Carbide lamps

[lee.watkins]

You basically have two light sources to choose from. Electric or
carbide. There are good and bad with both sources. Carbide is often
cheaper
and more convenient to use than batteries. Carbide lamps have been in
cycling since its infancy and is still being used world wide. Carbide
lamps are lighter and cheaper to use than batteries, and will give you
a source of
heat if cold. Carbide is unaffected by moisture or temperature
extremes
Brilliant white light is ideal for camping, cabins or home use.
A substantial percentage of miners, campers, and hunters still use
carbide lamps. They were once favored for their relative
illumination
per mass of fuel compared to battery powered devices, but this
advantage
was largely negated with the advent of high-intensity LED
illumination.
However carbide is still lighter, cheaper, and brighter compared to
many battery-powered standard lights.

The acetylene producing reaction is exothermic, which means that
the lamp's reactor vessel will become quite warm to the touch;
this can be used to warm the hands on a cold day.

Electric light batteries can last from eight to 50 hours. It depends
on the battery and the bulb amperage. The Aceto carbide light lasts
for 12 hours with its low-delivery acetylene jet. It is supplied with
2 acetylene jets: (14L) low and (21L) high delivery. The Minex
Carbide Lamp lasts 2-3 hours on one chamber of fuel.

=====
An Acetylene Gas powered lamp produces a surprisingly bright, broad
light. Many prefer this type of light as it improves peripheral vision
in a dark environment. The reaction of carbide with water produces a
fair amount of heat independent of the flame. In cold environments,
carbide lamp users can use this heat to help stave off hypothermia.

Safe, simple and durable design of solid brass. Water in the top
chamber drips onto carbide fuel in the lower chamber which produces
acetylene gas. A small amount of pressure builds up to push gas
through the orifice in the 4¼"OD chrome reflector. Brightness is
controlled with a valve that regulates how fast the water drips from
upper to lower chamber. Light with flint striker on reflector. Clip
for mounting on cap, belt or strap. Burns 2-3 hours on one chamber of
fuel. 4"Hx2¼"OD, 9 oz.
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1659&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=669&iSubCat=917&iProductID=1659

=====
<i> Ah ! It was a true ritual . At first he put some “stones” of
carbide ( carbide of calcium ) in the bottom chamber which he shut
hermetically . Then he poured water in the reservoir on the back
( photo 2). Then with precaution he switched the tap to let the water
drip on the carbide. The reaction of the carbide with water gives gas
acetylene . He still had to wait a moment to be sure the stream of
acetylene at the burner ( jet ) was strong and pure and at last with a
match he lighted the jet . And yet he adjusted the size of the flam by
the control of the flow of water with a kind of screw . A quart of
hour later he hooked the lamp ahead his bicycle and went on the
night .

My friends , what a lamp ! The flame was amazingly white and bright
and with the reflector and the lens lighted strongly long further
( photo 3). It was a pleasure to ride at night . And when the slopes
became really steeper he pushed the bicycle in walking but the lamp
was working permanently !

I remember when I was a young child , I was sat on a seat
installed on the bicycle frame between my father ..and the lamp hooked
at the handlebar . I was amazed by the light and its power . There
were only a few cars at this period . The acetylene ( carbide ) lamp
had no fear of the car lights ! When it was raining I heard sounds
like “ pshittt” made by the rain drops vaporized by the very hot top
of the lamp . I enjoyed this . And when the rain became stronger we
found a shelter by the road and there I listened to the sound of the
drops on the iron roof and I stayed near the lamp that kept me and at
first my hands warm .( without touch of course ) . </i>

====

MINEX lamp (India), distributed by J. K. Dey & Sons
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1659&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=669&iSubCat=917&iProductID=1659

Minex Parts
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=512&search=Carbide&brand=Minex

Petzl Aceto - helmet-mounted Carbide light
High and Low settings - Lasts 12 hours on low setting.
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=501&search=Carbide&brand=Petzl

Premier Trent - New (UK) *stopped exporting to the US in 1995*
http://www.caving-supplies.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/22070||~@c~Carbide~Lamps~@b|0|user|1,0,0,1|4

"Premier" - Replacement parts
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=515&search=Carbide&brand=

Petzl - "Ariane" Carbide Generator
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=502&search=Carbide&brand=Petzl

Stella - Carbide Generator (Italy)
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=503&search=Carbide&brand=Stella

Meander - Carbide Pouch
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=176&search=Carbide&brand=Meander

Mounting Brackets
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=534&search=Carbide&brand=Rockfarer
http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?page=all&catalogentryid=540&search=Carbide&brand=

Guide To Carbide Light Brands:
http://www.caves.org/member/mfraley/buying2.htm

- Lee Watkins

[lee.watkins]

Here is a Bicycle-specific Carbide Lamp (Made in India)
http://www.jkdey.com/cycle.htm

The Indians sell the carbide lamps thru an Ohio company that deals
with Amish and others.
(I think this is a reference to lehmans.com, so perhaps they could
order them) A minimum factory order is 1000 at some $34 per unit.

