# Kerosene headlight



## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Continuing on with my feelings that one can make working parts in 1:20, here's my latest creation. It's working kerosene headlight guts that would fit inside an Accucraft 4-4-0's headlight. No reflector yet but once I get access to my lathe again I'll turn one up and fit it all into a headlight body. Even without the reflector it gives a suprising amount of illumination from a flame less than 1/4" tall. The fill tube is on the left and is a slice of 3/16" o.d. tube, and the wick is a single strand of cotton string.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Now that is cool. Call me strange,







but I even like the smell of kerosene.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

That's pretty darned ingenious Justin! Very cool!


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## Havoc (Jan 2, 2008)

That's very nice. Going to save this as reference.


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Marvelous !


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

Steve, if you like the smell of Kerosene, you should run your mikado on it some time. Be warned it makes a mess of both the engine and cars but it looks cool.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

Posted By Steve S. on 17 Aug 2009 10:51 PM 
Now that is cool. Call me strange,







but I even like the smell of kerosene. You know Steve, there are law enforcement spies out there who might get the wrong idea when you post comments like that.









I can see tomorrow's Houston Chronicle headline. 20 live steam enthusiasts busted for sniffing kerosene at Steamin' at Steve's.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Very cool. 
Just in time for me to acquire my Accucraft 4-4-0, Its the #1 choice so far for my 1 live steam engine a year quota (wife set agreement at the moment lol).


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

I have seen functioning carbide headlights in 1-1/2" scale; wonder if that would work in 1:20.3? The carbide used to be available for hikers' lamps, but I doubt it now with LEDs and high efficiency batteries. 

Larry


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Justin, 

Beautiful! I can't wait to see it. 

The Accucraft 4-4-0 headlight appears to be essentially solid, so there may be a challenge getting your beautiful work inside one.... 

Best regards, 

Alan


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Carbide is used in Model T's to generate the gas for the headlights. It is banned from show cars because of its explosiveness.

I believe that the sponsor Quisenberry Station carried carbide canons and may have a supply if you need some.


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## turbohvn (Jan 7, 2008)

I do carry carbide in stock.

Royce
Quisenberry Station


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Justin,

I have your blower for your coal fired loco. I'll bring it to Pensy over Labor Day.


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the nice comments guys. I kind of figured that the headlight is a solid casting, so I might just cut it apart and use the top and bottom casings with new sides soldered on. I have given some thought about carbide lamps, but instead of carbide using a hidden butane tank and some hypodermic tubing for the line and jet.

Thanks Tom, I didn't even realise that I didn't bring it home.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Justin,
That's really a nice piece of work.
I reminds me of a set of, probably Bing, lamp posts that my brother has in the UK.
If I remember correctly, the wick runs up the centre of the lamp post but only the top inch or so, which you first fill with a little fuel.
I can't remember what he used.
Anyway, he reckoned by the time you fiddled around lighting enough of them for a station platform, and putting the glass domes on top, that the first one was probably running out of fuel.
How long do you reckon you will get with a fill?
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Very sweet  You couldn't shouldn't turn your reflector. Hammer it out in brass and then polish it. It's be thinner and more prototypical. 
By the way, where are you going to hide the fuel tank for the kerosene?


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Try to edit the above typo,,, its shouldn't not couldn't. I'm not sure why the edit tool isn't working for me. Maybe the new forum doesn't like Linux :


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

I think this is great. Some questions come to mind though. I don't see being able to put a lens on the lamp because of the heat. I see the heat being you biggest problem, paint coming off and parts deforming, maybe it doesn’t get that hot. Maybe a glass lens but then will there be enough air getting in for combustion? A friend who was a great builder of 4 /34” and 7 1/2” engines always said, “You can’t scale water and you can’t scale fire.” 

You could make the tank look like an air tank. I assume it’s a wick that is bringing the fluid up to the light.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

I just used the edit tool and had to do it 4 times before it worked.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dan Pantages on 19 Aug 2009 11:18 AM 
I just used the edit tool and had to do it 4 times before it worked. 


You folk were probably trying to edit the post too soon... there is a 60 second delay enforced between postings. (As well as a 3 or 4 hour limit to how long a posting is editable.) If you attempt to post an edit (or even a new post right after posting a different one) and it seems to fail, look near the top for some red text saying that you have to wait 60 seconds before you can post again. Just sit and wait and then hit Submit again and it will work.


