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Here is a photo of an oil lamp I am making. enter image description here

I am facing a few problems.first how its made.

Its a glass bulb with a custom fit plug made out of aluminium.The bulb balances by way of a neodymium magnet inside the bulb and is placed on an iron plate.A piece of cotton is rolled between oily palms to make the wick, and the oil used is sunflower oil.

My problem is- the wick only glows till the base of the aluminium plug, and then extinguishes.

What have i tried till now- Used a thicker oil, then thinner fuel (turpentine), a cotton wound thread, and then oiled cotton.

I have also tried to lit the wick without the aluminium plug, but I get the same results.

What I have read online suggests that the oil can climb on the cotton wick once it starts to get used near the flame, and this is the exact phenomenon which helps it keep lit.

Can someone suggest what could be wrong, and why the lamp doesnt stay lit? Is my design faulty?

DilithiumMatrix
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Rupin
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  • First thing to check is the wick. Take the aluminum plug off and light the wick. ( support it with non air tight aluminum foil plug). I suspect that the aluminum plug does not allow equalization of pressure with outside and the diminution of oil inside the flask lowers the pressure and the capillary absorption stops. – anna v Nov 10 '13 at 07:28
  • In oil lamps the wick burns slowly and there is a mechanisme to lift up fresh wick when the flame diminishes. It takes some time for the wick to burn through though. – anna v Nov 10 '13 at 07:34
  • notice these wicks http://www.antiquelampsupply.com/category/196_oil-lamps-kerosene-lamp-parts-and-elec-adapters . They are woven, this means that there are air channels not obstructed by the burnt wick. Just cotton wool may clog up all channels for oil to come up and air to go in as it burns. – anna v Nov 10 '13 at 07:58

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