Thread: Calcium Carbide + Water = Acetylene

I wonder what public liability insurance would cost for a event like that?
Regards

A more benign application

Carbide lamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've seen these in antique shops from time to time, never tried using one though.

Get it right and you get light, get it wrong and you end up sitting in the bottom of a smoking crater

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

Get it right and you get light, get it wrong and you end up sitting in the bottom of a smoking crater

If you look at the bottom of that Wiki article you'd probably notice "See also: Headlamps (lamps worn affixed to head)".

Surely not? I'm now going to Google "decapitation headlamp calcium carbide water acetylene".

When I was younger (read: fitter and smaller), I routinely used a carbide lamp for caving. I personally used a helmet mounted unit fed by a hose running to a small belt mounted water/carbide mixing chamber and sometimes used a smaller handheld lamp when in caves that a little or no climbing areas. The amount of carbide was only about half a cup from memory and while we were careful we also weren't too worried. I think most people just kept their small stash sealed in milo tins ready for use.

The club were I was a member in the late '70's and mid 80's were predominantly purists and very few people relied on other power sources inside caves (unless playing with photography). Years later I was in a cave when some used a gas-mantle camping lantern and I was amazed at the difference in illumination. The carbide lamps were pretty weak by comparison.

Carbide was used extensively to ripen bananas (and probably still is). There used to be myths about washing carbide-ripened bananas near flames.

The separate chamber for the water/carbide mix makes sense - presumably there was some kind of regulator to control the amount of gas/light ??

I seem to remember seeing some bright yellow coloured tins of carbide chunks somewhere - the stuff is probably banned now?

I used to have a carbide lamp on my bicycle. I also put carbide and water in the old style thick glass Lucozade bottles for blowing fish out of pools. It can be used for all manner of anti-social but good fun activities.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

The separate chamber for the water/carbide mix makes sense - presumably there was some kind of regulator to control the amount of gas/light ??

I seem to remember seeing some bright yellow coloured tins of carbide chunks somewhere - the stuff is probably banned now?

Both of mine had a small screw that controlled the drip rate from water chamber to mixing chamber. I seem to recall the trick was remembering to fill the water chamber last and not to open the tin of carbide with sweaty hands. None of this waa about safety per se but more about not coming back to find the stockpile gone.

They were annoying at times. The wrong mix would give the wrong gas flow and that plus sooty jets would give spluttery flames.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

I used to have a carbide lamp on my bicycle. I also put carbide and water in the old style thick glass Lucozade bottles for blowing fish out of pools. It can be used for all manner of anti-social but good fun activities.

You've just reminded me that I have a small brass and tin bicycle job dating from around 1910 somewhere in a storage cupboard at my Mum's (family heirloom). Will try to find it and post a pic. (If I can sneak it past her. It's officially mine but at 80 she sometimes remembers things a little differently.) No chance of carbide though.

Carbide lamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Woodwould

.... It can be used for all manner of anti-social but good fun activities.

All you need to do is look up the big book of mischief.

I have memories of the daily ritual of emptying out the carbide lights for the hous, re-filling them, pricking the jets, and placing them ready for use in the evening. The carbide lights consisted of two very tight fitting containers - one sliding into the other - add water on top of the inside container, and the gas production started - a match to the jets and you had light - would last from 6.30 until about 10 ish, and that was it -lights out.

a sunshine milk tin filled with stones and one small piece of carbide - a small pin-hole punched into the top - dropped into a deep water hole, the resultant shock was good to stun the fish for 3 or 4 minutes - you had to be quick - how you would be shot for that these days


Brosh

All the naughty boys now creep out of the woodwork. Good to hear though, I don't think I've ever grown up. My greatest lament is banning selling fireworks over the counter. They still haven't caught the delinquent who blew the downpipes off the portables at Kingsbury Tech.

Originally Posted by A Duke

I wonder what public liability insurance would cost for a event like that?
Regards

Hugh

I'm not sure which they would be most concerned about: The initial explosion or the 44 coming back down.

Regards
Paul

As a toddler I lived in a small mining town not too far from Cliff. Our lighting was from carbide lamps as described by Brosh, and my father wore one mounted on his helmet in the mine.