Sump Heater?

[Squeezebox]

I recently found this paraffin heater in an antique shop in an old mill up here in Lancashire. It's small - about 8 inches high and 4" square, roughly the size of a box of Celebrations. General opinion is that it is a sump heater from the days of monograde oils that were thick in the cold (I have a motorcycle that uses SAE50 which is like treacle in the winter) - but I've never seen one like this, the ones that I recall were more like land mines in shape, and much bigger. As found, most of the paint had fallen off the alloy body, but apart from a new coat of paint it is as found. The knob on the burner is maked "Sherwoods B'Ham" who were a prolific lamp maker in the Midlands, but this could only refer to the burner itself as Sherwoods supplied these seperately. Does anybody know for definite who made it and when it was made? To me, the "Dan Dare" styling shouts 1950's, but there again it could also be seen as Art Deco and thence the '30's. Of course, it may not be a sump heater at all..........

[RobThomas]

May be a Greenhouse heater rather than a sump heater? Not an ideal shape for fitting under a bonnet.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

I agree with Rob, at 8" tall it's likely to be a greenhouse heater, unless you placed it in the space between the engine and radiator.

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

An old gent I knew used to keep a little paraffin heater inside his car overnight to help stop windows icing up. Told me he used to hang it from the wiper switch. I really wouldnt like to leave a burning flame in any of my cars overnight

[Squeezebox]

Of course the odd thing is that with a normal lamp sized wick type burner, the heat output will not be that great, and with mesh sides it's not windproof. I do remember an old chap back in Lincolnshire back the 60's who put a full size Valour paraffin heater in his A35 which fell over going round a bend. He reached to grab it and went down a ditch.

That big hook adds to the puzzle, I think. I may fire it up and establish just what kind of heat it does produce.

[samuria]

my nan had one almost the same in her old cottage she used it to
stop the water pipe from freezing up

[Squeezebox]

Much Googling later, I found one other which has been polished and turned into a trendy electric lamp! It was, however, presented as having been a greenhouse/cold frame heater. I suppose that ultimately it's a heater, and I suppose what you use it to heat comes down to you! I would, however, love to find an old advert for it so I know for definite what it was sold to do and also who the maker was. I'm planning to put citronella oil in it and have it on the table to keep the insects away on those evenings (though I think we've maybe had the last one for 2016) where we set sit out in the back yard with candle lights and a bottle of wine!