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

If you use real glass for the lens, it should be able to take the heat. Airflow would still be a problem though, plus you would need to be able to open it to light it. I suppose another problem might be the lens clouding up from the smoke when the fuel runs out and the wick starts to burn, so it would need frequent cleaning. The airflow problem could probably be solved with a tube going down through the tank from top to bottom behind the wick to draw air up from below the headlight. Microscope slide covers seem like an obvious source of near-scale-thickness glass to use for the lens, but I'm guessing it would be too fragile to withstand the repeated opening, closing, and cleaning. It might be ok doubled up if the rim is rigid enough though. 

The fuel tank appears to be the enclosed box area below the wick, I assume the clear tube below it is just there to hold the unit up to headlight height on the loco for the pics? How long does the fuel last before it needs a refill?


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

The tank is the whole bottom of the assembly, and the plastic tube is just there to hold it up. I haven't filled it up all the way yet, but it should last on the order of 5-10 minutes. Possibly longer. I'll try it later on and see. I don't see heat being too big of an issue, especially if real glass is used. As for lighting it, I was going to try and hinge the whole front of the headlight body, which would allow me to light it and remove the guts for filling/cleaning.

I don't see a problem with reflectors as it will be some sort of metal. I may try and hammer one out and see if I like the results. If I remember right, you had one chrome plated on a bachmann 4-4-0? Are you still happy with the results? Not having much luck with searching to see if a kit was used or you sent it somewhere.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

For headlight lenses, go to www.ofrei.com, a watch parts supplier. They have flat and crowned quartz discs (watch crystals) in an endless range of sizes. Inexpensive, but unfortunately the minimum order has gone to $15 and shipping is up also. But, lots of other stuff of interest to modelers to fill out an order. I haven't looked, but they might have something that a reflector could me made of. 

Larry


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## Steve Shyvers (Jan 2, 2008)

For a reflector how about a piece of shiny stainless formed into a parabola in one axis only? It would focus the light in one axis at least and be simple to make. 

Steve


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Justin, 

Many of the prototypes had big doors on the fireman's side. If you made a door big enough so you could slip the whole assembly in and out from the side (to fill the tank and light the wick) you would not have to mess with the front and the glass on a regular basis. 

Good luck, and best regards, 

Alan


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the hints and tips. I'll check them out in due time. Tonight's first attempt at forming a reflector didnt't go too well. 

I did fill the tank to see how long it would stay lit. 45 minutes!


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By rkapuaala on 19 Aug 2009 11:00 AM 
Try to edit the above typo,,, its shouldn't not couldn't. I'm not sure why the edit tool isn't working for me. Maybe the new forum doesn't like Linux :< Richard, the current version has a 3hr. edit window, and a 60sec. flood control.


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Finally taught myself how to spin metal, so I made up a reflector. It's made from .010" brass sheet. It's not polished or chromed or even mounted yet, just sitting in place.


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## Havoc (Jan 2, 2008)

Drooooool.......... You own me a new keyboard. This is soo beautiful.


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

Jason, 
That has a WOW factor of warp 10. 
Noel


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Justin
Realism at the max!!! How long will the unit keep the flame going?


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Havoc and Noel (though it's Justin, but you knew that).

The flame lasts about 45 minutes, give or take, depending on the flame height.


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## Grimm (Oct 5, 2009)

Excellent!! I'm going to have to make me one of those too.  *sigh* too many project, not enough time. 

Jason


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Go for it! It's a whole mess of fun.


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## R Snyder (May 12, 2009)

This is just about the neatest thing I have seen all year. I think I will have to make one also.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

To say I am impressed is an understatement as, it would seem, many others are. Forget all the rest; let’s have some pictures and notes on how you did the metal spinning.


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

Noel (though it's Justin, but you knew that). 

Arrrrgh I dood it again. I just got off the phone with Jason. I wish you two would change your names to Bob and Don...but my ole brain would still mess it up. LOL JUSTIN. 
Noel


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## AzRob (Sep 14, 2009)

That is too cool.


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Heat? Drill a few small, very small, holes in the bottom and the top for air flow. A few more holes or a little larger on the top. Often the finial on the top of the lamp was a (decorative) vent. Top ventilation was/is fare on Railroad signal lamps, hurricane and oil lamps. 

Last August Llyn Rice posted some pics of Larry Green's layout, and included pics of Larry's real loco headlamp memorabilia: 
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/11/aft/111879/afv/topic/Default.aspx



PS: Whale oil was often used in early locomotive oil fired lamps.


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