Carbide lamp

[franco malgarini]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbide_lamp

An old technology that could return today ....


https://archive.org/details/cu31924031270774




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[Pirate88179]

I use to have one of these lamps I used when I went caving 30 years ago.  I wish I still had it as it gave off a large amount of light for a long time on very little calcium carbide and a bit of water.  They are very hard to find today except for cheap ones from overseas that have very bad reviews.  Mine was actually made from plastic and not copper.

Bill

PS  I found some used lamps online like I had.  $60.00 seems a bit steep but, maybe I will get one.

[MarkE]

Those are acetylene lights.  Calcium carbide reacts with water, emitting acetylene.  The story I read many decades ago was this was discovered accidentally when a night watchman flicked his cigarette too close to a pile of calcium carbide that was exposed to the rain.

[Pirate88179]

Those are acetylene lights.  Calcium carbide reacts with water, emitting acetylene.  The story I read many decades ago was this was discovered accidentally when a night watchman flicked his cigarette too close to a pile of calcium carbide that was exposed to the rain.

Exactly what I learned about them way back when.  Acetylene gas.  In college, we used to put some calcium carbide into a coke bottle and add some water and then inflated a balloon with the gas.  We rigged up a fuse and lowered the balloon out the window on a string down to the next floor in our dorm.  We did this at night and when the balloon exploded, it created this huge, very bright flash, and a small mushroom cloud.  It scared the crap out of the fellows living below us.

Bill 

[MarkE]

Exactly what I learned about them way back when.  Acetylene gas.  In college, we used to put some calcium carbide into a coke bottle and add some water and then inflated a balloon with the gas.  We rigged up a fuse and lowered the balloon out the window on a string down to the next floor in our dorm.  We did this at night and when the balloon exploded, it created this huge, very bright flash, and a small mushroom cloud.  It scared the crap out of the fellows living below us.

Bill

Calcium carbide is the powder used in Bangsite cannons as well.  They were popular when I was a kid.  I have not seen them in many years.