# poor mans carbon arc?



## flashburn72 (Apr 3, 2007)

just doin some surfing and found this dont know how good of a idea it is but looks like fun.Now all I need is the parabolic solar stove from harbor freight for a reflector and I am in like flynn http://www.instructables.com/id/E944KYD9IBEY95VOSI/

Edit : thought maybe I should change the title to what it really is. sorry for any confusion. p.s is this in the wrong forum?


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## roverjohn (Apr 3, 2007)

Or a sattelite dish covered with tinfoil.


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## tvodrd (Apr 3, 2007)

As a teenager, I removed the carbon center rods from a couple zinc/carbon D cells and sharpened the ends with a pencil sharpener. I wrapped the opposite ends with #10 or 12 solid copper wire and nailed the assemblies to a piece of 2x4. I then bent the copper wire so as to have the two sharpened ends in contact. Next came the AC line cord. :devil: It was too bright to look at for the few seconds it took for the breaker to pop! I reworked it with a crude aluminum foil on cardboard reflector with poor results.  Damn, that was well over 40 years ago!

If I had only known about ballasting, I could have connected it in series with a high-wattage floor heater, and had a sustainable arc. 

Larry


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## scott.cr (Apr 4, 2007)

LOL, I too removed carbon rods from Radio Shack carbon cells... free battery card, remember those?? I inserted the rods into tight-fitting brass tubes and mounted the tubes into a plastic project box. Power source was an automotive ignition coil. I tested it by connecting the coil to a momentary switch... press the switch, release and POP!! After I had my "proof of concept" I ditched the switch and replaced it with a 555-based oscillator. It wasn't as bright as the pic in the link, but it was still an impressive display. I later turned this device into my 9th grade science class... our twice-a-year science project.


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## LightForce (Apr 4, 2007)

I also was disassembling batteries when I was young I remember all the process leading to get pure carbon electrodes. First I was taking it out of the cells with pliers, watching out my fingers - once I seriously hurt myself with sharp screwdriver, when I was levering positive metal cap protecting battery. Then I was washing electrodes with detergent to clear it. There was ugly black paste everywhere in my room and in the bathroom. My parents were angry, but I continued.. Next step was to burn electrodes in high temperature to get rid of wax from it. I was doing it on the cooker burner. And again there was a lot of smoke in the kitchen and my parents were angry. Then I was putting hot, glowing electrodes under the cold water a few times, and it was hardening.

Cheers,
D.


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## flashburn72 (Apr 4, 2007)

When I was your age...lol.. o.k guy's yes I am a newbie but seeing all that light with a sparkle in my eye,like a kid on christmas morning I just couldn't resist to post the link. sooo since some of you have some time with this I was wondering how long do the rods last (burn time) and do you think I can get some oooooo's and aahhhhh's out of it.I have done my m*g mod's and bought my hid even dabbled in the cree scene but I think carbon arc is the next step.

I want the light at the end of my tunnel to be a tank light...


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## Scott Packard (Apr 4, 2007)

Wouldn't using an AC arc welder pretty much give the same results, without the danger of popping breakers and dealing with high voltage?
Watch out for ultraviolet light - welders protect their skin and eyes from it.
There's a video of Tim Hunkin giving a history of the light bulb where he and Rex Garrod use an arc welder and a proper welding table with a carbon rod. When the current is cranked up the carbon oxidizes rapidly because of oxygen in the atmosphere. They go on to show further refinements to the incandescent light.
You can download the video from here:
http://sciencezero.4hv.org/tslom.htm
Go down to "The Electric Light"
(He says the link works at the beginning of the month until they run out of bandwidth.)


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## tvodrd (Apr 4, 2007)

I have a 225 Amp Lincoln arc welder in the garage which my 30A 220V breaker doesn't like.  But then, I'd have to swipe a reflector outta one of the tank searchlights. :green:

Larry


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## flashburn72 (Apr 4, 2007)

I was thinkin about somthin on a smaller scale using the 6 volt battery idea... and yes if you notice my screen name I have had the flashburn pretty bad from following behind the welder to close I might add and cleaning the welds couldnt open my eyes for day's...thank god for proparacain. and one side of my face was burnt. lesson learned even if your not the one welding WEAR PROTECTION...


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## yuandrew (Apr 5, 2007)

Did this using a pair of Dixon Ticonderoga pencils with both ends sharpened, some wires with aligator clips on the end, and two DeWalt 12 volt drill packs. I could only maintain the arc for maybe two seconds before the aligator clips got too hot to hold. The wood on the pencils will also catch fire eventually so keep that in mind and don't burn your fingers. 

Make sure have on a welding hood or have some type of shield so you're not looking directly at the arc. My eyes hurt like they had sand in them for the next day. :duh2:


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## 65535 (Apr 5, 2007)

yuandrew you were simply creating an incandescent carbon filament bulb, I have made 480 watt versions that melt #2 lead out of a wood pencil. The problem is without a noble gas filled arc container the electrodes quickly become contaminated and fail. Who knew the startup current on my transformer was enough to totally explode .5mm mechanical pencil lead? Never did try making an arc lamp, would it work well with 12 volts? need 10 gauge wire, 40 amps burns anything less. It's fun to create steel arc though, pure white light from a vaporised steel pool. Welding with 12volts DC. I should go out buy some good wire and rebuild my transformer.


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## yuandrew (Apr 5, 2007)

> yuandrew you were simply creating an incandescent carbon filament bulb, I have made 480 watt versions that melt #2 lead out of a wood pencil. The problem is without a noble gas filled arc container the electrodes quickly become contaminated and fail. Who knew the startup current on my transformer was enough to totally explode .5mm mechanical pencil lead? Never did try making an arc lamp, would it work well with 12 volts? need 10 gauge wire, 40 amps burns anything less. It's fun to create steel arc though, pure white light from a vaporised steel pool. Welding with 12volts DC. I should go out buy some good wire and rebuild my transformer.



I did make an arc lamp; I used two pencils with each one connected to the battery and touched the tips together then drew them apart to "strike" the arc.






(some picture I found on the web V)


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## 65535 (Apr 6, 2007)

I see.


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## lotsalumens (Apr 9, 2007)

When I was a kid I had a great old book of electrical experiments for boys, and one was an arc furnace that used line voltage and a salt water resistor as the ballast. Naturally I had to try so I got carbons from batteries, attached them with copper wire to a pair of screwdrivers with insulated handles, ran one side to neutral and the other to hot with a salt water resistor in series (pyrex dish with warm salt solution and two electrodes). Made quite a nice steady arc that I could view using some goggles of my mom's that came with a tanning lamp. The neat thing about it was the more you used it, the more the water would warm up, putting more salt in solution, thus reducing resistance, and increasing current to the arc. Eventually the water would be boiling and sparking and finally the breaker would trip. It was lots of fun melting things with the arc though, and my room would be full of smoke. My parents always encouraged scientific inquiry!

I still love arc lamps and collect old 1800's carbon arc streetlamps among other things.

Charles


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