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Acetylene

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PTsideshow:
That one does look to be in really rough shape,  At a minimum it would need a couple seal change though out. First thing would be to find out if the company is still in business, second would be parts and operating manuals.
Unless you wanted a collector item, maybe I should say you need to find out if you can get the calcium carbide pellets locally and what rules and regulations that apply for use, storage and disposal.
Even if the waste material is neutralized, there may be test required, and it still might be classed as hazardous waste, with all fees, and permits. It has a salty taste, that animals love.

Another question is does it allow you to do a partial fill load.

Does it allow you to stop the process completely.

It would be a whole lot more hassles than buying a cylinder, and then exchanging it.  If you are using it just for heating, bending, cutting and soldering or brazing. You may want to thing about propane or butane. What ever the formula and name for the heating and cooking bottle gas in your area.
Used with oxygen as a fuel gas, the only thing that you can't used it for is ferrous welding. As nothing but acetylene/oxy combination can achieve a true neutral flame. Keeping contamination of the welding puddle to a minimum.
 

MrFluffy:
Thanks for the reply, I have a gas air torch setup running on a propane bottle on my chip hearth and Ive used oxy/propane cutting torches in industry in the past along with o/a for welding, its just I couldnt get my head around the fact that you could make enough acetylene to run a set on in real time with one of these. I had visions of some pump capturing some slow output over time and pumping it into a storage tank or the like with the resultant huge risks. The sets all seem to be sold for collectors so maybe they're not legal to run in a business any more and they're all going to be 50+ years old so seals and gaskets would have to be made up from cord stock/gasket paper.
I looked and carbide is still available as new carbide lamps are still sold here, about $60 for 5kg (about 11 lbs) mail order. I have no idea how much gas that would generate/how expensive it would work out still though.
Ill watch the small ad's and if a nicer one comes up it might follow me home as a curiosity as sometimes things do.

PTsideshow:
Do a google on acetylene generators, you will be surprised at the number of new ones and the assorted sizes of the outputs are out there. They are popular for use in 3rd world countries and back water outposts that the exchange of cylinders would be cost prohibited.

Also you would need to buy it (calcium carbide) in larger quantities. When I was caving years ago we would buy a 1oo pound drum and split it up between a number of people to get a better price.
Union Carbide  sold it in 2# 5# 10# cans along with larger ones. The costs for the smaller can was a lot higher per pound. then the 100 pounder/pound.

Gaskets and seals would either be rubber or cork to stop any leaks and flames burning from the spots on the lamps. It was always fun to see somebody else's hard hat erupt into a ball of flame. Since there is no real pressure, to speak off being generated. It would be just a lazy ball of yellow  flame!  :bugeye: :clap: :lol: at the front of the hard hat. That's why I always had the old style aluminum ones.

krv3000:
HI well this my seem daft but i have a tilly lamp that i youse in my work shop and i youse parafine blow torch for silver soldering   the resen for the lamp is for safty whot wood hapen wile at work you  trip the electricity and you is in the dark and by  the state of my workshop it wood be dangres to move with out sum light to see by    :mmr:

kvom:
Back in my days in the US Army, I was on the post rifle team.  We used a carbide lamp's soot to blacken the front sights of our rifles.  I still have the lamp lying about somewhere.

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