FINALLY, I finished my Lamp!
This has been a long time coming because the only time I could work on it was when the temperature out in my shop was tolerable, it was about 32 degrees F today so I committed to completing it. A few weeks back I made a
Quinzhee and I was toying with the idea of a traditional lamp that would not only illuminate my shelter but provide a decent amount of warmth so I set out to make a traditional Inuit Kudlik from a block of soapstone. So I went out to the local craft store and purchased a small block of soapstone and some carving instruments.
I began by shaping the block to a traditional shape which seems to be crescent-like (or D shaped) with a hack saw I trimmed the corners off.
Then I used a bastard file to smooth the cuts.
The block was a bit too thick so I cut a third of it off.
Then I scribed an outline with a compass for the reservoir to hold my oil.
I used a varying array of metal implement to carve the reservoir out... This process produced a lot of talcum like powder that got everywhere.
I finished the process this morning by smoothing the edges with varying grits of sand paper.
I didn't have any whale or seal blubber on hand so I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil as my fuel and a paper towel as my wick, traditionally Arctic Cottongrass or Moss was used. I pounded a few wooden stakes into the snow to form a tripod to keep the Kudlik from melting the snow and spilling the oil.
I found it hard to believe that the Inuit would be able to not only heat their Igloo's but dry their cloths and brew up coffee, but after making a Kudlik and lighting it I can see this is a sufficient heat source.
I just love how the flames dance across the edge of the Kudlik, it's almost mesmerizing...
This has been a very rewarding project for me as I'm sure it has been for all of you who participated and shared this month.
