun to dry out when the flame is finally normal sized, which will then cause excess carbon monoxide production. 

If you do not know what fuel you need to use, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

For Lamps and Lanterns with Wick Adjusters, it is best to turn the flame low, as to produce a small blue halo, and let the hot burner cool down, while still burning fuel vapor.  If the flame were extinguished immediately, the burner would be hot enough to produce fumes that you are not burning, which often creates a bad smell, and may be adverse to personal health.  Always let the small flame burn those fumes for a minute or two before completely turning off your lamp. 

No, There are a few different brackets of different fuels, however the absolute most common is Kerosene and Lamp Oil.  Proper Lamp Oil is Kerosene with less sulfur, which is what produces the common smell of Kerosene. 

Other Brackets include harder to burn fuels like Whale Oil with a Flashpoint around 250F, and Olive Oil with an Extreme Flashpoint around 460F.  Other fuels in other brackets that are more volatile include White Gas which is basically gasoline without the automotive additives that as unsafe to inhale. Lastly Camphene Oil was common around the 1860's and was more volatile than most fuels, and was used in specifically designed burners. 

If you do not know what fuel you need to use, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Lamps, which we define as those with Chimneys, which are typically open top to the atmosphere and have no baffling against wind on the exhaust side of the device, are designed for indoor use.  Kerosene has Sulfur, K1 has at most 40PPM Sulfur, and K2 has at most 200PPM Sulfur, both adequate amounts to cause the distinct smell of rotten boiled eggs.  

As a result, we don't recommend burning Kerosene indoors as it's generally regarded as a bad smell.  We do not know if those chemicals or compounds either in the fuel or created during combustion have any added health risk, but we still do not recommend it. 

In Conclusion, just use a proper Lamp Oil as suggested above, as they will have much of that sulfur refined out of it, and will produce very little Odor.  If all of the best lamp oils you have tried still seam to produce a noticeably bad odor, consider the lamp may not be burning the fuel well enough and unburned fuel vapors are escaping the lamp.  This is unsafe and lamp use should not be continued until you consult with a professional what the fix should be.

To Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

A Company Called "Fire Fly" did Produce a fuel a while back that has since been discontinued that was made from Palm Kernals.  It had a Flashpoint of around 180F, it produced a distinct smell, that some would consider off-putting. It was however an eco-friendly fuel that did not have any petroleum products in it. 

No other fuel we have seen has entered the market that is safe to burn and or has a safe flashpoint.  One would have to specifically invest in a lamp very specifically designed to burn Olive Oil, Vegetable Oils, or possible on the more volatile side, Camphene Oil.  Do Not Proceed with this information without doing more research on the subject, and please consult with an expert. 

If you do not know what fuel or Lamp you need to use, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

A Higher Ambient Temperature can help get the fuel to reach the flashpoint while in the fount of the lamp or lantern, which is not where the fuel should be combustible.  Production of sufficient flammable gas in a closed container is dangerous, and must be avoided.  We build a safety margin into our fuel recommendations, but it still only covers a range of lamps, and we CAN NOT test and approve any fuel for absolutely all designs of lamps out there, and caution, personal testing, and Personal Safety Precautions must ALWAYS be taken. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure what Fuel to use. Request Professional Expertise for any questions Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Generally Speaking no.  Most lanterns produce sufficient heat that Alcohol in all forms and fashions is too volatile for use in them.  Alcohol is often flammable enough to light at Ambient Room Temperature in an open cup, this is not true of proper Kerosene specifically so that the fire only burns in the burner, not in the fount.  Refer to the Flashpoint open cup test for a better understanding of the differences in flashpoint and what they represent. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure what Fuel to use. Request Professional Expertise for any questions Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

For Most Oil Lamps and Lanterns we consider a flashpoint being 80 degrees above ambient to be safe enough, and not too high to inhibit flame height. This is not the only factor to a safe fuel, but is a critical aspect to understand. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure what Fuel to use. Request Professional Expertise for any questions Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

If the Lantern is going to be always used in an ambient environment of at least 40 Degrees F or below, then fuels like Klean-Strip's Kerosene Substitute with a flashpoint of 111F are safer to use.  The same fuel is not safe at a room temperature of 72F so make sure you understand this answer 100%. 

There are other fuels with lower flashpoints that are clean burning and safe to use, refer to the 3 points to consider above for a further understanding. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure what Fuel to use. Request Professional Expertise for any questions Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Mixing any fuels above in our recommendation list, that are both at least indoor rated, are safe for indoors when mixed together.  The mixing of any fuel that is strictly outdoor rated, makes it only safe outdoors.  

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure what Fuel to use. Request Professional Expertise for any questions Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Proper Lamp Oil, as is suggested in our Safe Fuels List Above, is just Kerosene that has had most of it's sulfur refined out of it.  It is cleaner burning in the sense that it produces less smell.  Sulfur is the smell of rotten hardboiled eggs, and is generally disliked by users, so it is recommended against burning Kerosene indoors. 

