Hello Everyone,
Thanks for making me welcome.
I have recently become the caretaker of the family 1914 Touring. I’ll be needing your advice on this, and plenty more topics as we go along.
I have a few pin hole leaks in the carbide generator. On the side wall. What is the best method for repairing this type of leak?

Thank you,
Greg

Hi Gregory
Is it brass or steel? Either way I think just ordinary soldier would work
Can you post a picture of the leak area?
Best of luck

It can be hard to solder holes like this because the ones you get right melt and drop out as you are trying to do others. Using the technique for applying lead body filler will help.

My first thought was something like gas tank sealer....until I realized that a carbide generator can produce a fair amount of heat.

I think your only way out would be to clean the inside THOROUGHLY, perhaps with acid, then run melted solder in the area. Using a folded piece of cloth (like mattress ticking), wipe the still molten solder across the pinholed area. The only drawback here is that heat must be maintained to keep the solder liquid....and that can open up other seams.

This technique will work, but requires practice. You might be better off contacted a jewelry repair service, or even an instrument repair business. Explain the problem and see if they can help.

I have solder repaired lots of things including gas tanks and radiators. CLEANING the area is the first thing. Doing the repair in the flat position really helps

I know what I'd do, but no way in L am I saying it on this forum.

Okay, I'll get a picture, and then start with the cleaning.
Stand by.
Thank you,
Greg

What Les said. Times two!

I have had better luck soldering sheet steel tanks using the old fashioned soldering copper rather than a torch or electric iron.

As Les said, but sweat a patch of copper or brass on the inside.

Photo of problem spot

So it appears that you can access the inside. So sweat soldering a patch on the inside would seem appropriate. First of course is CLEAN the area!!

The carbide and it's waste is a very caustic and nasty mess that needs to be cleaned quickly each time after use!!!!! After cleaning your tank can be fixed and while there is some heat there is no pressure as it is total loss.I think very few actually put up with the mess anymore and most have switched to a bottle of act gas in one form or another.Depending on make i think there was one four sale in the ads? Bud in Wheeler,Mi.PS,Been there and did that and now i'm on the bottle and will never go back!! Bud.

I'd dearly love to have a car with acetylene headlights and you can bet you bottom dollar it would NOT have a bottle. A carbide generator is the very essence of driving an antique. It blows my mind how many people want an antique car but are unwilling to embrace its antique qualities and features. I guess a prestolite bottle beats converting them to electric. To each his own I guess.

If you have not had the mess to each their own Bud.

I smeared some clear silicon over the leak area.
Works great!

Don't know where the idea the carbide lights are messy comes from and caustic maybe I'm using different calcium Carbide.

Been using carbide lights for over 50 years in my 1911 Town Car, so trouble free I often don't worry to clean it out unless it gets too full.

Went on a tour two weeks ago, one night we did a gas light run in the streets of the country town, lots of gas lights on vehicles way more expensive and rare than Model T's no talk about a problem with it???

If you let the sludge dry in a removable container it can easily be scraped out, my generator has a brass bucket inside the lower container. The generators usually have a liner but a simple solution is to put in a plastic bottle or bag with the carbide inside. You can then throw away the residue when you have finished.

As my generator is brass it may be different to a steel bodied one, obviously if you leave any moist material inside a steel generator rust will form.

Greg,

Looks like the problem area is just inside the top of the lower tank. Check for other spots after cleaning, solder spot and paint the inside of the tank.

Actually, I don't see why a touch of JB wouldn't do the trick too if the spot is small. Very little pressure, 2-3 psi, and not much heat.

Ken in Texas

I can't say a exact date but i would think Prestolite tanks have been with us for at least 115 years!Brass would indead be better i think and removing the generator hose then using compressed air to clear the lines after and before each use? If your a old pro or expert that's great but if your a newbe with no expere?? Bud.

Unfortunately running a B tank on it’s side is not recommended as quite a bit of the acetone comes out with the acetylene. This is a risky way to operate them. Certainly I have seen it done but just a word of caution. The original Prestolite tanks have the valve offset to the top to prevent this. Certainly Prestolite tanks can be found, but they are almost impossible to get filled. I was fortunate enough about 20 years ago to get one refilled, but that source no longer exists for me

A Prest-O-Lite tank was an "upgrade" over a carbide generator. At that time, a POL tank was about $23 but a Ford type brass generator could be bought for about three or four dollars.

Model T car number one, Oct. 1, 1908, was shipped with E&J 6" gas lamps and a Prestolite tank.



Probably shipped empty because Prest-O-Lite already had thousands of "exchange" stations. Then, as now, filling an acetylene tank takes 7-8 hours.

I exchange my POL tanks at PraxAir or AirGas where I find the POL "B" tanks mixed in with the regular "B" tanks.



Ken in Texas

I have a '13 with a carbide generator, but I have always wondered, why is it not called an acetylene generator? It is generating acetylene. I realize it is using calcium carbide, but calling it a carbide generator seems bit bass ackwards.
Mike

Ken
Be grateful for the availability!! I’m not so lucky

I fussed with the acetylene generator for the first couple of years I had my 14 and gave up. To each his own is right.

It took a couple of visits to my local welding supply houses to find one, but I found a filled B tank with an offset valve and no gauge on the bottom and Prest-O-Light in raised letters on the side (in other words, Les, they are out there.)Stripped it, painted and, and put a POL repro decal on it from Restoration Supply. A friend (yes, I have a couple) gave me POL stamped brackets.

It is sooooo much easier, cleaner and, convenient to use.

I figure it will never run out in my lifetime and probably not in my kids.

I just wish I could find an affordable, original pressure regulator (hint!).

PS: I still have the original acetylene generator, just in case.

Marty
And that is great that you have the proper tank. It is just that I have seen too many people running B tanks horizontally

If you have a friend with a small tip torch, oxygen/acetylene, die grinder with a needle bit, silver solder and flux, you are done. Will out last the car almost.

All the Best,

Hank

It is rather amazing that in so few years after the 1891 discovery of Calcium Carbide by the great Canadian inventor Thomas Leopold "Carbide" Willson, that acetylene generators were being used on the Alphabet Fords.

https://uwaterloo.ca/wat-on-earth/news/carbide-willson-was-great-canadian-invent or

Ken

Michael, it’s the same rational we say hot water heater. It should be a cold water heater.

Well whatever one want's to call it they are not all the same.On a model T they are very simple and total loss.For cutting/welding they make gas on demand and are controled.Bud.

I have the same problem on my 1914 T generator. The upper tank has rusted through. Does anyone have a cross-section drawing or a pic of the parts in the upper tank? It does not want to come apart. I see two square nuts on the plate in the tank, and what appears to be a rubber gasket around the plate.

Paul Ayres

bump

Paul,

I have often wondered how the upper water tank is constructed. I suspect there is a plate above that one you can see that is soldered to the top tank but I don't know. Hopefully someone who has taken an upper tank apart will chime in.

Ken in Texas

I used the acetylene generators on my cars for years until someone mentioned to my wife that it was hazardous. No amount of arguing by me would disabuse her of this so I mounted a small acetylene bottle under the car. To address the offset valve issue I made up a mounting bracket that sets the tank on an angle so the valve is at the same location as the offset valves. I have used this set up for years with no issue but it is a bit of a pain having to crawl under the car to crack the valve open.

With tank acetylene, "B" or"MC", the main reason you don't want the acetone coming out with the acetylene is the acetone can damage your regulator diaphragm if you use one. I was told it will make your gas light flame take a slight blue tint.

Ken