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Carbon Arc Lightsby carbon on February 17, 2007
Table of Contents
intro: Carbon Arc Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
step 1: Gather up the Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
step 2: Caution! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
step 3: Extracting the Carbon Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
step 4: Rigging up the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
step 5: Have Fun! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
step 6: Going further... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
intro: Carbon Arc LightsMake your own light with Carbon goodness!
The idea behind a carbon arc light / lamp is that electricity "likes" to jump from one piece of carbon to another, creating an arc of electricity in mid-air. The tips of thecarbon rods start to heat up more and more, and eventually to the point where they produce A LOT of light.
For a while, carbon arc lamps competed with your everyday light bulb, but the light bulb won out, and now probably provides most of the light in your home. A lot ofpeople didn't like the harsh white light of the arc lamps, and sometimes the lamps would make a sound around 10,000 Hz that was really annoying. Of course, our goodfriend Tesla saved the day on that. :P
For a long time, nobody could match the sheer power of arc lamps, (at the time, they were about 200 times more powerful than filament bulbs), and so they were used inspotlights and movie theaters.
And now, you can have your own carbon arc lamp!
UPDATE:
I finally found the jumper cables! The car battery-powered light is very impressive, and produced a glowing blob of light about an inch in diameter, which I assume wasthe electric arc. I'll have to take a few pictures through my welding goggles if I can find them.
Image Notes1. Don't put your finger here!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
Image Notes1. He pwns!
step 1: Gather up the MaterialsAs of right now, we'll only be building the miniature carbon arc light, and not the full-scale one that uses a car battery. Eventually I'll get around to posting two differentdesigns I have used to easily control the gap between the two rods. In the meantime: Create! Instructableify! Make!
Tools to make the mini-light:
PliersX-Acto KnifeWire strippers
Other things that we'll need:
A battery (I used a lantern battery because I think that they have more current than smaller ones ((like AA's and D's)), but feel free to try!)Some latex gloves so you don't get crap all over your handsA rag for cleaning stuff upSome insulated wire (nothing fancy here)
Some ZINC-CARBON OR ZINC CHLORIDE BATTERIES!!!111!!! We must NOT use ALKALINE batteries! Alkaline batteries are the ones that have lots of nastymanganese dioxide and other bad stuff. You'll find that Carbon-Zinc batteries are often marketed as "Heavy Duty." I used C batteries, but D's, AA's, and 9 volts are fine.Keep in mind that the size of the carbon rod contained in each of these batteries is different.
So for clarification:
We want this: Zinc Carbon
Not this: Alkaline
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
Image Notes1. Latex gloves (Carbon and ammonium chloride are messy)2. Backup, backup pliers3. The batteries we will be using4. Bunch of wire5. Wire strippers and cutters6. Oops...ignore this7. 9 volt batteries have 6 smaller cells inside, each of which has a miniaturecarbon rod!8. Paper towels for cleaning up9. Backup pliers10. Needle-nose pliers
Image Notes1. If it weren't for both my cheap camera and my shaky hands, this would read:Zinc Chloride
step 2: Caution!This project involves working with electricity, high temperatures, toxic chemicals, and pointy things. Don't be stupid and plug anything into your wall outlets that shouldn'tbe there. If you use common sense and don't act like an idiot, you should come out of this all right.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
step 3: Extracting the Carbon RodsNow let's get down to business...
I'm assuming that you got the right kind of batteries, (ie. The kind that won't kill you when you open them, which is NOT ALKALINE BATTERIES!), so now we will take thecarbon rods out of them.
First we find the little ridge where the shiny metal plate that was wrapped around the battery to make the casing meets together
First we find the little ridge where the metal casing of the battery meets up with itself. (See picture)
Then, using the pliers, we peel back the metal cover all around the battery's positive terminal. (Or just peel off all of the metal covering if you want.)
Now grasp the metal knob on top of the battery's positive terminal with the pliers and pull it straight off.
I'd make sure that you have a paper plate nearby to put some of this stuff on, as they black paste within the battery stains and is really sticky.