Flashpoint is the Temperature at which a fuel will sustain a flame over the liquid with no other aid to combustion.  A common standard Flashpoint Test is called an open cup test, and there are more standards than I will state to this test, but in general imagine a 3" diameter cup, filled most of the way with a singular test fuel, starting with the fuel at a known temperature below it's flashpoint, a match or ignition source is held above the fuel.  The liquid fuel never burns. (This is Critical to Understanding) however, at a certain temperature, the Flashpoint, the liquid is warm enough to produce enough vapors that the gas emanating from the liquid is enough to sustain an open fire. 

This Flashpoint for our Recommended Fuels is High Enough that, though you should NEVER Try this yourself for your safety, I Madison Kirkman have shown to people the safety of our recommended fuels by dipping my finger in it, and trying to ignite it.  It has never caught fire, because the fuel itself is not near it's flashpoint, and thus does not want to ignite.  Gasoline is the opposite.  You could pour gasoline on a glacier in Alaska, and as long as the Gasoline was above Negative 50F, it would still light on fire.  It is that volatile. The Public Perception that Lanterns burn a fuel so volatile or explosive similar to gasoline, is completely and utterly false, however it is perpetuated by Hollywood's Perception that a lantern could be simply tipped over and it would be enveloped in flames in seconds.  That is far from the truth... unless of course they put the wrong fuel, Gasoline, in those lanterns. 

A light carbon char on the top of a wick is perfectly fine.  The wick should also naturally burn down evenly to match the top of the wick tube, and should in turn always produce an even burning flame.  Crumbling charge and breaks in chunks is excessive and should be cleaned. 

A Lamp does NOT need to be trimmed before every use.  

A Lamp should not be ran dry of fuel, as it will cause the exposed 1/8" or so of wick to be burned down when dry, reducing the otherwise expected life of the wick. 

In proper use, with the fuel always touching the wick, and lamp kept above 1/4 tank of fuel, the wick should last a few hundred to a few thousand hours for a few inches of wick. 

Wick is not there to be burned, it is simply there to act as a medium to conduct fuel to the flame. 

For Lamps or Lanterns designed to burn Lamp Oil or Kerosene, use only the above mentioned recommended fuels. Vegetable Oil is a few hundred degrees higher in flash point, and is also higher viscosity which means it does not travel up the wick as fast and thus can cause your wick to dry out then burn, instead of the fuel.  This creates excess carbon monoxide which is highly poisonous.  

If you do not know what fuel you need to use, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Some Lamps and Lanterns have burners that are designed to heat up the fuel more, in cases where high flashpoint a.k.a. low volatility fuels are used. Some due this with a thicker plate of brass that is made to conduct heat downward from the flame.  A Railroad Lantern burner has been known to have a strip of copper or brass above the flame itself and is used to heat the burner's fuel, which in that case was a 50-50 mix of kerosene and animal fats. 

If you do not know what fuel you need to use, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Generally No, Fuel doesn't usually produce Soot, which is a sign of incomplete combustion and also evident when producing excess carbon monoxide.  I do not know of a fuel that when used in a good condition and fair quality Lamp or Lantern, that as a result, the fuel itself produced soot. 

It is possible that Lamps or Lanterns may have diminished output of light at higher altitudes and when expected to perform as well as lower altitudes, you can push the production of fuel vapor to a point where the intake of oxygen does not keep up, and does in fact soot.  In the case of lamps, this can be remedied with a taller chimney.  Start considering this problem to be a possibility generally at elevations of 3000 FT or more, but if a severely short chimney is being used, lower altitudes can present this problem. 

All Lanterns are generally tall globe lanterns, for example the Fitzall Size of globe, which the dimensions of have been standard since the 1870's, is considered Tall Globe.  A Lantern with a tall globe will perform better at higher altitudes.  Short Globe Lanterns did not hit the scene until 1914, when the idea was patented as it allowed easier cleaning of the globe.  The draw back is reduced output of light at higher altitudes due to reduced draft. Consider not using short globe lanterns above 4000 ft. Elevation. 

Do Not store the fuel in direct sunlight. 

Do Not store fuel in a overly warm environment.  Follow package instructions, but fuel may pressurize if stored in a warmer environment.  Always proceed with caution.  

Do Not store in an unsealed container for very long, fuel can evaporate.  

Do Not store outside in an unsealed container. Railroads often did break this rule, and as a result, humidity could condensate in the fuel, and when put in lanterns, can cause them to "Sneeze" or "Spit" which is when the flame jumps around quickly and is a negative quality. This water can also cause corrosion in lamps or lanterns which is also not advantageous. 

Often Packaging for Fuel is Black such as in Medallion Lamp Oil.  This is to prevent UV Degradation of the fuel.

If Lamp Oil is on your skin, Washing off with Soap is a good solution as it is an Oil that soap can remove.  

