Lard Lamp

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Lard Lamp

Lard Lamps burned lard or 'lard oil'. Waste grease from cooking or rendered pure lard was used in their operation.

There were often used where superior fuels were not available, or by less affluent users, as lamp oil was often very expensive even if available- and on the frontier, it usually was not available, whereas lard from wild animals was. Typically, the fuel reserve was at the TOP of the lamp, in a tank-like reserve, with a slanted bottom leading to the back, where a rectangular channel of full lamp width but comparatively shallow depth led down to the bottom which had a wick. while such a lamp could stand on a table, usually they were wall mounted, where the burnished face of the vertical channel would reflect light into the room. Such a basic lamp could be made from sheet tin by a blacksmith, soldered together, and fueled with fats from the bodies of animals hunted by pioneers; therefor they were a popular early light source in remote pioneer areas where better lamps and whale oil were difficult to obtain.

Another type often made of cast tin or tin and another metal such as copper had a small reserve around and under the ribbon wick. such demanded some talent at the casting of metals and were in general,were the product of a more urban foundry; several were covered by patents.

RESOURCES

• The old time lamp shop
• A do it yourself lard lamp
• The Rushlight

References

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