Gosh Matty, I hope the flying glass didn't cause you injury. I had a similar experience with a Petrolite lamp when the mixture control lever was in a certain position. I don't know what was going on to turn the glass chimney into a resonance tube but it howled like a banshee, fearfull that the vibrations would shatter the glass, the control lever was quickly adjusted and thankfully, the wailing stopped.
yes it made me swear and jump alright... Is this the vid that Anthony was talking about Matty? Or is it anothr one, plese? Regards, p
@Henry Plews @george This is the lamp @Anthony was talking about. I couldn't figure the lamp out so I sent it to Anthony and he and @Lamp Doctor messed about with the lamp with the results as seen. So, it is Anthony that the well wishes have to be directed to Henry, post No 13 may be of interest to you.
Henry, I was talking about internal tank air pressure not the atmospheric pressure that the lamp was burning in. I suppose the higher the height a lamp is above sea level it is working in a synthesised partial vacuum compared to sea level. I know Aladdin manufactured chimneys that were much taller than the usual for use at higher altitudes. A number of early GPA burners had an air adjustment screw cap. I have always wondered if it was there to adjust the flow of air at differing altitudes. I have never seen an explanation in any paperwork.
@Fireexit1 @Anthony I've just found another longer piece of film that shows Anthony & Bob trying to 'tune in' the lamp & glass using a couple of methods.
In the mid '70s I would demonstrate the conversion of heat energy to sound energy using a length of cast-iron drainpipe with a metal gauze stretched over the lower end. When the gauze was heated over a Bunsen burner flame, the pipe began to produce sound at its resonant frequency. The kids told me they called this a 'razza / razzer' (I never established the correct spelling - assuming there ever was one!) which they would do as a prank by stuffing newspaper up someone's drainpipe and then lighting it. They'd then run off and hide, no doubt highly amused, when the householder came out to investigate the mysterious droning sound, somewhat akin to a long organ pipe. Oh, what fun...
Ah, sorry.. thought I heard a small crack/snap type noise... Did you manage to sort out the humming at all? The only time I've seen anything like it was a Harp lamp some one posted a little while ago that 'Sang'
All I sorted out was that it was the wrong glass. (destroyed a few mantles as well) Best Indoor or Outdoor Arc Light
@WimVe I'd agree with you that it is correct to use the right chimney. Not everyone has the correct chimney for a then, never before seen, for a then, 117 year old lamp. I'd bet money that Anthony has more chimneys than a lot of collectors have lamps. It is what it is.
@Matty , I fully understand but the wrong shape of chimney also produces the sound so for me not that strange. I don't know if @Mackburner can remember but I had a lamp doing that sound too during a small backyard meet.
The problem with using a burner mesh to prevent flashbacks is the constant stream of gases through the mesh holes, combined with the proximity to a hot bunsen flame, will eventually oxidise and erode the mesh and cause the small holes to merge into bigger holes. This is not an issue in a Davy lamp as the orange flame is colder and further from the mesh.
@James Yes, fire is a harsh mistress. The limitations of available materials have always been the bane of engineers If only suitable refractory materials existed, the thermal efficiency of machines like gas turbines might easily be doubled.
Maybe, if I was 30+ years younger, life insurance paid up, house insured! Really, I would.... I envy those who can still do it!
James I have an article written by the Wizard Light Co of Australia from the 1920's that expresses the extreme importance of keeping the burner cap mesh in good order. Until I read that article, I had no idea just how important the burner caps are to the good health of your lamp/lantern and possibly to oneself as well. Brake pads are the primary source of stopping cars. Once they wear out due to erosion from friction and heat they won't work and will no longer stop the car as they once did, if at all. That does not mean that brake pads aren't the primary stopping medium of cars. I bet you can find articles expressing the extreme importance of having brake pads that are in good order. If you don't wish to believe that the mesh in burner caps are the primary source of stopping flashback, if not the only source, more power to you.
George, is your fear confined to this single gravity lamp or does it extend to all gravity lamps and possibly hollow wire too?
A Lot of gravity lamps had burners that were used on hollow wire lamps. In fact, I can't think of one that wasn't.