If gotten into your eyes, wash eyes for 15 minutes with clean water, and follow professional guidelines on the subject. This may include seeking guidance from a medical professional for expert advice.

If injected in any amount, please seek guidance from a medical professional for expert advice.

The Answer is generally NO, but in the case of emergency, and ONLY when used outside in a VERY well ventilated area, it may be Okay to burn.   Diesel fuel typically has automotive additives which are unsafe to breath, and thus we don't recommended contaminating your lantern with this fuel.  However, if it were life or death, and that was all you had left, let say, to stay warm in deathly cold weather I would say it is alright. The flashpoint should be checked, but is normally within safe guidelines as set above. 

My Answer is Still No, Do Not Use It, but if it was either certain Death, or use the fuel and risk some certain health concerns, I don't think people should think twice.  However, Diesel should not be used every day for relaxed, normal heating and light.

100% Pure Cotton Wick, which is all that we sell (other than O.E.M. Spec Felt wick for specific applications) is the best and safest wick for good filtering of fuel, and good capillary action. 

Tighter weave cotton wick also performs better at carrying fuel to the flame than a loose weave does. W.T.Kirkman Lanterns does not sell wick with Lead, Copper, or anything else in the wick. 

I have seen people weave copper into their cotton wick, which if it tangles into the burner, will seize the mechanism and is generally unrepairable.  Do not do this in any attempt to use an insufficient fuel. That is Unsafe.

Yes, So long as they meet the other guidelines presented above in our deeper look into what makes a safe fuel.  For example, when using an oil lamp mounted on the bulkhead of a steam locomotive, the ambient temperature is often hot enough to necessitate a fuel with a flashpoint well above 200F. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Absolutely, Paraffin Wax Oil is the most common offender, followed by Citronella, Dyed fuels, Scented Fuels, and expired fuels. 

As of writing this, February 2024, we do not know of a commercially available biofuel that means the requirements to be a safe fuel. 

Typically the Flashpoint needs to be between 125F and 150F, but ambient temperature, design of the lamp or lantern, and other factors means no answer works for all situations.

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page. 

Then Flashpoint of the fuel, if too high will produce a weak flame as it takes too much energy from the flame to heat the fuel. 

A volatile fuel is easier to get burning, and will produce a large flame too easily.  Easily enough it may run away from your control which is unsafe. 

A thicker fuel will cause the wick to dry with continued use and produce excess carbon monoxide which is unsafe.  This fuel will appear to burn fine for a few seconds or minutes after lighting, but will the flame will lower until the user thinks they need to turn up the wick, at which point the wick will then burn and produce more carbon monoxide. 

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page. 

Although fuel does not typically have an expiration date stated, we have noticed that fuels 5 years old and older have diminished and even unsafe qualities.  Cycle your fuel supply if you wish to keep a stash of fuel for preparedness.  

Yes, but only in lamps designed to burn higher flashpoint fuels like Whale Oil.  Mineral Oil is the fuel of choice by collectors for use in Whale Oil Lamps as Whale Oil is, Obviously, not commercially available anymore. 

For as long as we have conducted professional help for our customers in aiding their problems with fuels, we have found that many a time, the colored fuels available in many stores often clog the wick, and prevent good capillary action of the fuel, which induces carbon monoxide production, which is highly poisonous.  Do Not Used Dyed Fuels. 

As long as you using the right fuels for your lamp or lantern, the fuel is not what needs to be taken into consideration.  The amount of Draft from rising hot air is an issue as at higher altitudes, the draft is diminished and the loss of oxygen creates incomplete combustion which is carbon monoxide, which is poisonous.   Consider a taller globe lantern, or a taller chimney for your lamp at any higher elevation typically above 3000Ft. Elevation. 

Make sure to be safe, consult an expert with any questions you may have, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Because you don't know what fuel it may be, the one answer that fits all is to dispose of the fuel at a proper facility to do so.  Contact local authorities who handle disposal for an answer that fits your needs. 

In General, Don't use a lamp or lantern for the first time during the emergency.  Use you Lamp or Lantern monthly until the emergency arises.  Be comfortable with your lamp or lantern, and know that the way you use it is safe before you have an emergency.  Know the Ins and Outs of the Tool so you are not caught unprepared in said emergency.

Minatare Oil Lamps may require a higher flashpoint fuel, because when the flame is so close to the fuel source, the amount of fuel is relatively small, and thus easy to heat, thus the smaller lamp may run away from you. 

Larger lamps have more surface area, more ability to disperse the heat, and more mass so it takes a lot longer to get up to any serious temperature, all prevent larger lamps from this issue.  

I do not know of any additives claiming to work for Kerosene or Lamp Oil, as a result, I know of no additives to be safe as such. 

Multi wick or even round wick lamps often produce a lot of heat, thus the temperature differential may be higher, and require a higher flash point fuel.

Make sure to be safe, and use only safe fuels.  Advise professional help if you are unsure, Request Professional Expertise, Our Contact information is at the bottom of this page.