I made this today

[ohiobiker]

I made this light today. I hope you like it. It's a 1899 model Solar carbide lamp that I found for $25.00 and retrofitted with LED's and mounted on my 1970 Hercules.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4430520356/in/set-72157620282817484/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4429753379/in/set-72157620282817484/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4429753251/in/set-72157620282817484/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4430520110/in/set-72157620282817484/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4429753087/in/set-72157620282817484/

 

[BrianMc]

Immaculate Hercules! Forty years old and it looks like it just rolled out the store! The carbide lamp is also quite a find at that price in that condition. Nice, if you didn't have to mod it irreversibly.

No beamshots, but I suspect that the four 1/4 watt LED's? may produce about the same amount of light that burning acetylene did from the original carbide/water drip. If that was your goal great job! :thumbsup:

 

[ohiobiker]

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I took it out to the park a minute ago and it lights the path just fine. Then I sat in my car in front of the house while my son rode past me and it's plenty bright for being seen. I have another Columbia brand carbide lamp and I am going to retrofit that one as well. Both the solar and the Columbia are not irreversibly changed.

 

[Unclemonkey]

NICE LIGHT. GREAT JOB:thumbsup:

 

[syc]

That old lamp is beautiful, and its great that you brought it back to useful life - I wonder if 40 years from now people will feel the same about our Fenix, Edelux and other lamps?

 

[1 what]

Very nice. I think the light output looks great. It would be spoilt with 900L out.

 

[Steve K]

very nice, and always good to have an excuse to get such a handsome lamp!

I did an analogous thing with an oil bike lamp that was a gift. It hasn't gone on the bike, but it is serving very well as a desk light:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj00/sets/72157601245796627/

regards,
Steve

(I may have to figure out how to mount the light on my carbon fiber recumbent, though. :-) )

 

[BrianMc]

The beauty of your light haunted me, I guess. I thought: how cool it would look on a fixie/SS (or internal geared hub) of modern parts built up to look 1890-1910 era, white tires, mustache bars and all.

I came across a small miner's carbide lamp last November, but they wanted $65 for it and it was well used. It would have modded with one or two PB SuperFlash lights inside into a terrific tailight to complete such a 'back to the present' bike. I am still looking.

Thanks for sharing. :twothumbs

 

[Elemental LED staff]

Wow, running lights, like a boat, super!

 

[Bandgap]

Are you sure it was a carbide lamp ohiobike?

I thought they had a water tank on top.

Lovely conversions though - both ohiobike and Steve K

The Other Steve

 

[BrianMc]

Looks like the water tank is on the back to keep the chimney way clear. I think I see a fill cap in the shots for a reservoir on te back. Carbide in the bottom. Nice design, and wonderful faceted sidelights.

 

[ohiobiker]

Are you sure it was a carbide lamp ohiobike?

I thought they had a water tank on top.

Lovely conversions though - both ohiobike and Steve K

The Other Steve

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiobiker/4429753087/in/set-72157620282817484/

This is a carbide lamp. The water goes in the round chamber on the back. I had to cover the cap with a dime because it was crushed and deformed from being dropped. The carbide goes in the bottom. When lit, the heat is exhausted out the top and the light from the flame is magnified by the front lens. I ran it with carbide when I first got it but decided to retrofit it with LED's. I have the burner and reflector and I can easily put it back to carbide. I prefer the led's because of the mess involved with the byproducts of carbide and water. I don't like charging the lamp with carbide and water just to go to a mile or two to the library or grocery store. I found a handy calculator to build the LED circuit with Radioshack parts.

 

[Bandgap]

Thanks BrianMc and ohiobiker

What a neat design.

Steve