Acetylene tanks

Ruthe Jubinville · March 2005

Does anyone know how B and MC tanks got their name? This piece of trivia made my trip to CT convention worth while.

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes_3 · February 2005

They say

that when vehicles were powered by acetylene, a bus would use a "B" tank and and a motorcycle would use a "MC" tank.

What about a P.O. plug on a lavatory waste?

Or a Hercle ring?

Kal Row · February 2005

a bus on a B tank? what, for three blocks?

Wayne_12 · February 2005

mc & b tanks

B tanks where used for lighting on a bus. The mc was for the lights on a motor car. My first year hvac teacher taught this fact to his students.

bob_44 · February 2005

B tank

I don't know where the names came from but I was looking at an original unrestored Buick. I think it was 1909. It had the original B tank still mounted on the runing board to fuel the lights. What caught my eye was the location of the valve. It is on the end of the tank but not in the center. It's offset to one side, I remember seeing them like that when I first started in the trade but I never thought about why until I saw that Buick. The tanks where mounted horizontally on the runing board, soo to keep the acetone from coming out they would rotate the tank so the valve was at the top. bob

Kal Row · February 2005

i would be nice if they still did that...

together with welded stock bars on the side so that it rolls to and stays in that pos if it falls over, or perhaps we can use it lying down to begin with

never gona happen....

Boiler Guy · February 2005

I never

knew that. Thanks Man this wall is such a wealth of information!

Tony Conner · February 2005

Acetylene...

...was actually first developed as an illumination gas. It threw the nicest light going - bright without being harsh.

gerry gill · February 2005

yup, Wayne's got it

bus and motor carridge head lights

Scott Denny · February 2005

Hercle ring

Alan
It's Herco as in Herco Bend or ring. As a lad I was told that Herco was a cast iron pipe and fitting manufacturer. There used to be lots of them in the US. Now there are only three.
Scott

Bill Nye_2 · February 2005

PO

Patented overflow?

gerry gill · February 2005

pull open

plug..with chain

bob_44 · February 2005

Pete's plug, Polish canon

I wonder wher they came from?

jim lockard · February 2005

tony

Do you know if they ever used what was called an acetylene generator to make illumination gas for houses. I once saw a device in the basement of an old house and was told it was a gas generator.(looked like scrapemetal to me) And it was used for gas lights in the home. Could this be true ? if so how did they work? Thanks J.Lockard

Mark Eatherton1 · February 2005

Whassa

P-trap?

What if its only got water in it instead of P...

ME

Kal Row · February 2005

carbide and water makes acetylene ....

the generator would feed the carbide filings real slow or she blow - and of course it has to mix it with acetone, in a mesh that holds the mess in solution - cause in pure gas state at 15psi or greater - it can detonate at ambient temps

another variation is the anti-tanks weapon - which is, essentially an inner-outer water/carbide bomb, that make a local acetylene cloud - that the tank's diesel sucks in and puff - the diesel is history instantly!!!

ScottMP · February 2005

I was told

Patented Overflow !

Oh yea, and the same about Bus's and Motor Cars.

Scott

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Darin Cook_3 · February 2005

I like \" Rule of Thumb\"

Everybody has used a Rule of Thumb before. But I am sure almost all have not used it as it was meant. In merry olde England it was illegal to beat your wife with anything bigger around than your thumb. That was the real " Rule of Thumb". You better not read this post out loud in case your wife hears!!

Darin

Tony Conner_2 · February 2005

My Old...

... "Building Trades Handbook" says was manufactured by mixing calcium carbide with water. This is from 1905, so things may have changed. The calcium carbide is a mixture of coke and lime which have been fused in an electric furnace. It will decompose in water like ordinary quicklime. The calcium takes oxygen from the water, forming oxide of calcium or common quicklime. The carbon combines with the hydrogen of the water, and forms the desired compound, acetylene (C2H2). Considerable heat is given off during the operation.

It does talk about acetylene giving a light of about 240 candlepower when burned at a rate of 5 cubic feet per hour. Good coal gas only gives about 16 candlepower when burned at the same rate. It also says that it corrodes silver and copper, forming explosive compounds, but does not affect brass, iron, lead, tin or zinc.

I worked with an older guy from the UK (this was 20 years ago) who talked about using bricks of calcium carbide in water to make acetylene for the cutting torches in the shops when he was an apprentice. So the rig you were looking at could indeed have been to make acetylene.

Tony Conner_2 · February 2005

There Were...

... lots of "rules of thumb". In the days before rulers or tape measures when most people couldn't even read or write, thumbs and feet were used to measure a LOT of things.

DaveGateway · March 2005

b and mc

bb is for buick mc is for motorcycle

DaveGateway · March 2005

b mc

they were only used for lights. also known as carbide

DaveGateway · March 2005

b mc

they were only used for lights. also known as carbide

Unknown · March 2005

I read it years ago as Motorcycle and Buick

Noel

Acetylene tanks

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