Improvements in or Applicable to Acetylene Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Acetylene Lamps.
I, Sir CHARLES STEWART FORBES, Baronet, of Castle Newe, Strathdon, N.B.,
Aberdeenshire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows;-
My invention consists in improvements in or applicable to acetylene lamps
and relates more particularly to the regulation of the water supplied to the
carbide of calcium for the production therefrom of acetylene gas.
It is carried out as follows:-
Into the base of the water cistein is screwed and made gas and water light
by suitable packing a dripping tube so formed as that a valve seat may be
mounted or formed alongside the tube which conveys the gas formed from the
carbide in the generator beneath, into the bell or air vessel. The valve which
is ground to fit the seat is attached to a spindle screwed or soldered centrally
into the threaded cover of the cistern to which also the gas bell is soldered so
that it may rise and fall with it when it is turned. The cistern is covered or
closed, except for the filling hole, which is preferably fitted with a perforated
screwed cap.
An ordinary gas cock and burner is mounted on the screwed
cover.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
To regulate the supply of water to the carbide, it is merely necessary to turn
round the screwed cover to which the valve is attached until the gas is produced
in the required volume. By shutting the valve completely the further produc-
tion of gas is stopped.
Improvements in or Applicable to Acetylene Lamps.
I, Sir CHARLES STEWART FORBES, Baronet, of Castle Newe. Strathdou, N.B.,
Aberdeenshire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists in improvements in or applicable to acetylene lamps
and relates more particularly to the regulation of the water supplied to the
carbide of calcium for the production therefrom of acetylene gas.
It is carried out as follows:-Into the base of the water cistern is screwed
and made gas and water tight by suitable packing a dripping tube so formed

page_text: as that a valve seat may be mounted or formed alongside the tube which conveys
the gas formed from the carbide in the generator beneath, into the bell or air
vessel. The valve which is ground to fit the seat is attached to a spindle screwed
or soldered centrally into the threaded cover of the cistern to which also the
gas bell is soldered so that it may rise and fall with it when it is turned. The
cistern is covered or closed except for the filling hole which is preferably fitted
with a perforated screwed cap. An ordinary gas cock and burner is mounted
on the screwed cover.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
To regulate the supply of water to the carbide, it is merely necessary to turn
round the screwed cover to which the valve is attached until the gas is produced
in the required volume. By shutting the valve completely the further produc-
tion of gas is stopped.
To enable my invention to be better understood I will proceed to describe
the same more particularly by means of the accompanying drawing, in which
Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a complete lamp.
Fig. 2 is a plan on line A.B., Fig. 1.
In the drawing 1 is the lamp body, or cistern. This may be formed by
casting in any suitable metal such as brass; or it may be spun from the same,
the respective parts being afterwards screwed together or soldered up. A boss 2,
preferably threaded internally as at 5, is formed on the base 3 of the body or
cistern, and into this is screwed the cup-shaped generator A, which contains the
carbide of calcium or equivalent chemical, liberating gas when acted upon by
water. The generator may be soldered or screwed to a stem 5", stepped into a
foot 6 and loaded with lead as at 8. Into the base of water cistern 3 is screwed
and made gas and water tight by means of suitable packing 9, a dripping tube 10,
in which a valve seat 11 is mounted or formed alongside the uptake 11", which
together with tube 10, into which it is either screwed or soldered, conveys the
gas from the generator A into the bell 12, the top of which is soldered into the
cap 13, threaded as at 5 into the top of cistern 1". The cap is ported as at 14,
these ports opening into the tapped hole 15, into which is screwed the cock 16
carrying the burner 17. The cap 13 is fitted with wings 13 to enable it to
be rotated, and a hole is drilled in the centre of the cap, and into this is
screwed a spindle 18, which carries at its lower extremity a valve 19 ground
to fit the seat 11. Although any water placed in the cistern can enter the
bell round its lower edges, I prefer to insert a tube 20 as shewn in the revolving
bell. A filling hole 21 is formed and mounted at the top of the cistern, fitted
with a screwed cap 22 and vent hole 23.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
The generator A is unscrewed from the cistern, charged with calcium carbide
and replaced. The perforated cap 22 is unscrewed and water poured into the
cistern through the filling hole until the cistern is nearly full. The cock 16
is turned on and the valve 19 opened by turning round the screwed cap 13.
Water flows through the valve in drops, and falling upon the calcium carbide,
acetylene gas is produced, and rises through the tube 11" passing into the air
vessel. So long as the supply of gas meets the demand water continues to flow
in drops through the bell, but should gas be generated in excess of the demand
the water is forced downwardly by the pressure of the accumulating gas in the
bell, and through the tube into the cistern until its level within the bell is
below that of the valve. The further production of gas is thereby lessened and
eventually ceases altogether.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
the
(1.) The combination in or with an acetylene lamp arranged so as to generate 5
gas consumed by it in the manner herein described of

page_text: threaded into the top of the cistern and supporting a gas bell which turns with
it, the valve mounted on a spindle threaded centrally into said cap, and the
combined dripping and gas tube screwed through the base of the cistern, and
having a valve seat formed or fitted therein, the respective parts co-operating
for the supply and regulation of the gas or the extinction of the light.
(2.) The combination in or with an acetylene lamp of the cap 13, threaded
into cover 1, the ports 14 admitting gas to the burner, the spindle supporting
valve, and the revolving bell having circulating tube therein. The respective
parts co-operating for the purpose specified.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1899
FRANCIS M. ROGERS,
Agent for the Applicant, 21, Finsbury Pavement, E.C.