Vintage headlights

[ONOBob]

Looking at this picture, I’m wondering what the big tank near the front forks is for.

I recall headlight’s pre 1915 being “gas” powered. Could that be what those are for?

 

[Bud]

Makes sense to me.

 

[rlievenski4555]

I believe that early headlights were lit by burning carbide gas. The tank is likely water as the solid used turns to a highly flammable gas when doused with water. A guy in our neighborhood had a carbide cannon when I was a kid. During summer nights, you could hear him setting it off throughout the long neighborhood road. The thing was not very big, but really made a bang.

 

[ONOBob]

I believe that early headlights were lit by burning carbide gas. The tank is likely water as the solid used turns to a highly flammable gas when doused with water. A guy in our neighborhood had a carbide cannon when I was a kid. During summer nights, you could hear him setting it off throughout the long neighborhood road. The thing was not very big, but really made a bang.

Yes, that makes sense.
I’m from coal mining country. I remember my cousins “shooting carbide”. If I remember correctly….. They would take an old coffee can, and put a little hole in the bottom, put a pinch of carbide and water in it, place the cut out lid on it, and stick a torch to it to the hole and BANG
The lid would fly quite a ways off

 

[ONOBob]

Yes, that makes sense.
I’m from coal mining country. I remember my cousins “shooting carbide”. If I remember correctly….. They would take an old coffee can, and put a little hole in the bottom, put a pinch of carbide and water in it, place the cut out lid on it, and stick a torch to it to the hole and BANG
The lid would fly quite a ways off

Carbide head lamps were used by miners in the old days. My grandfather was a coal miner. I never met him. Died years before I was born

 

[rlievenski4555]

Going out for a ride was much different back then. Had to have mechanical ability and tools to keep the old steed going. A 100 mile ride we do spur of the moment today.

 

[connie_rider]

My Model T (1912) has the same tank on the running board, and my headlights look very much like the ones on the Harleys.
As others have sed, the tank you asked about is used to make the Carbide (acetylene) gas.

How it works; The top portion of the tank contains water, and below that is a basket in which you place a piece of carbide.
When you want light, you open a valve and the water slowly trickles onto the carbide to produce the gas. Hoses carry the gas to the headlights in which a special ("Y" shaped ) orfice is located. That orifice restricts and spreads the gas thru tiny holes. (to control the pressure and spread the flame). The "Y" orfice is located at the center of the headlight chamber in front of a convex mirror. (the location is adjustable to form the beam at it's optimum)
The front of the headlight opens to light the gas.
The light it produces is surprisingly bright.

Ride safe, Ted

 

[Strawboss]

The "older" guys at rifle matches used to use the soot from carbide flames to blacken their front sights before stepping to the firing line. I was "new" school and used sight black from a can. Both methods made unique sounds.

 

[gbyoung2]

Yes, that makes sense.
I’m from coal mining country. I remember my cousins “shooting carbide”. If I remember correctly….. They would take an old coffee can, and put a little hole in the bottom, put a pinch of carbide and water in it, place the cut out lid on it, and stick a torch to it to the hole and BANG
The lid would fly quite a ways off

We did the same thing with a metal coffee can back when I was younger, but kinda in reverse - we launched the whole can.

Put the lid on the ground, put a couple chunks of carbide on the lid, spit or put a few drops of water on the carbide to start the process, placed the inverted open can over lid and the carbide. Lit the gas coming from a small hole we put in the bottom of the can, and when the correct combustion ratio was reached, the can was launched high into the air with a very loud bang.

That used to keep us entertained for a year or so, then I got access to a 30# chunk of potassium nitrate that slowly began to be ground down into powder form. Sulpher from the drug store and pulverized charcoal briquettes rounded out the recipe. Later, a little aluminum powder/dust enhanced the experience. We had a special place out in the woods to test our concoctions aptly named, "Cracker Flats."

Today, doing something like that could put you a away for a very, very long time.

 

[connie_rider]

My Model T (1912) has the same tank on the running board, and my headlights look very much like the ones on the Harleys.
As others have sed, the tank you asked about is used to make the Carbide (acetylene) gas.

How it works; The top portion of the tank contains water, and below that is a basket in which you place a piece of carbide.
When you want light, you open a valve and the water slowly trickles onto the carbide to produce the gas. Hoses carry the gas to the headlights in which a special ("Y" shaped ) orfice is located. That orifice restricts and spreads the gas thru tiny holes. (to control the pressure and spread the flame). The "Y" orfice is located at the center of the headlight chamber in front of a convex mirror. (the location is adjustable to form the beam at it's optimum)
The front of the headlight opens to light the gas.
The light it produces is surprisingly bright.

Ride safe, Ted

Was looking for some discussion on how a LED bulb works with a reflector style headlight and came across this discussion. Thought I'd add a note.

On my T, we installed std 1156 bulbs in the vintage (1912) headlights. (to light up the world in front of the Car) (original source of light in the T was carbide gas)

The 1156's do a pretty good job, but the flat glass in the headlights cause a lot of beam scatter.
(Not a long beam, but blinds oncoming traffic).
Recently I tried a LED bulb. The light is much whiter, but (because of the way a LED works with a reflector) it doesn't put out much light. So I went back to the 1156's.

Ride safe, Ted

Ride safe, Ted