Lights - a thread for old people

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Getting hard to find calcium carbide these days..

 

[Crackle]

Marmion has entered his self-hate phase again: it's illuminating.

 

[gavroche]

I nearly bought some in Aldi yesterday then I remembered I don't ride in the dark! I saved myself £9.99!!

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I use these. Frankly, I found acetylene to be far superior View attachment 146228

We were so poor we had to make our own acetylene.

 

[tyred]

A true gentleman needs a proper lamp on one's cycle. None of this electric nonsense.

 

[KneesUp]

The ever ready one's were awful though. These were miles better. Often they actually worked.

 

[Dave7]

I dont have a rear light but found that if I cycle backwards it works

 

[pawl]

That reminds me. Need to paint the bottom 9" of my rear mudguard white.

Must get some carbide for my acytealin lamp if the chemist still sells it.

As school kids are use for carbide was to drop it in ink wells.What a pong

My memories of Ever Ready lights was banging on the top of the lamp to make the double cell battery in contact with the lamp.

 

[Sharky]

Anyone remember that story of a driver in the times of the "three day week" (in the 70's), driving their car without lights - To save electricity!

 

[MichaelW2]

This was my 1970s lighting kit; metal cased Ever Ready Exide lamp.
We used to ride to Cub Scouts, ride out to the local heath for map reading, then cycle back in the dark using Never Ready lamps.

 

[numbnuts]

Getting hard to find calcium carbide these days..

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The ever ready one's were awful though. These were miles better. Often they actually worked.

I used to use them, the brackets would go brittle and shatter.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I used to go caving back when I was in Venture Scouts (and had a 28" waist). Our leader, a bit of a traditionalist as well as being a rozzer, liked his carbide lamps. It was due to him that I have my Primus stove obsession. Anyway, back to the carbide. Preparing for a trip down Pridamsleigh, we opened up his garage door to be met by a very odd smell.

"That'll be my new bulk order of carbide" says he. "I got it really cheap as it was flood damaged!"

We drove to the cave with all the windows down.

 

[outlash]

 

[Smokin Joe]

Anyone remember these? As awful as awful ever got -