All that's left to do here is just grasp the nub on top and pull it out carefully. This is your carbon rod. Be sure to put it somewhere where you won't lose it.
I'm not sure what the legality is on throwing the remaining husk of the battery out, but I assume it's okay. Ask your local environment nut about this.
Anyway, you will need two carbon rods for this project, so repeat the process on another battery.
Note: You can also use the rods to draw on stuff, and they give a cool shading effect if you slide them along on their sides.
Image Notes1. We want this.
Image Notes1. If it weren't for both my cheap camera and my shaky hands, this would read:Zinc Chloride
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
Image Notes1. Again, it may not seem like it, but there IS a ridge/valley here
Image Notes1. Start peeling...
Image Notes1. Continue peeling...
Image Notes1. Yay! We're done peeling the battery!
Image Notes1. Get a grip on the top...
Image Notes1. It'll just pop off.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
Image Notes1. It helps if you twist it a little when pulling it out.
Image Notes1. I feel the impulse to add a note to every picture, as this is my first instructable.Remember to clean these off!
step 4: Rigging up the batteryGo get your lantern battery, wire, pliers, and wire strippers.
Cut your wire into two lengths about a foot and a half long (46 cm).
Strip both ends of the wire, but on one end of each wire, strip an extra-long segment, about 3 inches or so. (8 cm).
Use alligator clips (or just twist them onto the terminals) to secure one of your wires to the positive terminal of the battery. Secure the other one to the negative terminal ofthe battery. (Use the short-stripped ends of the wires for this).
I'd suggest putting on some gloves and scraping off any gunk that is on your rods at this point. Use an old rag and rub it down, or just scrape some off with a knife.
Take the long-stripped end of one of the wires and wind it around one of the rods. (You could also tape it / glue it / whatever) Do the same for the other wire.
Image Notes1. approx 3 inches...2. Just long enough to clip / hook onto your lantern battery
Image Notes1. Upon reflection, I find that this doesn't actually work out well if one tries to pushthis to full power, but you'll get the general idea
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
step 5: Have Fun!Touch the rods together and slowly move them apart to create an electric arc between the them.
Oooooo....Pretty!
Of course, while that isn't the main light source, the arc is still pretty bright. Remember that in an actual carbon lamp, it is also the rods that get really bright. I forgot aboutthis and let the two rods arc for a while: I hadn't cleaned these off so I had molten something drip everywhere, yay! Pretty soon that stopped and the rods began to glow!And then my wires melted. Not yay! I really hope my dad doesn't notice the burn on the carpet :P
Later I'll build something that will let us take this project all of the way...
Have fun with your arc lamp!
Image Notes1. Don't put your finger here!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
step 6: Going further...It's likely that I'll update this a few times before I'm done.I might add how...to build a little mechanism to keep the distance between the two rods stable,to safely hook up a car battery, (Much, much more fantastic than this dinky little thing. I'm tempted to place it as as bright as the Sun!)to make a reflector to direct the light in one direction (Ow! My eyes!)
If anyone gets Popular Science at their house, I'd would greatly appreciate it if they could send me an article they had a few months back that told you how to build one ofthese. (I think it was in How 2.0)
Image Notes1. Don't put your finger here!
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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 109 comments
Shadow Ops says: Jan 9, 2009. 10:19 PM REPLYHa ha! LOL! I love the "magnifying glass" macro mode!
pyro22 says: Feb 18, 2007. 3:57 PM REPLYhere is a scan from one of my popsci. watch out 6 MB. right click and save
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
carbon says: Feb 18, 2007. 10:04 PM REPLYOr...not? Would someone please explain to the idiot {me} how to download the whole picture?
Mr. Smart Kid says: Jan 9, 2009. 6:31 PM REPLYhere it is, all i did was modfy the url to say "LARGE"insted of "SMALL" or "MEDIUM"
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FLW/8PRL/VQ5EY95W6NE/FLW8PRLVQ5EY95W6NE.LARGE.jpg
carbon says: Feb 18, 2007. 9:41 PM REPLYYou are my hero! Thanks a bunch!
electronman says: Sep 20, 2008. 9:51 PM REPLYthat thing can melt glass.
but i think just a thin glass.
