Dear All, I picked this up online as I've got into Kaestner and Toebelmann lanterns of late, understood not pressure lamps but there are various other posts of wick lamps and the like on here and I know we have crossover knowledge. It's gas, but not pressurised. I'd hoped it was a big tank hurricane, like some Feuerhand or Frowo that I've seen but I have to be honest, my heart sank a little when I opened up the parcel to discover a carbide lamp...... The tech scares me a bit as it produces colourless, odourless gas but with this one I just had to seek out some carbide to try it, especially as the parts were not rusted stiff and all in v good order. So pics are attached, my question is this..... Does anyone have more extensive knowledge of the conversion process, it looks as if metalworking shops or factories got the kero lanterns and added tanks and tubes for carbide use as kero was banned in Germany for domestic use during the war. Just wondered how widespread this was an an industry? Any info greatly appreciated, I love the innovation and practical thinking to use an existing but useless (at the time) bit of kit and making it work with another more abundant fuel.
@nicky boy As here in the UK, carbide lighting was well-established in the inter-war years so although your hypothesis referring to the unavailability of kero for some civilian populations is true enough, carbide lamps wouldn’t have been made especially to fill the gap. They pre-existed. A Reimann on the left (has a Feuerhand globe) and a Frowo on the right. Designed from the outset for carbide but utilising paraffin lamp superstructures. A detail on the Reimann, a burner brush in a clip on the frame. Wire brush cleans the burner of any accumulated carbon deposits (usually only form if the lamp is run on reduced output - water drip slowed right down). John
@presscall understood they pre existed as the earlier cycle lights etc attest to, tech well established. I suppose the hurricane lends itself well to carbide by adding another tank below. But they are far less abundant in this form than a standard paraffin hurricane, thus appear to have been produced for short time. When you're ready to move those two on, let me know!!!!!
Hi Nick and all others who joined this discussion, last year I've writte a report about these hurricane carbide lanterns. If you allow I will present it here: Carbide storm lanterns Developed by Edmund Davy in 1836 and also by Friedrich Wöhler in 1862, the industrial production of carbide was not achieved until 1895 in Switzerland. Switzerland. Three years later, industrial production took place simultaneously in the countries of the USA, Norway, Canada and Germany. The industrial production of carbide also marked the beginning of the development of carbide lamps. These were primarily used in underground mining and by railroad companies. Parallel to the development of mining carbide lamps, the following were developed at the same time carbide lamps for other purposes, e.g. carbide lamps for household use or for outdoor use. The lamps for outdoor use were called storm carbide lanterns. The first evidence of such a lantern I could fix on the year 1897, that is, even before large-scale industrial production had begun. This was the company Lichtmüller in Weimar. In 1897, it already offered table, wall, hand, workshop, stable, oven and carbide lanterns, stable, and baking oven carbide lamps along with accessories. Two years later, in 1899, the Velo company in Dresden Löbtau began manufacturing production of storm carbide lamps but also for garden, hand, bicycle, conductor, stable, fire department, corridor carbide lamps. Many other companies followed the above-mentioned companies and produced, in addition to all kinds of carbide lamps in addition to petroleum lamps. If you disregard the miner's lamps, which have been in use without interruption from about 1897 until today and are still being manufactured, it is not possible for these other types of carbide lamps, the years 1897 to 1905 can be defined as the first as the first heyday of these lamps. A second heyday of this type of lamps was then experienced in the period from 1914 - 1928. The third and last wedding began in 1939 with the beginning of the Second World War. World War. It lasted until 1945/46. From the beginning of the industrial revolution, Germany developed into a world a world champion in exports. However, this should not hide the fact, that important goods such as oil also had to be imported. This dependence became clear very quickly at the beginning of the First World War. clear. The longer the war lasted, the more the English blockade of the blockade against the empire. The company Hermann Nier which is actually known for its Feuerhand storm lanterns the beginning of the I. World War brought a carbide storm lantern on the market which was also used at the front. The author has an original photo from one of the shelters at the front which shows exactly this lamp shows. The progressive shortage of goods of all kinds made it necessary to issue ration coupons of all kinds. The consumption of petroleum for private purposes became more and more restricted. This then made carbide lamps interesting again, since carbide could be produced in the empire itself. Whether for the parlor at home, the yard, the stable, carbide lamps of all types were of all kinds were produced very quickly. Companies like Cöppicus, Schulte & Bongard in Neheim, which had previously only produced petroleum lamps now switched their production to carbide lamps. The renowned company E. Klöpfel & Sohn, Erfurt as well as Ernst Dähler, Elberfeld Ernst Frackmann, Dresden Josef Pregardien, Cologne-Elberfeld Kaiser & Co. brothers, Neheim Kästner & Töbelmann, Erfurt Vereinigte Eschebachschen Werke AG, Dresden Frankonia-AG, Beierfeld Hermann Hesse, Nuremberg Hugo Schneider AG, Leipzig Otto Scharlach, Nuremberg Oberrheinische Metallwerke AG, Mannheim Osnabrücker Metallwerke AG, Essen plant Robert Jacobi, Leipzig Speer & Schwarz, Wroclaw Pressler & Co, Russdorf (Saxony-Anhalt) Fritz Müchler, Mettmann There were certainly many more companies that produced such lamps. Towards the end of the First World War, even carbide became scarce and ration coupons were and ration coupons were issued for it as well. When the war ended in November 1918, petroleum was still in short supply. However, it was still possible to produce carbide, so that the carbide storm lanterns remained in use. The company Kästner & Töbelmann even introduced a new carbide storm lantern in 1918, with which one could light with carbide on the one hand, on the other hand there was for this lantern also a candle insert with which it could be operated. In 1919, the Hermann Nier company developed a completely new carbide storm lantern, which was also patented (DRP 327388) and sold until the mid-1920s. 1920s. From the mid-1920s onwards, interest in this type of lamp began to wane. so that they gradually disappeared from the market. After a good 15 years, the carbide storm lanterns would experience another, albeit sad sad renaissance. With the beginning of World War II, the company Nier delivered several hundred thousand so-called upper frames to the companies Hermann Riemann, Dresden and Friemann & Wolf, Zwickau. The two companies mentioned above converted these upper frames into carbide storm lanterns. From the Hermann Nier company there were two different types that were converted. This was the upper part of the FH No. 201 of a warm air lantern and the upper part of the FH No. 175 a so-called cold air lantern. Both upper parts had no function on the air flow which is normally indispensable for such wick lanterns. For these two types of lanterns I have the total sales figures: 1939 = 13 107 1940 = 172 780 1941 = 64 276 1942 = No. 201 = 64 700 / No. 175 = 66 620 1943 = 125 800 In addition to buyers such as the Reich Labor Service (R.A.D.), the Organization Todt, the Wehrmacht, these lanterns also found many customers in the civilian population. After the war, these types of lanterns were probably in use for a few more years. years in use. The Nier company was confiscated and completely dismantled by the Russians in the summer of 1945. and completely dismantled. The company Fröhlich & Wolter, which was located in the same town, produced these lamps again after the war. these lamps again. So far 4 different types of this company are known. The company Fröhlich & Wolter worked closely together with the nationalized company Friemann & Wolf. Most of these carbide tower lanterns work on the drip principle. They have a water tank at the top and the carbide tank at the bottom. The water supply is regulated by a spindle, just as in the case of the carbide pit lamps. also. However, some manufacturers also used the immersion or suction system to operate their carbide lamps. Here, the carbide container is on top and is rotated in a water bath. Kästner & Töbelmann, Efurt - Hurricane carbide lantern in 1915 A Hermann Nier hurricane carbide latern in a German shelter during WWII A Feuerhand Nr. 305 lantern converted to a carbide lantern by the company Hermann Riemann, Chemnitz. The Riemann company produced for many years cars- and especially bicycle carbide lanterns. During WWII it was forbidden in the German Reich to use kerosene for private use. A Kästner & Töbelmann hurricane lantern in 1928. The Frowo hurricane lantern in the post of Presscall was produced after WWII. Regards Jörg
A couple of favourites in my carbide lamp collection, but thanks. Probably the favourite is this rather versatile (as a light source) French railway lantern.
@nicky boy Manufacturer A. Butin of Paris, 1920’s, assigned to Nantes-Orleans Railway, Delalandes (a surname) - name of user? Some fettling was called for. It had been electrified, a hole drilled in the carbide chamber lid to take a flex … … and the carbide burner riser ripped out to mount a light bulb. Brass plug silver soldered in the hole in the lid. A tubular burner riser soldered in place. Angled to place the burner near to the centre of the reflector.
Another type has a carbide container inside a float in a water tank, a pin-hole in the float allowing water to reach the carbide in a metered way. This lamp has a carbide container (right) - with a closed base and open top - that is a clearance fit in the brass cylinder with the domed top (left). A circular felt pad sandwiched between two perforated metal discs (bottom right, photo) goes above the carbide in the innermost container as a filter to prevent water droplets and carbide dust from reaching and blocking the burner jet mounted on the outlet pipe on the dome. There’s a twist-bayonet connection between the two and the assembly is dunked in the water in the outer container/tub (centre, photo) and is held down by the screw clamp. The inner carbide container has this vertical run of pin-holes in the cylinder wall. The water percolates through to the carbide by penetrating the joint between the close-fitting cylinders and entering the carbide cell through those holes. Depending on the surrounding water level, some control of gas generation and burner output is achieved. The gravitational force of a greater ‘head’ of water results in water getting through to the carbide more quickly, with a greater generation of acetylene gas. Water is poured into the tank here. The scale of the lamp, alongside a Veritas Superb paraffin pressure lantern. Carbide charge. Ignition!
