Introducing The Homemade Bright Betty

Dateline: 7 May 2011

Lighting the Bright Betty

This little web site is going to teach you how to make your own Bright Betty oil lamp, as shown in the picture above. If you need some help with the project, you can purchase inexpensive Bright Betty parts kits from this site. And for those who would like already-made and ready-to-go Bright Betty lamps, you can get those here too.

One Bright Betty provides enough light to read by. Two Bettys are better because there are less shadows. 1/2 cup of lamp oil will last 12 hours.

The basic concept of an oil lamp in a jar is nothing new. You can find similar jar-lamp tutorials elsewhere on the internet. And Lehman's Hardware sells jar lamps for burning olive oil. But as you take a closer look at this web site you will see that the Bright Betty design differs from other jar lamp designs, and you will find the step-by-step lamp-making instructions here to be clearer and more comprehensive than any other how-to out there.

The Bright Betty lamps provide a pleasant light with candle-like ambiance, but they are much brighter than a candle and are intended more as a practical emergency lighting source.

Four Bettys at the ready!  These lamps are in our cellarway pantry by the kitchen.

To my way of thinking, the best emergency lamp must meet several qualifications....

— It must be simple and inexpensive to make or buy.

— It must be easy to store and ready to light at a moment's notice.

— It must light fast, burn clean (no smoking).

— It must not require a lot of fuss to keep it going bright.

— It must put out a useful amount of light.

— It must be easy to handle, portable and usable outdoors.

— It must be stable and, relatively speaking, safe to use.

All of these requirements are, as you will discover, found in my Bright Betty oil lamp design. Now, without further adoo, I invite you to learn how to make your own Bright Betty oil lamp.