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Results 1 to 15 of 21
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25th April 2012, 11:32 AM #1
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Calcium Carbide + Water = Acetylene
Apparently the reaction of Calcium Carbide and water produces acetylene. Acetylene, as you may know, is a highly combustable and colourless gas.
How this translates to launching 44 gallon drums skywards is unclear however the results are alarming to say the least. Russian Space program testing maybe?
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANoKOmGOong&feature=channel&list=UL"]Having a Barrel of Fun - YouTube[/ame]-Scott
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25th April 2012, 11:38 AM #2
I wonder what public liability insurance would cost for a event like that?
RegardsHugh
Enough is enough, more than enough is too much.
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25th April 2012, 12:27 PM #3
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
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25th April 2012, 12:34 PM #4
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25th April 2012, 03:04 PM #5
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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.
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25th April 2012, 04:11 PM #6
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?
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25th April 2012, 04:29 PM #7
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.
.
I know you believe you understand what you think I wrote, but I'm not sure you realize that what you just read is not what I meant.
Regards, Woodwould.
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25th April 2012, 04:43 PM #8
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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.
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25th April 2012, 04:50 PM #9
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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.
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25th April 2012, 06:57 PM #10
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25th April 2012, 07:12 PM #11
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25th April 2012, 08:07 PM #12
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Ah!! carbide
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
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25th April 2012, 08:10 PM #13
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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.
-Scott
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25th April 2012, 08:19 PM #14
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25th April 2012, 10:01 PM #15