What is this thingamabob?

February 22, 2019 3:36 PM

A friend found this while cleaning out a relative's house. Any ideas as to what it could be? This is the only picture available.
posted by fish tick to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

It looks like a calcium carbide torch or part of a calcium carbide lamp. Water and calcium carbide are mixed in the taller chamber, and the resultant gas accumulates in the shorter chamber - it then comes out the small tube.
posted by zombiedance at 4:44 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Could it be a cousin to a Lenk Automatic blow torch? "Lenk made a number of types of gasoline and alcohol torches, from large pump up types down to this small self generating hand torch. It's about 6" tall, and you can easily make a fist around it. This one runs on denatured alcohol. It has two tanks, as you can see. The longer one on the right is for the pre-heater fuel, and the shorter one with the nozzle is the generator fuel tank." (From The Unofficial Mamod & Other Steam Forum.)
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:15 PM on February 22, 2019 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Ding-ding-ding-ding! I believe MonkeyToes has nailed it. Thanks.
posted by fish tick at 6:32 PM on February 22, 2019