Posted by mike stevens on January 03, 2001 at 17:36:48 from 195.92.67.66:
In Reply to: Re: Oil Stoves posted by Mike on January 03, 2001 at 11:48:05:
Firstly, what Americans call Kerosene appears to be very similar to what is called paraffin in the UK and Petrole in France. Also, white spirit is the same stuff. When I was a boy, paraffin was normally called paraffin oil, and lamps that used it were called oil lamps.Probably because before paraffin they were run on colsa oil which comes from cole seeds.
I would guess that the oil stoves mentioned were one of two kinds. Either primus types using pressurised hot paraffin which burns exactly the same as the current LPG stoves, or unpressurised blue flame stoves which came in all sorts of shapes from green house heaters, car sump heaters to elaborate room heaters. Some of these had a flat ring on top of the chimney on which you could heat a kettle. Further, there is a paraffin cooking stove still used on boats which looks like a gas stove and uses unpressurised blue flames. Hope this helps.