This article is part of
Wilderness Way
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4.
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Making a Primitive Lamp From
Sandstone
by Tony Nester
Imagine another time, long ago, when ancient hunters painted animal pictographs on the walls of a silent cave that was illuminated by a lamp just like yours...
I first got the idea for a primitive lamp after seeing some pictures of Inuit soapstone lamps.
However, living in the southwest, there is not any soapstone available, so I decided to use some sandstone slabs that I have used in the past for Pauite deadfall traps. Sandstone is soft when moistened, and can be shaped into a nice lamp through pecking in about two hours depending on how large you want it to be.
First, select a slab, free of any imperfections (cracks, inclusions, veins) and at least 1 inch thick and 6-8 inches long.
Next, using some charcoal, outline your desired dish. A keyhole shape works nicely, and allows a slope for the wick to rest on. Wet the slab down to soften the working surface and make removal flow easier (thanks Randy!). Using a palm-sized, sharp-edged stone like flint or quartzite, start gently pecking out the dish with soft, glancing strikes to the surface. You do not want to slam your pecking tool into the surface, as sandstone is not so forgiving and will break. Pace yourself and establish a smooth rhythm; this is the part that takes an hour or more. This step makes a good campfire activity. The lamp shown was pecked out in about 3 hours.
Check out the sides occasionally and look at the depth and width, as you want your bottom to be thick and strong. The bottom on mine is about 3/8-inches under the bowl with 1-inch thick sides. After you have roughed out the dish, use your pecking tool to lightly chip out any rough spots or knobs, again adding water to soften the surface.
The next phase involves grinding and smoothing the surface, so put away your pecking tool and grab a smooth
riverstone. Fill up the dish with water, and using some aboriginal rhythm, gently float your river stone back and forth, sideways, and in swirls, while grinding down the nicks and rough areas. In this phase, you can really get carried away trying to remove every nick, so determine how much of a perfectionist you want to be. Do you want a functional lamp or geologic art? After an hour of grinding, my bowl still had "cosmetic" imperfections, but enough were removed to make it smooth to the touch. One thing that aids significantly in the grinding phase is to leave the grit and residue in the dish while you are working. This sand slurry adds to the abrasive
action of your grinding.
After you have removed all of the pock marks to your satisfaction, rinse off the whole slab and let it dry out for a few days. If you have a very porous piece of sandstone (most are), then you will want to smear some wet clay in the bottom of your dish to seal the pores and prevent the lamp oil from seeping through.
When you are ready for the inaugural lighting, just add some rendered fat or cooking oil. Fashion a wick from natural cordage (about 3-4 inches long) and saturate it in oil; then light it. Sit back and relax using the light thrown off from your primitive lamp. Imagine another time, long ago, when ancient hunters painted animal pictographs on the walls of a silent cave that was illuminated by a lamp just like yours.