"Used In Bicyles For Perfect Lighting.
All Brass Nickel Plated Body.
Robust Construction.
Easy To Maintain.
Full Bright Beam Due To High Gloss Nickel Finish.
Low Handling & Maintenance Cost.
Low Consumption Of Calcium Carbide.
Dependable & Easy To Handle."

By the way Calcium Carbonate is a hazardous substance (being that it's
flammable once wet), so there's a pretty steep base price for
shipping. It's better to buy it locally from a dealer who gets large
quantities.

- Lee

[RUSA2691]

Very nicely put and very interesting.
One question though:
The calcium carbide seems to be roughly $10/lb.
The lights burn for roughly 2 hours/chamber.
How much goes into a chamber? How many chambers-worth do you get out
of those 10lbs?
How much weight in calcium carbide would you need to carry for a 10hr
ride? 90hr?
Sounds like the money and weight would add up...
But for camping, sounds ideal.

Thanks

[lee.watkins]

Calcium carbide is actually very cheap if you buy it in person from a
supplier who buys in bulk. Check your local phone book.
The reason it's expensive on the internet it because a flat rate
price
covers all HAZMAT and delivery fees on an explosive fuel.
Example - compare the price of a container of gasoline or fireworks
on the internet to the prices on the side of the road from dealers.
However Carbide will not actually explode unless it gets wet and
the gas meets a spark.

The Aceto light lasts for 12 hours with its low-delivery acetylene
jet,
when used with the "Ariane" generator, which holds 400 grams of
carbide.
10 pounds = 4,536 grams, enough to fill the generator 11 1/2 times,
giving you around 136 hours from 10 pounds. If you order the price
stuff
online, say from Karst Sports, $77.50 for 10 pounds, so $7.75/pound,
that's costing you only 57 cents per hour.

Really, 57 cents per hour is not bad at all. Compare this to the
cost
of buying batteries. So now imagine if you are buying the stuff
directly
from a dealer your talking only a few cents an hour.

The Minex is 2-3 hours because the chamber is much smaller, and the
light is
much brighter, however you can turn it down way low with a screw
adjustment,
which will make it last a lot longer. Minex also makes a bicycle-
specific
headlight that someone could import. The Minex (the 115C) is a
functional
budget-quality lamp, so it has more quirks and requires more
attention
than other models. Minex did want to make a lamp of much higher
quality,
similar to old Auto-lites, but they determined that they could not
produce the light
and make it cost effective unless someone ordered 5,000 of them.
No distributor is yet confident enough in the market to order over
$200,000
worth of product.. A minimum order for the current budget-quality
lamp is 1,000 @ $34/each

Right now, the best Carbide lamps are the older Justrite Streamlined
and Auto-Lites to be had on Ebay for far less than $60.
Refurbish it yourself with some new parts. Inner Mountain Outfitters
sells Premier parts, and most, if not all, fit the Auto-Lite just
fine.
Other industry standbys are the Guy's Dropper, and the Mike Lite -
which is made of Polycarbonate so it's light-weight.
Find a Mike Lite if you can. A Justrite Streamlined is next on my
list.

By the way you can prevent Calcium carbide from spoiling, which
is also very smelly, by pouring a little petroleum over the carbide,
and then
pour off the remainder not absorbed. To the petroleum, you can also
add some
nitro-benzol (mirbane essence). This prevents the access of air to
the carbide,
but permits a very satisfactory generation of gas on admission of
water.

Calcium carbide is readily attacked by the air and the moisture
contained in the generators and consequently decomposes during the
storing, with formation of acetylene gas. Aside from the loss, this
decomposition is also attended with dangers. One of the oldest methods
of preservation is the saturation of the carbide with petroleum. In
using such carbide a layer of petroleum forms on the surface of the
water in the generator, which prevents the water from evaporating,
thus limiting the subsequent generation of acetylene from the
remaining carbide. Instead of petroleum many other substances have
been proposed which answer the purpose equally well, e. g., toluol,
oils, solid bodies, which previously have to be liquefied, such as
stearine, paraffine, rosin, etc.

- Lee

[lee.watkins]

Occasionally one finds Carbide in military surplus stores and hardware
stores. However, you may have to use some creativity in how you ask
for it. Often, carbide is used to exterminate moles, and the store
attendant can help you locate it as such at some Hardware Stores and
extermination services. If this fails, attempt to locate a welding
supply store. Some of them carry calcium carbide for acetylene welding
torches.

