Kerosene Lamp unlike anything I've ever seen before

[TelePlay]

Currently for sale on eBay is quite an amazing lamp that may be original and the origin of steampunk design.

     http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ANGLE-MFG-COMPANY-BRASS-DOUBLE-BURNER-LAMP-PART-KEROSENE-BURNER-LIGHT-/352165610845

I really can't picture what the complete lamp (with globes and top cover, if it had one) would have looked like or how it would function.

Would have to be a special angled globe to keep the hot air off the glass and the fuel tank must have some sort of cover, or run the risk of an interesting major fire.

One burner has a cone and globe catcher, the other does not. These are dead flame burners but do have air vent in the screen below the burner and at the base of the burner arm.

I've never seen anything like this and still can't picture it in use, or where it would be used. A very odd piece and quite old and looks like ornate solid brass. $65 BIN or bid on it.

The fuel tank would look great cleaned and polished. Looking at it made me think of the first image below, something not quite right.

[HarrySmith]

HMM, that is interesting! I wonder if it is a real "Alladin" lamp? If you rub it will a genie appear?

[twocvbloke]

That is a truly weird creation, makes me wonder if it works like old Roman olive oil lamps, no chimney, just a bare flame on a wick dipped in oil, can't fill that up too far though or all the fuel will just pour out around the wick tubes...

Very strange... 

[TelePlay]

Found this similar burner to what appears to be on the more complete side of the lamp. It has a set screw to hold the globe onto the plate.

These parts are readily available but getting the right one is the first issue. The second is who would want to light it up? The typical roman lamp has a small hole in the center to put fuel/oil into the lamp, a spout with an opening for the wick on one side and a hand hold on the other. Having this huge pot as the fuel tank completely open does not seem safe.

Could not find a similar lamp.

[twocvbloke]

Yeah, definitely far from being a safe object, I wouldn't give it houseroom, that's for sure...

[andy1702]

Why is it unsafe? Remember kero (or paraffin, or indeed diesel) doesn't burn easily as a liquid. Throw a lit match into a bucket of diesel and chances are it will go out!

Things are not unsafe, people are just stupid.

[twocvbloke]

An open-topped fuel container that could be easily knocked is the problem, and knowing my propensity for walking into my Aladdin lamp when it's hung up, I'd probably end up with no hair left from fuel spilled on my head that got lit by the bare wicks...

[Dan/Panther]

If the globes were installed, the soot would black them out in short order. What  possible position could you place it to burn correctly.

As I was writing that it dawned on me. MAYBE two different colored globes to designate Red or Green, or some other colors that you could rotate the lamp and light the appropriate wick.
HOWEVER the fuel looks like an open reservoir that would spill SO

D/P

[andy1702]

Looking at this logically... The burners have air gaps under where the globe would fit and vent holes just below the wick for the air to come out of. So it definitely looks like it was meant to have some kind of glass globe or chimney fitted. And for that chimney to work it would ned to be vertical (physics of convection and all that). So the chimneys must be bent somehow, which should be easy for a half-decent glass maker. I can't see how you would attach them to the lamp though.

And why fit the wicks so low on the sides of the font that you can hardly put any fuel into it?

I wonder if there is something missing? Maybe it was designed to hang on a wall bracket, the two lights shone sideways and there was some kind of shallow dish that went in the top to hold a nice pot-plant or something? That would stop the fuel from spilling too if it was a tight fit.

It certainly looks like a fairly low quality item with the way the fint is pressed metal. It's very like the sort of oil lamp they made in the 60's & 70's, which were designed to be more decorative than actually useful.