Oil lamp burner disassembly

[It's Bill]

How do you remove the burner assembly from the font of an oil burning sidelight? Mine are Stuck! Stuck! Do they unscrew? I have squirted some PA Blaster up into the area where threads might be, and await your replies. Cheers, Bill

[Mark Gregush]

Not sure about pre 1915, but 1915 up the burner would just slide in. When the font was attached to the lamp, there were spring fingers in the base of the lamp body that held it tight. if that is the style you are working with, there is a small cup inside the rim attached to the font, the burner sits inside that. Between old kerosene and rust they can be tight. I would try soaking at least the top half of the font in some lacquer thinner. If you are trying to save the paint just keep at it with PB or Kroll and keep working at it.

[It's Bill]

Thanks Mark! I should have said this is a brass car -1911- so I don't have paint to worry about. The burner appears to be thin brass that is plated. Nickle maybe? There are three places staked into the burner assembly that are equally spaced around the collar that fits onto the neck of the font. It looks like they engage the neck of the font somehow, maybe by screwing into the neck or maybe by twist to unlock and pull then apart. This is thin brass, and so I want to have a good idea of what I am doing before I do it.

These are E&J lights. Any guys have experience with these things?

[Rich Eagle]

The E&J burners have a 2-pin bayonet style mounting. They are tapered and just push in and twist.

You can see this one is rusty so that may be what is holding it. By twisting it counterclockwise it should come out. Brown, Corcoran and many others have a threaded end.
Rich

[Tbird]

If you’re removing the cover as well, they are soldered on the underside so make sure you heat it up to loosen the solder.

[It's Bill]

Got them off! How? Soaked them in PB Blaster overnight - still stuck. Then heated the font top where the two assemblies join together until oil smoke filled the air, then grabbed the burner and font and twisted counter clockwise. They both released! If you do this, wear gloves! My guess is decades old lamp oil had glued things together.

Many thanks to all, esp. Rich Eagle for the photo of the connection detail. Now to placate the wife for stinking up the house! Cheers, Bill