Oil Lamp

In this Instructable I make a working antique-style oil lamp.

Supplies:

• Glass vase
• Watertight metal or glass pot/box
• Metal wire
• Other metal bits and pieces (optional)
• Some kind of yarn or string
• Oil

Tools:

• Glue (NOT hot glue!)
• Paint

For the base of the lamp, you will need some kind of container that wont leak and has a tight lid. This is where the oil will be stored. I am using this small circular metal box that I had lying around. It has a push on lid, but is very tight. Drill a hole into the center of the lid. Next I glued these two pieces on the top of the lid, just for extra height. You don't need to do this. I then glued this keyring that is flat on one side to the side of the bottom of the box. I also later secured it better with a wire. Finally, on the top of the base I added some washers around the mouth. This way, the vase will be able to just sit on top and still be secured.

First paint the entire base black. Since the base will be made of mostly metal or glass, I suggest using spray paint for the first layer. When this layer is completely dry, it's time for dry brushing. Dry brushing is done by using a completely dry paintbrush. Get a little bit of paint on the brush, then wipe most of the paint off. Finally, lightly brush the surface of the project. Dry brushing really brings out the texture in things and, in this case, really makes the base look like old metal. I painted mine in a bronze-ish gold color, but you could also do silver or copper.

For this oil lamp style, I decided to just drill a hole in the bottom of the vase. This will be for the wick to go through. It will need to line up with the hole that was drilled in the top of the lid for the base. looking back, though, I think it would have been mush better to have carefully sanded of the very bottom of the vase, making the same opening on both ends. This way, it would have been easier to light and restock later.

For the wick, you will need a kind of yarn that doesn't have any plastic properties. In my case, I had lots of yarn and string lying around at home, but I had no idea what they were made of. So, I cut little pieces of each of them, and soaked them in oil. Then I lit each of them and I used the one that burned well and smelled good like campfire and not like burning plastic. Anyway, I then wrapped a length of metal wire around a pencil to get a spiraled piece. Then I placed the yarn inside the spiral. This gets placed into the hole in the lid. Make sure to leave lots of excess yarn at the bottom of the wick, as this will soak up the oil. As for the oil, I used olive oil from the kitchen, though actual lamp oil will be better for this sort of thing. Fill the canister of the base less that halfway, and secure the lid. Wait a few minutes for the wick to soak up the oil. Finally, the top of the wick goes through the hole in the bottom of the vase, and voila!

Finished!