KOSMOS-BRENNER LAMPS & WICKS

Kosmos Lamp Kit - Kosmos-Brenner lamps - Sebastianbrenner - Lempereur & Bernard Brevete - Den Haan - Kosmos Concierge - B&H "Imperial" - Veritas table lamp

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Kosmos Wicks   ~~~   Kosmos Chimneys

PRINCIPLE KOSMOS CHIMNEY LAMP BASE DIAMETERS

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Aimé Argand of Switzerland invented and patented the Argand lamp in 1780.  This lamp burned whale oil, but used a circular wick with a separate reservoir.  The invention of kerosene in the early 1850's lead to the inexpensive flat wick kerosene lamps, essentially ending the life of the Argand lamp.  The concepts developed by Argand, however, would resurface with the folded wick Kosmos style burner in 1865 and the separate fuel reservoir being employed for "student lamps" by Manhattan Brass Co. and Kleemann of Germany. 

Wild & Wessel of Berlin in 1865 developed the "Kosmos" burner, where a flat-wick formed is round. To obtain clean burning, a side draft was used to induce combustion air to the center of the circle of wick.  The side draft burner obviated the need for a central air shaft through the fuel reservoir, and were easier to manufacture than center draft lamps.  To direct the air flow properly past the flame, these burners used a pinched, reduced diameter chimney.  

Brokelmann, Jager & Co. from Neheim A/D Ruhr, Germany, took over this burner trademark in 1899, changing the name from W&W Kosmos to Kosmos-Brenner.  This information can be used to date a lamp...supposedly.

About 1895, Ehrich & Graetz of Berlin introduced the "Matador" burner, in which a flame spreader was used.  Depending upon the width of the disk, chimneys were either straight or had a pronounced bulge.  The "Sebastianbrenner" burner used a medium sized disk on a mesh tube with a straight chimney, for example.

[W&W used three names: Kosmos, Kosmos Vulkan and Central Vulkan.  In general, without firm absolutes, we will assume that "Kosmos" burners have neither a flame spreader nor a wick carrier and used a reduced diameter chimney;   the Kosmos Vulkan had a Flame Spreader but not a wick carrier, and the Central Vulcan had both a flame spreader and a wick carrier, were made in both side-draft and central draft versions, and used a "Matador" style chimney.  In the UK the center draft version was sold (exclusively?) by Catterson and so called the GLOBE Vulkan (Globe being Catterson's trademark).  To complicate matters, Den Haan in Rotterdam reportedly purchased the machinery from Brokelmann and has produced all versions of the Wild & Wessel burner.  [So my B&H Imperial, with a flame spreader but lacking a wick carrier, would have been a Kosmos Vulcan style.  My Veritas with a Dan Haan Ideal Brenner 20''' burner with flame spreader and wick carrier would be a Central Vulcan side-draft style.  And my little "0" size Globe Vulcan from Catterson is a center draft Central Vulcan.  It can get confusing!]

Den Haan in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Gaudard in France (Kosmos) still produce Kosmos and Kosmos-Brenner lamps.  The Kosmos #14 burner is a Brenner design, and the Kosmos #15 burner is a Matador with flame spreader, both without wick carriers.

In addition to their fabulous 20''' and 30''' center draft lamps, L&B "Belge" also produced Kosmos-Brenner lamps with flame spreader but lacking a wick carrier, in Kosmos Vulcan style, in various styles.  My L&B Kosmos Vulcan is a 15''' pedestal lamp.

Wicks for Kosmos-Brenner lamps were measured by the flat width by the designation of "lines,"  symbolized by ''' for "line."  Light output being a function of the top surface area of a wick, the wider the wick the greater the light output.  Kosmos sizes are listed below for 6''' to 14'''.  Above 14 line, individual makers and countries had different ''' standards.  Determining which size wick fits a lamp when there isn't a stub of wick left to measure becomes difficult.  I have listed below the inside diameter of the top of the outside wick tube for various Kosmos lamps I own, shown below the line number and width in inches.  Please note there were hundreds of manufacturers, so dimensions may well vary. 

6''' = 1 3/8"

8''' = 1 5/8"

10''' = 1 7/8"

14''' = 2 5/8"

40''' = 3 5/8"

50''' = 4"

0.552"

<diameter>

0.668"

0.900"

1.320

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KOSMOS-BRENNER WICKS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.

Kosmos Lamp Kit available from St. Paul Mercantile

Available from St. Paul Mercantile
  • 2 Amie Solid Brass Table Lamps, Model L01
  • 1 Amie solid Brass Lamp with Wall Hanger, Model L01W
  • 1 Brass Clip On Smoke Bell, Model SBB, for the Wall Lamp (deflects rising fumes so your ceiling doesn't get a smoke spot)
  • 1 Replacement Glass Chimney, Model CH14
  • 12 Replacement Lamp Wicks, Model W14

 

 

PHOTOS OF VINTAGE KOSMOS and KOSMOS-BRENNER LAMPS

     

 A nice assortment of Kosmos-Brenner lamps.

