Guest mikeburch Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I have this can in which the Carbide was sold.How long did this go on ?Thank you,mikeburchCLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Different companies switched over at different times, but the short answer is the mid-teens.Carbide was high combustible in the presence of moisture. I am no tin can expert, but I would think a can that survived would be pretty rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Carbide has other uses besides auto headlights. Miners used it for their lamps for many years after cars went electric. I saw cans of it, for sale, at our old hardware store 10 or 15 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I'd think that can is unusual in that it states on the side of the can that it's for "large automobile lamps".....I also think condition over rides rarity, and it's probably not worth much...neat history lesson, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 (edited) It is still for sale at Lehman's, an Amish supply store. They are online now!https://www.lehmans.com/p-2220-five-2-lb-cans-of-calcium-carbide.aspx?show=allDoes anyone need new handles for their plow?https://www.lehmans.com/p-2795-field-plow-handle.aspxThey don't have them at Home Depot. Edited August 30, 2014 by Dwight Romberger (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 My 1913 Model 31 was the first Buick with electric headlights. But it still had combination oil/electric side lamps and tail light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldenguy Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Cars mostly dropped them with the Kettering Delco invention of the starter/generator, as stated about mid-teens. However, I believe that many trucks relying on magneto ignition without a storage battery used them into the early twenties. And a repair shop here was using carbide for generating acetylene gas in his welding shop during World War II--Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 We restored and showed a 1928 Autocar 3 ton truck with acetylene lights and. surprisingly, only a crank start. I remember it well. It broke my arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 We restored and showed a 1928 Autocar 3 ton truck with acetylene lights and. surprisingly, only a crank start. I remember it well. It broke my arm.What a memorable story and a DOUBLE OUCH to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now