It's very very HOT...!!!
solomonhorses says: Sep 19, 2008. 8:51 PM REPLYwell, if you are thinking of shielding yourself from UV, which is a good idea(I was arc welding without a shirt[yes, I am a pyro, like all the rest of you guys]andI got a mean sunburn on my chest in about 2 minutes of intermittent light) you might want to try experimenting with pieces of magnesium in between 2 piecesof glass pane -- it channels the light like a laser (don't look at it, or *ZZZ* and there goes your eyes!
rick69va says: Sep 14, 2008. 10:01 AM REPLYIf you are going to play with carbon arc lamps, I would suggest that you read the following link on the "basics of carbon arcs" and especially the part on thedangers involved, (UV, etc).
http://members.misty.com/don/carbarc.html
Just a thought.
Have fun, but play safe.
b-train says: May 7, 2008. 11:38 PM REPLYcool, are the carbon rods, consumable? do they run out coz i can get massive carbon rods from the mine, the use them for gouging out metal.
ironsmiter says: Sep 7, 2008. 5:23 PM REPLYmostly, yes, they are consumable.
If it's the rods i've seen before, you'll get plenty of use out of the mine leftovers.you MAY need to mess with voltage/amperage and tip shape to get a stable arc out of rods that big though.
pyrokid says: Feb 18, 2007. 6:56 AM REPLYmitten, thanks. that should make it easier. where i live i have searched like 10 stores for heavy duty batteries, and they are all lithium.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
rocketman221 says: Aug 9, 2008. 12:28 PM REPLYtry a dollar store they usually have them.
Mr. Smart Kid says: Jan 1, 2008. 7:07 PM REPLYwhen u hit 2 together they sound hollow/clankeyu take them out byprying the metal away posative termanel and pulling the top i perfer rods from c batterys
carbon says: Feb 24, 2007. 9:48 PM REPLYIf you're trying to get some Carbon-(A Capital z goes here but all Shift-z does for me is open my disc drive *shrugs*)inc batteries, it's better to searchtrashier stores. My local Goodwill stocks only Carbon (*whirr* I'm really going to have to fix this)inc batteries.
duct tape says: Oct 17, 2007. 8:46 PM REPLYhow did that happen?
I have been reading up on these, and apparently if you use another appliance or two (think toasters) in series as a resistor it makes it put out morelight and makes sure you don't blow a fuse. Any thoughts?
smarts53 says: Apr 7, 2008. 4:16 PM REPLYYou would do this if your going to run the arc on wall current at 120 volts. The toaster limits the current. But at only 6 volts the resistance of thecarbon should be enough to save the batteries from a short
DINO666 says: Oct 19, 2007. 2:11 PM REPLYIt definitely can be done that way but it not very efficient at all. Way more energy goes into heating the elements of the toasters and heaters thanin required. Wasted energy is not good energy. If you don't have access to a small buzz box type of welder than build your own. Its just a variablereactance that make it simply wonderful to operate and a whole lot more efficient. And thus cheaper to run.
Easy to build out of wire and some wood and scrap strips of iron. Givitatry!
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/03/19/experimental-arc-furnace-melts-anything/
duct tape says: Nov 7, 2007. 7:46 PM REPLYSorry for the slow reply, haven't been here for a while.
anyways, how would you go about constructing this transformer/variable resistor mobob?
