I'm not a chemist but -- hydrolysis of calcium carbide makes acetylene, The
carbides are usually formed by heating alkyd materials with a source of
carbon (coal, charcol, old carbon paper?)
-----Original Message-----
From: Dean Koga <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, March 06, 1999 3:48 AM
Subject: Re: Help Wanted/gas generators


>On Fri, 5 Mar 1999, CTBrown wrote:
>
>> When working in the salt mines under Cayuga Lake I remember seeing some
old
>> carbide gas lamps for hats, maybe check with mining museum. I was under
the
>> impression that these lamps generated their own gas.
>
>That jogs my memory. A while ago, I worked on an old synagogue that uses
>to have what they called "gas pressers" in the yard to fuel their gas
>lights.  I did some research and found that sodium carbide was reacted
>with some simple compound, water perhaps, to make acetylene gas.  The
>reaction was very simple, seems like magic, but it works.  I guess the
>next queston is where did they get ample supplies of carbide in the 19th
>Century.
>
>Dean Koga
>