At left,  a 6''' with the correct chimney burning with a 10''' and 14''' lamp together. Nice group photo!

Lamps owned and photographed by Alex Muzyka.

Click on photos to enlarge them.

This is a "Sebastianbrenner" burner made by Schwintzer & Gräff in Berlin on a L&B fount. This burner belongs to a family of burners called the "Weisslichtbrenner" or "white flame burner". They use a straight glass chimney.  20''' burner, 90mm flat wick.

Lamp owned and photographed by Alex Muzyka.

Lempereur & Bernard Brevete, 15'''.  Wick 2 7/8" wide, 0.82" thick.  Chimney 2 1/8".  Wick knob marked: "ECLA".   This is a rare L&B pedestal lamp with a side-draft burner.  The flame spreader is flat with a medium width (1 3/32") Liverpool button.  In contrast to most Kosmos style lamps, this lamp has a fill cap on the fount.  I have more polishing to do,  but it was nice to get this lamp in operation for the first time since "The War." 

Metal font lamp with #6 Kosmos burner.  The burner is aluminum and was made in Japan.  The chimney is not correct.  A 6''' Kosmos burner is very economical of fuel.

#6 Kosmos-Brenner burner

An interesting side draft 14''' Matador lamp made by Lempereur & Bernard (L&B). It uses a standard 14''' 2 1/2" flat wick. This lamp is most interesting as it has a weird flat flame spreader (for a Kosmos-Brenner burner) and is a weird size for a Matador burner.  Left, above; lamp unlighted.  Center, lamp lighted.  Right, the unusual flame from the flat flame spreader.  Lamp owned and photographed by Alex Muzyka.

 

Den Haan nautical table lamp. A classic Kosmos burner with a weighted base which can be set in a gimbal mount for use at sea. 

2 9/16" x 9"  "14 line" wick

Kosmos Concierge lamp with #15 burner unit.

Any quality center draft lamp with a metal fount will burn brighter with less fumes and wick charring when burning mineral spirits. On the left is a photo taken without a flash of a Kosmos Concierge easily producing enough light by which to read.  The Concierge lamp is very handy to carry and store on a wall when not in use.

2 9/16" x 9"  "14 line" wick

 

At right is my B&H "Imperial" lamp.  The contrasting colors - bottom polished brass, center silver, top polished brass - are highlighted beautifully. 

The Imperial burner unit is a Kosmos-Brenner type flat wick burner using a 3 5/8" wide wick. This is a rare non-circular wick B&H lamp with a drop-in fount. It was apparently sold with a duplex wick burner and retrofitted with an Imperial burner made by Wild & Wessel in Berlin, Germany.  "The Catterson Lamp Company in England sold a central draft version of that lamp called the "Globe Vulcan". The Globe Vulcan, as far as Alex Muzyka knows, was the only central draft version of the lamp and was limited to brass founts." 

"Imperial" burner made by Wild & Wessel.  From left to right: the wick winding knob, marked "B.B.S. Imperial, Patent 19 Aug. 1884"; the base of the burner; the burner from the side; and the burner installed on the font. Note this is a marked B&H font but there is no fill cap - the standard Kosmos-Brenner style.

Imperial/Vulcan Flame Spreader

Flame spreader in burner

"Tulip" flame shape

Rare original Imperial Vulcan chimney

The flame spreaders for these lamps have been almost always lost over the years.  Precise new flame spreaders made to original specifications are available from Alex Marrack in England.

I now have new Vulcan chimneys!

At right is a large Veritas table lamp.  It began life with a British Duplex burner.  With the help of Alex Muzyka it now wears a large Ideal-Brenner 20''' burner with mushroom flame spreader (far right) made by Den Haan, Rotterdam (DHR).  At right it is burning with my 3 5/8" flat wick and my Success chimney. Notice the beautiful full tulip flame! Click on the photos to enlarge them.

 

 

PRINCIPLE KOSMOS CHIMNEY LAMP BASE DIAMETERS (Other chimneys here)

1 5/16"

 6 '’‘ Kosmos

1 7/16"

 8 ‘’‘ Kosmos

1 1/2"

 10 ‘’‘ Kosmos

1 7/8"

 12 ''' Kosmos

2"

 14 ‘’‘ Kosmos (British?)

2 1/16"

 14 ''' Kosmos (American?)

2 1/8" - 2 1/4"

 16 ''' Kosmos

2 7/16"

 18 ''' Kosmos

I have some Kosmos chimneys available here.

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