Better than LEDs Acetalene lighting bright & energy free

trouville

trouville

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Ive always like gas lighting but it needs plumbing in. The alternative and far better than LEDs is acetalene lighting, just put carbide in a pot and add water(slowly) A seeled pot then open or close a screw to make the flame brighter or less so!!Easy

Im developing this and had the idea of adding compressed air to the seeled pot or gassing a large pot and adding compressed air from a dive bottle that way i should get a really good light!And walmth for winter!!!

Better than LEDS and costs nothing!!

Foe anchor or nav lights each can have a carbide pot with screw valve to drop water slowly onto the carbide that it burnes alnight with a very bright light!!!

Tomorrow ill start my compressed acetalene lanp experiment to see just how well it works!Perhaps it can heat and light the whole boat for almost nothing??!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Acetalene gives more bang per buck than most gases. Bottles of acetylene are only compressed to about 200psi much above this pressure they make very loud bangs! Where do you get carbide for “almost nothing??!!”
 
Many years ago, like 40, i was an apprentice in the pit, night school and LEL (lower explosive limit) experiments with gas. get a biscuit tin with lid, put bunsen burner gas (coal gas in them days) into a hole in lid of can. then put match to hole in lid, the gas slowly percolates out and burns nicely, when the mix gets just right, LEL, 6% if my memory is right, BOOM the lid blows of with a bang. anyway go back to the pit, working nights in the surface workshop armed with this knowledge and decide to show off to the fitters. get tin with hole in lid but decide to liven things up by putting a mix of pure oxy and acetylene from the workshop cutting torch in the can. HOWEVER when match was applied no slow burn to LEL. instead IMMEDIATE life threatening EXPLOSION!! I really thought it was the end, no eyebrows, ears ringing for days, we were bloody lucky to get away with it, anyway mon brave, if i were you i would be bloody careful, i would hate to see a grande trou where trouville used to be!!!
 
Widely used for cycle lights in the past. My great uncle used to tell an anecdote (about twice a year for thirty years) of using his own urine when the little water tank ran dry on a country road. Sticks in the mind, that sort of thing.
 
To late!!!I WISH i had read the post from Skipper Stu first!!

I took a an old large steal container with a screw top that had two screw adapters to feed steam i think i got it from a scrap yard, This was ideal becouse i could add an on off screw and a cone with a small hole to burn the gas.

The gargage opposite the "beach" well sand anyway brased a one inch by 3mm rod onto the screw, i filled the pot with carbide i got from a chemists shop (and why i was trying acetalene lighting) added water closed the top then from a tube added air from my dive bottle.

Haveing noted the post last night about more bang for the buck i wanted to be carful incase it flared up or got out of control and i couldent turn it off so this morning i fixed it well in the sand knocked in to posts either side on one side i put a 1cm line on the other an elastic cord.

To light it i borowed a "camping gas" blowlamp from the garage the contaner was dug in that the cone that would light was just below the flame then when all was ready i put a candel in an old carboard tube so the flame wasent blown about under the line lit it so when the line burnt through the tap would open and the gas would be lit by the blow lamp

I imagined a bright clean light that could be used aboard by pipeing it to burners!!

I lit the candel and walked over to the garage where a coffee was waiting, Then there was a HUGE EXPLOSION my hands are still trembling!!!It sent sand 20 meters into the sky and covered us with sand,

There was no one but us about! When the police arrived the garagist said he had no idea what it was!!!

Ive decided this was not one of my better ideas, But how then did searchlighs work?? And i saw in a car meusium a carbide generator used my the fire brigade with a pump to pump up the pressure for their flood light.

When the fire brigade arrived i dident ask them what they thought might have gone wrong.

I bought a new blowlamp to replace the one that vanished?? Just by chance im leaving in the morning as i have to be back in France next weekend.I must say it was impresive! Better than the week killer and diesel we used when at school.

We also used to put carbide in inkwells which made them froth up!!

The non pressureised acetalene lamps a bit sooty so i wont use it.

Now im off to read the post about LEDs and will visit IKEA when i can but i think LEDs are still quite expensive?? But perhaps LEDs are less "difficult" than acetalene lamps!!



We think the 25mm nozel i used may have come off and the blowlamp caused the flame to get into the container and over pressured? There are still 4 nozels/cones that arnt any good for wealding left there was a flame at first?? It all went so fast. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
AHAHAHAHahahah!

thank you, that has made my day. full marks for effort, respect.

And this year's PBO winner in the categoies of

'Maddest Scientist'
'worst "best idea i've ever had" ' and
'Threat to public health and safety' is....
 
I know what i did wrong,becouse i was up untill 3am on the SSB, listening mostly last night!

After lunch went accross to the garage lit the acetalene tourch added Oxygen nice light no smoke! Bodged an air line to the tourch air acetalene nice light!!

Next took another container brased a bike valve on the top lead a pipe to burner cone (says 30mm but the hole is about 3mm) first tried systen with acetalene from welding bottle. it worked!!Then added carbide and water pumped with an air line the tank to 1.5 bar went out side (the garagist refused to let me light it in his workshop??

Open tap smell gas close valve take blow lamp open tap boof!Take lighter and get flame very smoky! Next take compressed air this time from a car inner tube very infalated, add air to flame hay presto after a few trys it works!!!

I have made a really good working acetalene lamp!!!!

I wont use it aboard becose the only way i could get compressed air is from a dive bottel!!(the inner tube changes pressure to quickly and dosent last long anyway)

My normal gas lamps are great but i can only use them in this harbour as i have to have a large gas bottle in the cockpit so tomorrow back to solar powered halegon and candels (parafin lamps are far to dangerouse!!!)


If only the carbide lamp wasent so sooty it dosent make the air bad but its sooty!! gives a very nice light though and bright even without pressure!!!Watch this space i may develop a sootless acetalene lamp.

I bet Brendan knows where theres a museum or carbide info help site??

This morning i thought it was the 13th!! Later i said to the peson on the mobo next to me that i would tip my carbide overboard!! As it dident work, he smokeing a ciggeret said if i did that we might both be blown out of the water?!

Hadent thought of that!! He watched me as i took it to a safe place on land.


Just one of those days! But acetalene lamps could be an alternative to LEDs!!
 
TROUVILLE, I'm very sorry /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gifthat yesterday and this morning I was in business otherways I WOULD HAVE ORDERED YOU TO STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Acetilene gas is dangerous (NOW You know!!) stinky and messy: I used in the '60s when a Boy Scout roving in the hills of Ligury and Tuscany.
Storing carbide is also unpractical "per se" as it needs to stay in a tight and dry container WHICH IS A THING IN SHORT SUPPLY ON A BOAT!!
Please forget about this gas and consider that it also burns oxigen, producing carbon monoxide: why are You trying to kill yourself? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Remember, I still owe You a drink in Marina di Carrara, but You have to get there IN ONE PIECE and ALIVE, so, again, STOP THAT /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
 
Oh? Carbon monoxide? umm the light was very good!

Advice taken experiments closed.Seems ill have to get LEDs afterall.

Just wait untill the boat shows over! Everyone will be posting about all the new things for boats.

Im going to buy a forward looking sonar, just waiting to see if anyone from the boat show reports !

Carbon monoxide!!! Good to hear you again!
 
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