Years ago my inlaws gave me this antique fire extinguisher which has been sitting on a shelf in my garage for at least 15 years. Took it to a friend who owns a polishing business and he worked on it. It will make a nice decoration in my office. Before and after photos below.

Before:




After:

Beautiful!

Very cool! I had one a long time ago....IIRC they were supposed to be turned upside down and a vinegar and baking soda mixed and pressurized the container.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Very cool! I had one a long time ago....IIRC they were supposed to be turned upside down and a vinegar and baking soda mixed and pressurized the container.

Correct! There is a glass bottle in a frame inside the cylinder which contained a weak acid. The rest of the cylinder was filled with bicarbonate of soda. Turning it upside down would unseat the stopper on the glass bottle, mixing the two ingredients and pressurizing the extinguisher for use on a fire.

My uncle has a few he turned into lamps. They are pretty cool looking.

Does that actually read "TO PLAY ON FIRE"?

That is awesome. Really, it’s very nice given its age.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Does that actually read "TO PLAY ON FIRE"?

I can’t read it but if it does, it means to “point at”

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Does that actually read "TO PLAY ON FIRE"?

Yes,

To play on fire
Turn upside down

I have one just like it. I’d love to have it polished like that. Beautiful!

Beautiful looking fire extinguisher.

When I worked in the fire protection industry many, many years ago I had a business call me telling me they needed to replace some old Fire extinguishers.
He had an older warehouse for plumbing supply's that had just been inspected by the town.
I removed over a dozen of the soda acid, brass riveted back fire extinguishers and replaced them with ABC multi purposes fire extinguishers.
Needless to say I ended up with a couple and turned them into lamps, my boss ended up with the rest. The owner did not want to keep any of them,
When I got them I first polished them and let the develop a nice patina.
I still have them.

they are selling from $350 to $500 on eBay

I have one just like that in my workshop. I have no idea how long I have had it.

I made a pair of lamps out of them years ago. Finally got tired of them and sold them.

chbibc, that is beautiul.

I've got 2 sitting in my office right now. A friend of mine gave them to me before I retired from the volunteer fire dept. a couple of years ago.

Speaking of antique fire extinguishers, has anyone ever seen the old "fire grenades" they used to have in houses? These were a small glass globe that you would throw at a fire, it would shatter and whatever was inside would mix and activate and (hopefully) put out the fire.

When I was at Hyde Park, NY a few years ago visiting my alma mater, we went to the FDR Estate and the house had them all over the place mounted in holders on the walls. FDR also had an elevator built just big enough for his wheelchair but insisted it was manual with a pully system and not motorized. The NPS person giving the tour explained that FDR as a child saw an aunt die horrifically when her long skirt caught fire and was terrified of fire from that point on and and didn't want to be stuck in the elevator if there was ever a fire in that house.