I've had a couple of cans of carbide for a couple of decades ( maybe even three). Is it still good? I need to either pitch it or give it to somebody who might use it. Its been stored in a cabinet in my shop and the cans look fine. What is a safe way to dispose of it? I know I shouldn't just "pitch it".
Ray, I'll take it, buy it, whatever. If you drop a rock in water and it fizzle's it should be good....Chip
good stuff is loose and white. If it goes bad it turns medium gray and cakes together.
If it has turned to a powder it is no good, it needs to be still in rock form to work.
Ah but carbide cannons use powder that's sort of like grains of sand.
I have used carbide that has crumbled in a carbide generator with no problems. This is in Canada. Apparently it doesn't work in Australia though.
The carbide use in mining lamps looks to be about triple X black gun powder. Don't mix them up or your blunder buss might be really spitting fire if it rains and you strike the flint!
Les,
you say crumbled, would still have to be in rock form large enough not to fall through the carbide basket in the generator, when old and turned to powder, it's dead, worked with the stuff for several years.