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carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 8:42 pm
by alexandermclaren
hi guys
any ideas as to what this is off
i found it in the local garbage /trash skips today
i had a look on line with no luck
as u can see its some sort of carbide lamp with a green glass front
ships navigation light
but they have to show at least 110 degrees wide
this is more like a rear light only in green
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Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:17 pm
by alexandermclaren
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Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:45 am
by Matt
Im wondering if its a late 1800s/early 1900s railway signal lamp? As the signal moves up or down it would obscure it?
Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 4:06 pm
by bmcecosse
Errr - NO! Signal lamps always show one colour or another - so red/blue or yellow/blue. Why blue? Because the yellow flame from the lamp made it appear green.......
Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 5:10 pm
by JOWETTJAVELIN
They were around in the early days of cycling and motoring, before batteries were much good and widely available.
A block of carbide is placed in it somewhere and a continuous drip of water falls on the block, giving off a gas which then burns with a brilliant light.
There are a lot of people who collect these sort of lamps, it might have been off a small river craft, who knows.
Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:25 pm
by les
They have been known to go bang!
Re: carbide lamp????????????what use is it for
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:33 pm
by Matt
They have also been used to set fire to the drains around the Royal Albert Hall during a visit from the Queen
