You have seen them in antique stores, especially in mining towns: tarnished brass cylinders with a reflective dish on one side and a bracket for clipping them onto a ...

Chris Hacker of Heritage Underground Lighting began exploring caves in his youth and this hobby quickly evolved into an ...

Calcium carbide is created by heating a lime and carbon mixture in an arc furnace to a temperature of between 3,632 to 3,812 degrees. Calcium carbonate is a fairly hard substance that reacts violently ...

After around 1915, miners debated which technology they favored to light their work underground, a carbide lamp or a battery light. Both were superior to candles and oil lamps that would blow out when ...

The first factory for the Guy’s Dropper, one of the most popular miners’ lamps ever made, was a back porch on Douglas Avenue. The Guy’s Dropper was a carbide lamp, which uses a mix of water and ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This cotton miner’s cap has a leather ...

This week's restoration features a 100+ year-old carbide bicycle lamp made in Birmingham, England by the Joseph Lucas company. The lamp operates using a chemical reaction between water and calcium ...

I first saw carbide lamps in the tool exhibit in the Vigo County Historical Museum. I did not know what they were — light bulb sockets, perhaps? So I did some research and found that the carbide lamps ...

This lamp was brought in during the event as a donation to the museum. It was originally used in the 1940's and 50's during the blackout. During the war there was no floodlighting in the train yards ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Pushing back the night with light of our own making was the first ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This is an Auto-Lite Carbide Mining ...