Need opinions about tin lantern size

[Stickman]

Hi. I do some tinsmithing and am working on a new pattern for a scaled down lantern. The classic 5x5 by about 16 in tall lantern is great, but takes up a fair amount of room. I have worked up a 4x4x12ish (not including round handle) pattern that looks just like the larger version, but smaller of course.

Anyway, the box part of the lantern in only about 8 inches tall inside. I put a used candle, about 4.5 inches, in and lit it to see how hot the top would get. Well, pretty hot. Not enough to melt the solder, but you wouldn't want to leave your hand on it very long. This is the lantern type with the two half round top pieces but the way.

I know that tin candle lanterns get pretty warm on top as a rule, so I am not sure if this is a problem for folks or not.

So I am trying to decide if I should just tell people to be sure to use short candles, refit the candle cup for more of a small votive candle, or scrap the pattern.

What do you all think. Would you be OK with a lantern that got a bit hot in order to save space, or is it a bad idea?

Thanks in advance.

Rob

 

[coloradoclyde]

Tough call.....
I think the old timers went through what you are before they settled on the larger size....

I have also noticed from small lanterns, that I have made, that the candles tend to burn faster or begin to melt outright from the radiated heat in such a small space.

Bigger may be clunkier but they seem to work better. IMO

 

[Stickman]

Thanks for the reply. I am sure you are right. There are no new ideas.... You are right about the candles burning fast also. I have made several different patterns of lanterns of a few different sizes. One is a large six sided ship lantern that has three candles in it. Man that thing is a candle eating monster! In the newer ones I am only putting two candle cups.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I also think that large pierced tin lanterns throw more light than smaller ones.....(more holes)

 

[jethro224]

The smaller size lanterns work for me. I use a glass sided one that is even shorter than that. And, yes, it gets HOT! Especially with a new candle. I tied a leather thong to it so I can carry it without burning myself.
I'm not one to burn a lot of candles tho. I only light mine for a minute to get into bed, when I have to visit the hooters after dark, and sometimes to find my camp when I've been out visiting. One or two 6" candles will last me a whole rendezvous season.
Bottom line; if you had one of each size on a trade blanket and I was shopping for one, I would buy the small one.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Doesn't it depend on what you want to do?

I have a pierced tin lantern with a single pane of glass, that is the door, and I can use a commercially molded, beeswax candle. I put a small piece of mirror against the back on the inside, and it throws a lot of light forward. This I call a "sentry's lantern". It's very bright, and if the type isn't too small, one can read by it.

:idunno:

I also have two wood and glass lanterns, and these have open holes at the top to vent heat, and one needs to be careful of excess wax in the bottom, and the size of the candles within, for they can and will catch fire if not attended. They throw light in four directions and these make for good general illumination in a campsite.

The wood lanterns with open tops, and my pierced tin sentry lantern, will stay lit in a decent breeze, but the candles burn faster and may gutter.

Then I have several tiny tin or brass lanterns, that take a tea-light. Now these are easy to pack, but can get hot, and throw enough light in a tent (when hung a good distance from the top of the ridge) to allow one to see and handle gear, but you could never read or sew by such a light. The candles don't last more than a couple of hours. Now if one uses a pure beeswax tea-light, and has a stand to hold 6 of these, they make for good lighting on a table or from a sort of chandelier under a fly. What this does is give the owner the option of grouping them for lots of light, or simply taking one along when trekking for minimal light apart from the campfire.

There is also my " Folding Pocket Lantern " which is a small diameter candle surrounded by it's carrying box and having a panel of mica that allows the light to escape. Open at the top, it is more reliable than a candle in a candle stick against a light breeze. These throw more light than a tea-light candle, and don't get hot like a micro-lantern, but have to rest on top of something. The candles tend to last longer than a tea-light, but only throw muted light in one direction, and indirect light on the inside of the walls of a tent if used inside.

Some of what a lantern will or won't do for you depends on the candles too.

I've found by making my own beeswax candles, that a thicker wick gives a larger flame, but the burn time is thus decreased, and heat goes up as well. Reducing the diameter of the wicks will increase how long the candle lasts, but may reduce the light output too much, AND the smaller flame needs less of a breeze to be blown out. So..., it's a trade-off.

So what I carry in my pack is the folding lantern, and what I use in my camp is my tin sentry lantern. Once in a great while I will take the wood/glass lanterns if a big social gathering is planned.

The rest of the lanterns were experiments that didn't really work for me, but might work for others.

I hope this helps.


LD

 

[Stickman]

Thanks for the replies. I think I will make a couple more and put the out on the blanket and see what happens.

I agree about not burning them very long. I really doubt that lanterns were lit and left to burn for hours the way we do in camp. I would think they were only lit long enough to accomplish the task at hand or for a bit in the evenings before bed.

But I have to admit, I really like the way candle lanterns look around camp when it get dark and cool and the smoke lays low and diffuses the light.....

 

[ohio ramrod]

After over twenty years I have settled on two sizes of candle lanterns. Small ones that use the readily available "tea light candles". And large ones that will hold votive or the large diameter candles available at the save and serve or good will stores in January after people donate the candles they received at Christmas. :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Tough call.....
I think the old timers went through what you are before they settled on the larger size....

I have also noticed from small lanterns, that I have made, that the candles tend to burn faster or begin to melt outright from the radiated heat in such a small space.

Bigger may be clunkier but they seem to work better. IMO

Agree, tin ones make a lot of heat and melt candles. I don't care for them at all. :shake:
My wood lanterns are about 5"X5"X10" and just right. I wouldn't want any smaller.
BTW, the best candles I have used are those from Israel. Vendors at ronny often have them. I store my candles in the freezer between events.

 

[coloradoclyde]

the best candles I have used are those from Israel.

What makes them special/better?

 

[necchi]

The Menorah,,, I understand the candles last a long time,, :wink:

 

[coloradoclyde]

The Menorah,,, I understand the candles last a long time,, :wink:

No mountain would be complete without one.... :haha:

I figured they lasted longer....But why do they last longer???

I make my own candles whenever I can.....Just something about makin your own..... :thumbsup: