shagaKahn Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Just dug out my ole miner's lamp and wanted to crank it up but realized I'm out of calcium carbide. Only source I can find for it wants me to buy 12 pounds at once. Doesn't that seem insane? Knowing it's a potentially hazardous compound, why on earth would they make you buy such a HUGE amount? I mean shit, you could level a city with the amount of acetylene that much calcium carbide would produce. Used to be able just to buy it in one-lb cans at any hardware store, but fear has closed up that source. Anybody know where I can score a reasonable amount of calcium carbide? Thanx,s PS: anybody still got their ole Carbide Cannon, from the 50's?
oskarchem Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Well i'm not sure about levelling a city zith 12lb of calcium carbide (CaCO I think right) I have 500g of it...
NightHawkInLight Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 PS: anybody still got their ole Carbide Cannon, from the 50's? I have one, makes quite a bang, but I ran out of carbide a year or two ago...
shagaKahn Posted December 7, 2007 Author Posted December 7, 2007 Well i'm not sure about levelling a city zith 12lb of calcium carbide (CaCO I think right) I have 500g of it...Lucky dawg; where'd you get it, you remember? I'd love to get my miner's lamp going again. LED's are sweet--but my miner's lamp is the koolest.
oskarchem Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Well this is one of the advantages of living in Europe!!
hst45 Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Anybody know where I can score a reasonable amount of calcium carbide?Try searching for a source called "bangsite." It's a fuel for those aforementioned carbide cannons, and it still available in the U.S. (at least it was a couple of years ago). It was, IIRC, about a 6 or 8 oz. tube of relatively small bits of carbide, but after all how much silver ac...uh...cannon-fuel does one need?
FrKoNaLeaSh1010 Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 Try searching for a source called "bangsite." It's a fuel for those aforementioned carbide cannons, and it still available in the U.S. (at least it was a couple of years ago). It was, IIRC, about a 6 or 8 oz. tube of relatively small bits of carbide, but after all how much silver ac...uh...cannon-fuel does one need? "but after all how much silver ac...uh...cannon-fuel does one need?" lol, i love that quote. I have two pounds of miners lamp carbide that i found at my grandparents house which I have used for double salts although my supply is dwindling. I have looked in local hardware stores and the such and havn't found any calcium carbide deliberately packaged for miners lamps in my area so I dont think you will be able to buy it as miners lamp fuel anymore in the states. Although i could be mistaken and it just isn't sold for that purpose in my area.
pudidotdk Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 Calcium carbide is easily obtained here in Denmark in chunks. They come in tins of 700g grams and can be bought at drugstores relatively cheap.
OneEyeCharlie Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 Calcium carbide is easily obtained here in Denmark in chucks. Yarrrrrr! Did someone say carbide and Chuck in the same sentence? Shiver me timber. Here's my carbide cannon. It fills the need for a BANG when it isn't feasible to use Bessie; as seen here http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?a...e=post&id=25019
pudidotdk Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 Woops, a little typo there I rarely use it, I have so far only used two small lumps or so for a homemade carbide lamp, made with a bottle, cork and a canula-needle thing through the cork.Some carbide and water in the bottle with the cork inserted in the mouth of the bottle and lighting it over the needle... narrow and long flame which burns bright in the night
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