How we check a lamp before it leaves the shop
Weighing, a ring test, filing the base and the last polish: what happens to a lamp between the crate and your parcel.
Sesame oil, ghee or castor: choosing oil and wicks for your lamp
Which oil burns cleanly, which wick lasts longest, and why some lamps smoke and blacken the wall.
The oil and wick you choose decide how long a lamp burns, how much smoke it makes and how often you need to clean the brass. Most Madurai homes use one of three oils.
Gingelly, or sesame oil, is the everyday choice. It burns steadily with a bright flame and little smoke, and a 5 ml fill keeps a small agal alight for about 45 minutes. Pure cow ghee gives a softer, golden flame and a pleasant smell; many families keep it for Fridays and festival days because it costs four to five times as much. Castor oil and the mixed “deepam oils” sold in shops burn longer but smokier, and they leave a sticky film on brass that takes extra work to clean.
For wicks, ordinary cotton wicks are cheap and reliable. Twist two or three strands together for a steadier flame. Lotus-stem wicks and banana-fibre wicks are used on particular days by some families; they burn a little slower and need oil to be soaked in first. Avoid wicks that are too thick for the lamp’s spout, which make a tall, sooty flame.
If your lamp smokes, trim the burnt tip of the wick, pull it down so only 3 to 4 mm shows, and top up the oil. A lamp that is kept full and trimmed blackens far less, and the weekly tamarind cleaning becomes quick work.