Mr. Smart Kid says: Feb 25, 2007. 7:52 PM REPLYyes Carbon Zinc
mad magoo says: Feb 14, 2008. 5:04 PM REPLYIs there any way to dot this safely with a car battery and without completely ruining it? If there is even a way to do this with a 6 volt without ruining it byshorting it out, then please let me know cause I really need this information NOW!
rocketman221 says: Aug 9, 2008. 12:25 PM REPLYput a fuse (mabe 15 or 20 Amp) in the line so that you dont short circuit the battery
VelociraptorBlade says: Jul 24, 2008. 9:50 PM REPLYWhat brand of battery did you use for the instructable? Please specify.
mad magoo says: Feb 18, 2008. 9:50 PM REPLYI'm just curious, but could you use this to make a plasma spewing/cutting/welding device? What if you put this at the end of a small tube with high pressurecompressed air running through it? I have a basic understanding of how plasma works and would like to know if my idea is possible. Thanks!
stuffman366 says: May 29, 2008. 1:09 PM REPLYim not sure but i like you have the base knowlege so try it!!!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
killerjackalope says: Mar 24, 2008. 3:00 PM REPLYAren't the rods in coldheats carbon (you know the really bad soldering irons with batteries) If so I have a great idea...
ironsmiter says: May 16, 2008. 4:05 AM REPLYyes, they are a carbon composite.
You can TRY, but you'll likely ruin the tip in short order.the arc creates a fair bit of heat, and the insulating layer between the solder tip halves can melt.
killerjackalope says: May 16, 2008. 5:32 AM REPLYHmm as long is they stay in one piece and hold the arc, I'd be using them for this basically...
pighair47 says: Jan 31, 2008. 3:19 PM REPLYI believe that alkaline have labels while zinc chloride batteries have the metal piece,correct me if i am wrong.
jimwig says: Jan 29, 2008. 9:12 AM REPLYtesla invented polyphase generation (aka alternating current) which works between your two carbon arcs as does direct current -- the electric light bulb wasEdison's contribution. Direct current had been around more or less for a long while. I think.
AC could be modified and conducted over long lines without much of the drop in power that DC suffered from. Hence Tesla opened the door to the modernworld with his much unheralded invention. Edition went about to discredit Tesla and AC by electrocuting dogs and demonstration meant to prove howdangerous AC power was. Of course DC also would do the same inhumane things to animals.
electricity (electrons) always seek a neutral position so they leap at the chance of going to ground. as they fall from their orbitals toward their nucleus theyemit photons. aka light.
i don't think anyone used the arc inside their homes. much to dangerous and too much heat and sparks. the mechanism for keeping the arc gap at thecorrect measurement is critical to the output.
arcs were used as street lamps i do believe. and are still used in some follow spot lights and movie lights.most state of the art lights now use incandescent,quartz, or HMI lamps. etc....
some older movie theatres still use the arc projectors. they are huge and wonderous beasts from a tech gone by.
falcotheimpaler says: Dec 26, 2007. 5:26 PM REPLYyou know, i always considered doing this ever since the day i replaced my soldering iron tip with a carbon rod, it glew (glowed?), then melted carbonygoodness all over my workbench. needless to say, i needed a new soldering iron.didnt realize you could do it with such a low voltage, i thought you needed at least 50W for it to work.
ironsmiter says: Dec 26, 2007. 10:25 PM REPLYhmm, sounds like you didn't use a pure carbon rod.... and the melting was a result of the binder going over temperature. A good carbon rod, instead ofmelting, would BURN.(go ahead and TRY to reach the 6381 °F melting point of carbon, using normally available electricity supplies. :-)
Might consider looking at resistance soldering. Cold heat soldering irons use the "two carbon electrodes" to do their work(as with all carbon tips, they arefragile) the solder completes the circuit, and causes the carbon to heat, melting the solder in return. HowStuffWorks has an article on it somewhere.
solidification says: Dec 26, 2007. 2:35 PM REPLYyou might investigate the disassociation of gasses. (O2 and N2 or the primary components of "Air")
Then you might want to look into the dangers of NO and NO2 gasses on the Human body. You can google "MSDS NOx" to find this information.
I remember a lab in uni chemistry class where we made carbon arc lamps. We used "air" as the flow gas and trapped the whole thing in a large quartz tube.Within 1 min of arc-time the tube was clouded with a brown gas. We then used the NOx to bubble in distilled water. (to make HNO3 or Nitric Acid)
So while using your "lamp" in open air, you are probably creating NOx and O3.I figured this out long before taking university chemistry courses though. I once thought it was cool to use carbon arc electrodes made for stick welding rigsto melt rocks. (OSHA has really cracked down on these copperclad carbon gouging electrodes because they create toxic gasses. its sometimes hard to findthem now.) There was about a month or so after that, where my sense of smell and taste were hosed. Everything ... EVERYTHING tasted or smelled likethose cheap beef Ramen packets.
