Carbide Caving Lamp

CAUTION: OPEN FLAME TYPE EXPERIMENT AND EQUIPMENT DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Example of a calcium carbide lamp as used in cave exploring or spelunking.

This is a "British Made" Premier lamp that I had stored away with some caving equipment I used in my youth. I thought it might be of interest to anyone curious about acetylene lamps. These caving head lamps are good basic examples of acetylene lamps used about 100 years ago. Back then, an automobile might have been equipped with acetylene headlamps, hoses would run to an acetylene generator, perhaps on the running board. The acetylene generator would be a bigger version of the parts found in a caving head lamp and the operation would basically be the same.

I forgot to mention the fun part, clean-up. After you're done, you have to take everything apart, clean out the spent carbide,wash everything off and make sure everything is well dried before putting it away. It's part of the charm of carbide lamps. Everything's so much easier with electric lamps!

P.S. This is my first youtube video, so it's a bit rough,, sort of a "learning vehicle"

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• carbide
• caving
• spelunking
• carbide lamp
• calcium carbide
• acetylene lamp
• carbide light
• acetylene light

[HONDAEGYPT]

i have lamp ..how can i get karbide or acetylene ? think you

[crusinscamp]

@HONDAEGYPT I was lucky. A friend bought a lot and gave me a can of the lot of calcium carbide he bought. I did a quick Google search. Not too many places offer it for sale. There are also shipping regulations because it is considered "hazardous material". Therefore, the places that offered it for sale would ship to "continental US only", it must be shipped by ground. Sorry, I wish I could help you more. Perhaps a search will find some local to you.

[MrDannysuzy]

how can i get one. i do not know how to use ebay

[crusinscamp]

@MrDannysuzy I wish I could help you with a suggestion. A brief Google search of "carbide caving lamp" didn't turn up any new lamps like the one I demonstrated. There was some good information out there, but it seemed focused on buying older lamps. The only new carbide lamps I saw consisted of a helmet mounted lamp with a flexible tube connected to a belt-mounted acetylene generator. Quite different from what I am use to.

[97skinnyboyswag]

thanks a lot, i wanted to know more about these before i lit mine up without knowing anything about it.

[crusinscamp]

@97skinnyboyswag I'm glad you found my video helpful. I got my first carbide lamp when I was your age. Remember to work with it outside and under your parents supervision. If you like stuff like this, maybe you'll become an engineer. ;) Good luck with your lamp.

[jhewson39]

That was a rely cool video and a bit of interesting history. Thanks!

[DRGW168]

@MrDannysuzy If you search Carbide Miners Lantern something should come up. More people know them as Miners Lamps than cavers lamps. I got mine from my aunt who got it from my great grandfather who was a miner in the broad top mountains.

[MrSUPERRUSSIAN]

that was an interesting video thank you

[hadrians]

Thank you, bought a carbide bicycle lite and had no idea how to use it :P

[TheGoodCasino]

thank you for shearing! it is very informative!