[MikeK]

I just use kerosene in mine. Unfortunately kerosene is almost rare here. Unless we want to buy it in 5 gallon drums at about 5 times the price of anywhere else in the country, we have to buy bulk from the petroleum distributor at 3 times the price instead. Ugh.

Anyway, you can get gallon cans of deodorized kerosene in the paint section of most hardware stores. You can also burn deodorized mineral spirits, and in fact, it burns cleaner and brighter in round wick lamps. If you want to make your kerosene burn cleaner, add 1 ounce of methanol per 10 gallons of kerosene. It's the same stuff they sell as "clean burning additive" for kerosene, usually pine scented.

 

[MikeK]

How often do you guys trim the wicks? B4 every use?

I trim only when it needs it. You can tell by looking at the flame. It should burn evenly from side to side with no flare ups, or dips in the flame, no smoke and even color. If it doesn't need trimming, it just wastes the wick to do it.