Trilliumforge Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Hi all! Does anyone out there have patterns or templates for making a betty lamp? I figured I'd ask before I started reinventing the wheel. I'm thinking of something like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 I think there was a thread about them a while ago. I don't know if there were patterns though. I remember there being a lot of variations in design though, it's quite the rabbit hole if you web search them. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Got any local "Historical Houses" that may have one you could make detailed drawings of? Probably be in with the kitchen stuff and you are probably aiming for when down hearth cooking was still done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Looks more like sheet stampings than forging. I take it that it is an oil lamp and the forged piece holds the wick in place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 The fuel tends to drip from where the wick hits the end; so that one has put that point inboard, a nice variation! Another common one is to have a second open shell below the first to catch the drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Biggun, that is the suspension hook just folded down into where the wick normally goes. These are low volatility oil lamps which burn vegetable oil, whale oil, or animal fat. They do NOT burn higher volatility oils like kerosene or commercial "lamp oil." Using the latter can get overly exciting very quickly. The same is true of the oil lamps of antiquity which are usually made of clay. As far as I know the sheet iron or brass models were soldered together and the only forged element was the suspension hook. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Don't forget the oil lamps made from soapstone, I've replicated one from the Viking era using an old laboratory bench top---working wet to avoid dust issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Denis Frechette has a video about making a simple Betty lamp: Video removed due to advertising Kim Thomas's FB photos of one of his Betty lamps also show the same interior spout as in the OP, as well as both the hanging hook and an attached pick for trimming the wick: Kim comments: Quote The bottom is braised in the coal forge. [...] It’s not hard and it's just the edge. You hold the two pieces together drop a small piece of brazing rod inside, heat it up on the edges and when the brazing rods melts it runs right up the seam. So you just keep turning the piece and the braise follows the heat. You just have to keep adding new small pieces of brazing rod as you go until you have gone around the entire piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 Thanks for the link John. It's a good tutorial about raising in general and applying it to a Betty lamp. Defining the bottom corner then creasing and upsetting them to reduce the diameter of the sides of the pan is a little different than I learned but the same none the less. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliumforge Posted December 19, 2021 Author Share Posted December 19, 2021 Thanks everyone, that's great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 Funny; I had a fellow working on an iron age design grease lamp at the Guild Moot two weekends ago. He was working cold and I was having trouble teaching over the noise; so I suggested he "borrow" some heat and work it hot---much faster and quieter! I did my Viking era one out of soapstone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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