timcc6558 Posted 19 May , 2011 Share Posted 19 May , 2011 I'm a newbie here, so please forgive any errors or incorret terminology..... I've just acquired this carbide lamp on Ebay, made from two cartridge cases. The lower one is an 18-pounder Mk.II. Hopefully the photo will show the markings clearly - I've deciphered a couple from study of the Forum but others fox me completely, so any assistance will be most welcome. They are: 12:00 - 18PR II 6:00 - 1917 plus circle WD 9:00 - B.A. D.C.P.C plus circle 'H' 3:00 - 19 9 17 355 S plus CF inverted and angled so thta it could read 'CF6' with the middle '9' The upper case has no marking, presumably lost during conversion. All I can say is that it's 80mm in diameter, if that helps to identify it. The lamp is fairly crudely made, the two halves don't quite line up straight and much use has clearly been made of a large hammer. An interesting feature is that the water filler cap and maybe other parts, are of German origin - the cap itself is stamped 'Kosmos-Brenner'. Kosmos were a well-known maker of mainly oil lamps. Another case of 'if only it could talk'! The lamp is, I'm certain, British-made. Apart from the cartridge cases, the burner is a British Bray type. I'm restoring the lamp to working order and have sourced a new burner to replace the old broken one. The outlet pipe is also broken and was placed on for the photos. This will have to be resoldered and lightly reinforced to ensure it's gas-tight. Has anyone seen anything like this before? It was described on Ebay as 'Trench Art' but I think that's a misnomer for a purely utilitarian item like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 19 May , 2011 Share Posted 19 May , 2011 There is not a lot I can help you with. I am sure you know that "CF" indicates had been filled once with a full charge, and I don't think there is a "6" with it. The "H" means that the case was headed with a hammer, an alternative method of forming the rim and primer pocket. Of the two sets of initials, one will almost certainly be the manufacturer of the case and the other the filling station, but unfortunately I can identify neither. The case is 1917 and my list of contractors only goes up to 1916. Hopefully others can add more. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 19 May , 2011 Share Posted 19 May , 2011 A home made carbide lamp, now thats a brave undertaking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcc6558 Posted 19 May , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2011 Tony, many thanks - I had worked out CF but as you say, it doesn't seem to go with the numbers - it was just a thought. Hopefully some more info will turn up. It will be interesting to see how well it works. There was a fair amount of carbide residue still in it so it's certainly worked in the past. I enquired as to origins with the vendor and apparently it was found in a brocante in Hesdin, so it's in the right part of the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey McLean Posted 19 May , 2011 Share Posted 19 May , 2011 Hello, Tim - The top shell case might be the top section of a German 77x230 shell case. It has what appears to be the crimping rings and the size is about right. Regards, Torrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcc6558 Posted 19 May , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2011 Hi Torrey, Thanks - now that's a very interesting idea, especially since there are known German components in the lamp already. Maybe someone had been scavenging in a captured German trench for useful bits, or it's a home-made German lamp captured and modified! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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