There are worse things that can happen however, so be careful.
Mr. Smart Kid says: Feb 25, 2007. 8:09 PM REPLYhere's mine useing a 150w!!!!!!! atx psu arc with 5v line fam used 12v line. p.s. i have not zapped my self with the psu tho i sorrta lostthe cover sine wemoved
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
carbon says: Feb 26, 2007. 3:43 PM REPLYCan someone translate this?
mattccc says: Dec 3, 2007. 10:45 AM REPLYuse bablefish.com ps sorry about my spelling
ironsmiter says: Feb 27, 2007. 12:01 AM REPLYthe translation is, Mr.Smart Kid used a PC powersupply to get his 5 or 12 v to power the lamp, instead of a battery. He has lost the cover to his psu ina domestic relocation, and therefore warns that "although I have not yet fried myself with mains(read 110 or 220 wall current) You may not be solucky."
:-)
I like his aligator clip idea though... Provides secure, cheap, and easy mounting. Plus adds thermal mass. they act like low quality heatsinks, alowingfor slightly higher current before "the wire melts"
Spartan 117 says: Dec 21, 2007. 4:51 PM REPLYhahahahahahahaha domestic relocation hahah very nice
Mr. Smart Kid says: Feb 28, 2007. 7:37 PM REPLYpreety mutch. i live in the us. 120v.12v for fan, 5v ( 20a ) for lamp or i use my 12v 9ahand for wire an (scrap) 18g, (from 400w power inveter the wire is still good )14g, crappy algaroter clip wireand the wire still gets :-) ! / :-( sorrta warm,and i sortta trashed!!! the algator clips, but it is quite bright when charged
pharoah says: Apr 10, 2007. 12:27 PM REPLYUS voltage is 110v usually, not 120
Mr. Smart Kid says: Apr 10, 2007. 5:15 PM REPLYsorta kinda it is offen called 110v, 115v, 120v, and sometimes 130vtho it varries from place to place. tho in tech terms117v
pharoah says: Apr 12, 2007. 6:01 AM REPLYLol very true. I've personally never seen 115 and 130, but 117 seems like too weird a number for most people so they round it down Iguess.
carpespasm says: Dec 26, 2007. 8:56 PM REPLYnot to mention that there are a few countries where the voltages they use are between 100 and 130, so anything that's made thatneeds stable voltages will be able to regulate from a range of usable voltages.
Derin says: May 15, 2008. 7:34 AM REPLYhere our stuff works from 100 to 240 volts =DANGER 220V GRID=
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon-Arc-Lights/
merseyless says: Jun 27, 2008. 9:32 PM REPLYdown here in Australia we get 240 volt
thermoelectric says: Sep 5, 2008. 7:42 PM REPLYGo the aussies
ironsmiter says: Sep 7, 2008. 10:53 AM REPLY:-) Here in the US, we get 240 also! just don't use it for many things.My house has 240 wiring for 2 freezers, an electric kiln, the buzzbox arcwelder, and an empty outlet, for futureuse(or splitting into 2, high amperage 110 sockets.)
carpespasm says: Sep 7, 2008. 11:26 AM REPLYIndeed we do get 220v service in the states. It's usually 2 phase 220v though, and runs at a higher amperage.It's also still at 60hz as well so you're European/Australian alarm clocks are still gonna run fast.
thermoelectric says: Sep 7, 2008. 2:05 PM REPLYDarn, I don't plan to come to the US than, craps thats where Instructables HQ is
Derin says: Jun 28, 2008. 1:08 AM REPLYwe also get 240Vdanger european grid
carpespasm says: Jun 27, 2008. 10:09 PM REPLYRight right. I don't know why I forgot to mention the half of the world running between 220 and 240. The switch on aPC's power supply is there for a reason!
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