There is also a small internet company, Calcium-Carbide.com which
sells small quantities of calcium carbide with a relatively lower
shipping fee. They will send approximately 11 oz. of carbide to your
door for the fee of $12.50. There are three dealers that sell
calcium carbide for Caving: Inner Mountain Outfitters, Karst Sports,
and Rocksports Emporium.

Take note of the grade of carbide you buy. The grade of the carbide is
the size of the nuggets. Most cavers prefer nut grade carbide for belt
generator type lamps, and miner's grade for caplamps. Cavers generally
use miner's grade because smaller grades tend to be used more quickly.
Some cavers have suggested that if you can only find smaller grades,
placing the carbide inside panty hose (knotted at one end) will help
extend the life of your charge of carbide. Others remain doubtful of
this claim. One way or another, panty hose make the cleanup much
easier. You need only remove the panty hose from the lamp bottom,
rather than trying to scoop out the spent carbide.

Calcium carbide is produced industrially in an electric arc furnace
loaded with a mixture of lime and coke at approximately 2000 °C. This
method has not changed since its invention in 1888. This reaction was
an important part of the industrial revolution in chemistry. In the
USA this occurred as a product of massive amounts of cheap hydro-
electric power liberated from Niagara Falls before the turn of the
20th century.

Production of calcium carbide in China has been increasing, because
locally produced acetylene is more economic than using imported oil.
Carbide remains a feedstock for the chemical industry, in particular
for the production of PVC (ex. plastic water bottles).

Calcium carbide is also used In the ripening of fruit, it is used as
source of acetylene gas, which is a ripening agent - fruit is often
harvested and shipped before it is ripe (ex. green bananas), and then
ripened with the gas agent when the ship reaches shore. It is also
still used in the Netherlands and Belgium for a traditional custom
called Carbidschieten (Shooting Carbide). To create an explosion,
carbide and water are put in a milk churn with a lid. Ignition is
usually done with a torch. Some villages in the Netherlands fire
multiple milk churns in a row as a New Year's Eve tradition. The old
tradition comes from the old pagan religion to chase off spirits. It
is used internationally in toy cannons, as well as in bamboo cannons.
Together with calcium phosphide, calcium carbide is used in floating,
self-igniting naval signal flares.

- Lee

[fenderbender]

Thanks, what a sea of knowledge. Think I want one now!
But how about the production of carbide and fumes emitted. Not that
environmental friendly are they?
Not hard to guess witch one would come out on top if Jan Heine got his
hands on one and did a test. ;)

[lee.watkins]

While burning Carbide (which is made from calcium and coal) isn't
better than any other petro for the environment, I think it is still
better than using batteries. Remember batteries get their power from
the power plant, which is most likely burning coal or some other petro
as well. But each conversion process is usually only around 10
percent efficient, say coal to steam, steam turbine to electric,
electric lost in transmission lines, transmission power lost in step-
down converters, residential or commercial power lost in the chemical
process of charging batteries, etc. that's a lot of steps, with low
efficiency of conversion at each step....plus you still have the toxic
batteries to purchase and dispose of...that's quite a bit of waste.
It's so much more efficient to simply burn the fuel directly,
especially considering Carbide has the 3rd hottest chemical flame in
nature, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Plus it will keep your
hands warm!

For me that hand-warmer could mean the difference between braving the
cold or caving-in to the heated automobile. Pollution is relative,
the amount of CO2 put out by a candle flame is a drop in the bucket
compared to operating a motorcycle or car. Also, while LED lights
hooked up to a proper dynohub is obviously pollution-free, I think the
broad warm illumination of a low-cost Carbide lamp is a great
compliment to the cold and narrowly focused electric lighting,
especially on a dark and freezing winter commute.- Lee

Buyer's guide on ebay articles here -
http://reviews.ebay.com/Buying-Carbide-Lamps-on-eBay_W0QQugidZ10000000001548889

Found a fantastic article on carbide lamps here -
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/1980-09-01/Camp-With-A-Carbide-Lamp.aspx

Pictures -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carbide_lamp_lit.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carbide_lamp_on_a_bicycle.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pathfinderlinden/2905888155/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pathfinderlinden/2905893729/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pathfinderlinden/2906597107/in/photostream/

[JW Stephens]

One quibble here: Pollution is not relative, it's additive. Other
points awarded. Carry on.

On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 05:20, lee.watkins <lee.w...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> For me that hand-warmer could mean the difference between braving the
> cold or caving-in to the heated automobile.   Pollution is relative,

--
Marihuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity,
criminality, and death
--Commissioner Harry Anslinger, Federal Bureau of Narcotics, in
testimony for The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937