13T - Rebuilding the acetylene gas lines/system question

[Darin Hull]

I have E&J Model 666 gas lamps on the 13T... they are all brass, not black/brass, so I understand they're not original; however, they're beautiful and for now I plan on keeping them on there since that's what grandpa had. Years ago, grandpa had a prestolite tank on the running board but I don't ever remember seeing the gas lamps working. I'm sure he had it going at some point but don't know the last time he had it working and with what setup. I'm certain I never saw the 13T with an acetylene generator. When I took over care of the T, there was no more tank and only red rubber hose, with dry rot, which I removed. I don't believe there was any hard line running from where the rubber hose ended to where the tank used to be.

I was reading past forums on the topic, including this one which discussed dangers associated with using cooper and brass line in an acetylene gas setup. viewtopic.php?t=2012 But I also saw Lang's still sells the cooper line in their gas line kit. I wouldn't think they'd sell anything dangerous or would have a warning if the kit wasn't to be used with a functioning system. https://www.modeltford.com/item/BL-T.aspx So, with a long term goal of getting a functioning gas system for the 13T's headlamps... including keeping my eye out at swap meets coming up, like Luray, for parts... do y'all have any suggestions of things to consider, best practices, etc on rebuilding the gas setup for a 13T?

Thank you for your time,
Darin

[Original Smith]

I've posted numerous pictures and information in the past weeks and months on this subject. I posted photos of a '14 I recently bought that still has all of the original components, including the hose last week.

[namdc3]

Darin,

If you want to be as original as possible, I suggest reviewing Larry's information on materials, routing etc. Below is just my 2c on a functional, safe system.

Generator (if you go that route rather than a tank): POR-15 works will to coat the inside of the sludge reservoir (base); calcium hydroxide is very corrosive. Also, slow cooker (crock-pot) liners work very well in the ash tray to make clean up easy. Be sure to trim excess so that you don't block gas flow over the basket and out of the tube connection. A basket of carbide will last many hours. However, placing a shallow layer of carbide doesn't work as well since the water can't travel down through a vertical pack. It work well to build a smaller basket within the basket using hardware cloth (wire mesh) under the water trough so that you can use less carbide and get a more vertical pack. This is easily removed if you want a longer session with more carbide.

Hose: McMaster sells red acetylene hose that functions well.

Metal Tubing: Don't use copper or a brass that has too much copper. Stainless painted black works well and looks good. The gas is only a couple psi, so you don't need clamps. You can use a brake flaring tool to create a bubble flare about a 1/2" from the end of each tube so that the hose has a nice tight seal.

Routing: Be sure there are no dips that can accumulate water (the gas isn't dry) and cause bubbling (flickering lights).

Lighting: Follow the original instructions. I'll add open the doors, wait until you hear gas, and blow into the lamp before you light it to remove any excessive accumulation of gas. Trying to light them too early is better than lighting them with too much gas in the lamp housing.

Generator clean-up: Do it! Don't wait too long, or things will corrode. Leave the water tank off and let the base air out for a few days; if you just clean it and seal it back up for weeks, you will likely get corrosion.

[Darin Hull]

Larry,

Thank you. I use google to search previous MTFCA discussions. Usually works good but different keywords can bring up different results obviously. I didn’t see your thread when I checked google prior to asking this question; however, I searched it with the discussion forum’s search and found the following thread:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14880&p=114429&hili ... ne#p114429

I appreciate the knowledge you’ve shared before... hope you’re doing well,
Darin

[Original Smith]

I posted the note on Sat Sept 26, and several more previous to that. Initally I had little to go on, but was able to obtain brass tubing from McMaster Carr, and the T connection elsewhere. I don't believe using copper stops would pose a problem, since no gas contacts those areas. If you need additional information I have it all. I even sent my tubing to get it zinc plated, as original.