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Humpback
03-05-2008, 14:10
I'm gradually building up my kit for canoe camping and whilst at Springfields in Burton today for something else I saw a cheap Hurricane Lantern and thought thats great. Got it home and tried it out with paraffin. Fine now I have 20hrs of fuel in it less 15 minutes burnt off. Then I realise if it gets tipped on its side (or stored in a confined space) I will get 125ml of smelly liquid leaking out.

So to the point of my post. As far as I can see the attempt to pour this out into a receptacle will do as much in spillage as it will save.

What do other hurricane lamp owners do to avoid this dilema?

Mine is similar to this:
http://www.surplusandadventure.com/s...ne-321454.html (http://www.surplusandadventure.com/shop/survival-emergency/hurricane-paraffin-lantern-kerosene-321454.html)

Alan

PS I have also posted this on SOTP

spamel
03-05-2008, 14:25
Only fill as much as you need at a time. No point filling it to the brim if, as you say, you'll be packing it amongst your kit. It's gonna take some trial and error to find exactly how much you'll need, but it will make life a lot easier. Also, a bit of drainpipe from the hardwear store could be used to make a protective case of some sort, if it comes in a large enough size. Just an idea.

Scots_Charles_River
03-05-2008, 20:32
You may wish to avoid taking it inside a tent and opt for UCO candle light instead, nearly fireproof .

Nick

fishy1
03-05-2008, 22:09
Fill it up when you need to use it, when you wish to empty it, use a plastic pipe, like a straw but thicker and flexible, generally comes by the metre in hardware shops etc, maybe 80p per m. Use half a metre, maybe 5 or 6mm so pretty thin. Insert it into the filling slot (where you pour the paraffin. Place a container to collect the paraffin BELOW the stove. Then, suck on the pipe until paraffin comes up (don't let it go in your mouth though). Then quickly place the other end of the pipe in the collecting container, and the paraffin will flow out until it is empty.

Toddy
03-05-2008, 22:11
My old hurricane lamp had a screw thread around the base of the burner part. I could unscrew that and screw on a cap that sealed the tank.
Have a look and see if your burner unscrews and if it does either find a cap or make one from polymorph.

cheers,
Toddy

Matt Weir
03-05-2008, 22:12
Alan,

I use a hurricane lantern and think its great. I carry the fuel in a separate bottle. You just need to take time and care when transferring the paraffin from bottle to lamp and vice versa.

w00dsmoke
03-05-2008, 23:04
Great ideas and suggestions so far from everybody. What I will say is that I used one every single night for a year and a half and left it swinging from a tree near my caravan when I lived in the woods. It burned way past my shut eye time summer and winter and it never failed even in the stormiest and windiest nights. The only maintenance that I ever did on mine was to clean the glass as is got a bit sooty (after lighting a new wick) and refitted a wick a srequirred. They throw out a very soft warm light which is most welcoming on a cold frosty winters night. You'll love it the more you use it.

Singeblister
03-05-2008, 23:30
I light mine when it starts to go dark have it hanging round the fire all night , take it to bed with me and leave it burning all night on very low by the morning its just about empty I find so no need to pour anything out of the lamp

Humpback
04-05-2008, 14:28
Thanks for the tips everyone. I try them out next campout.
Toddy sadly theres no screw fitting which would have been ideal.
Alan