I’ve been intrigued by carbide lamps for a while, but I’ve always wondered if anyone ever made a carbide lamp that had its light output further increased with a gas mantel? I think a combo like that would be incredible especially if you combine it with a flame arrester safety mesh. It would be a go anywhere lamp thats quite brite and has low risk of causing fire.
Welcome @Austin I had been interested and intrique about that in the past too. I've tested that too. Unfortunately, it didn't work the way as we hoped. When operating correctly, the usual carbide lamps produce flames that are intensely luminous due to the inherent reactivity/instability of acetylene gas and hence the relatively high temperature. **(note: acetylene on its own can explosively decompose when it is compressed;.. no oxygen required) The high carbon-to-hydrogen ratio allows more semi-reacting/burning carbon particles to glow intensely just before they are fully combusted. The carbide lamps don't produce the characteristic blue flames of stoichiometric fuel-air mixtures for complete combustion. Therefore, their highly luminous flames would only deposit soot on any solid surface impinged. This includes the structure of the gas mantles. The setup would neither glow any brighter than the flame of a carbide lamp nor a regular operating gas mantle. That's to say, the mantle would be sooted-up in short time.
I came across an advert some years ago. I do not find it now. It was all about the "Great Improvements of Carbide Lighting" and the appliances that specific company offered. They also had a mantle lamp for the use with acetylene. Does not look it was a great success. I only saw that single ad. Erik
All correct I think. I wonder whether carbide lamps produce any soot at all. I think probably not so long as no foreign object enters the flame. It just converts acetylene to CO2 and Water.
They won't as long as they work as they are supposed to. A well tuned carbide lamp doesn't produce any soot whatsoever. And not any smell either, by the way, despite what people who actually have no clue in the matter still feel that they have to state regardless their total ignorance in the matter...
If the lamp was able to make the acetylene-air mixture burn with a clean blue flame without the mantle, then I suppose it might have actually worked pretty well with the mantle. Sustaining it would be a different matter. The other challenges would be to safely regulate the acetylene-air mixture and maintain the proper fuel-air ratio and flowrates. ***Not a very easy task if the lamp isn't supplied from a regulated acetylene tank or compressed air or oxygen. Also, acetylene-air mixtures have a relatively high tendency to 'pop' or 'detonate' if they get too hot and self-pressurizing within the confines of the burner. This poses a very high risk of destroying the mantles when in operation.
