Hubby brought home two of the old time extinguishers that have a soda-acid content - the kind where you turn them upside down and the stuff mixes and sprays out the hose. I'm pretty sure they're empty at the moment. Can we put these to any reasonable use aside from extiguishers? Do they do a good job putting out fires in any case? They are stainless steel canisters about 2-3 feet high.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002

Answers

My husband's ever active brain stormed up a pretty useful idea for our old fire ext. which was hanging around gathering dust BUT I WON'T LET HIM put the idea to use since the fed frowns on it. A good old fashioned alcohol still - really - my grandpa says 'yep, that'd work for just about any mash you could make'. A little copper tubing tucked on the top while sitting on your stove top in the kitchen... well, you can find web sites with the details... but not in my house.

-- Netie (netiemoody@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002.

If they were brass they might be very valuable to collectors, the more labels the more value; as for stainless I do not know the currant market. A movie prop company might be interested.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 05, 2002.

You might look them up on Ebay and see if they are selling.

-- Chuck (reply@mission4me.com), March 05, 2002.

Turn them into lamp bases.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002.

Netie, Good thing your husband can't meet my grandfather that passed away. They would get in trouble. Grandad talked about doing that at a place he worked at in the depression :>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 06, 2002.

are those type refillable? on harvest we had a set that looked old but used water you filled them up. add pressure from the air compresser and you had a really fun water gun hehe. we also used them in the field to keep from setting the field on fire when we wielded. i would assume we used them so we wouldnt leave chemicals in the field as we were using it for silage

-- Mike in KS (mhonk@kscable.com), March 06, 2002.

You may ask the local fire department if they want them for a display. My father is an ex-fireman, and my uncle was a fire chief. My uncle collects old extinguishers, and model fire trucks, and dalmatians, and whathaveyou pertaining to firefighting. You could get one of the Firefighter magazines to run an ad for you. There's bound to be someone that wants them, enough to buy them.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), March 09, 2002.

soni, my husband and i are volunteer firefighters where we live. our station has one and all 7 of the other stations want it. they are a big collectors item. as someone suggested they make beautiful lamps. doing that will take away the value,but if that doesnt matter.they sure are pretty. cody

-- cody (urbusted@alltel.net), March 09, 2002.

http://www.fridge.lionheart.net/descript.htm This guy uses them to make refrigerators!

-- kim in CO (kimk61252@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.