Weird old fire extinguisher

[loveitfightforit]

Hello all!
I am looking for information on this old fire extinguisher. I assume it falls into the grenade category but doesn’t look like anything I have been able to find. The shape and the mount is different. I am not sure if this was the original mount that it came with but it looks old enough to be. This came out of an old house on my family’s ranch. It was installed when the house was completed in 1900 so I assume it is from the late 1800’s. There looks to have been a design on it at one point in time but has since been rubbed off in some places. It is filled with a clear liquid but I am unsure if it is salt water or carbon tetrachloride. Any information you can provide I would really appreciate.

 

[loveitfightforit]

I thought so too but those seem to have a different design to them. The neck is longer and they have a different mount.

 

[blobbottlebob]

There is a very good chance that it is filled with carbon tet. As you probably have seen on other threads, it's bad stuff. Treat it with extreme care. Other than that, it's cool.

 

[tigue710]

true, it is a different shape then the ones pictured, they did have quite a few different extinguishers and patents out there... I always like the "box - o - grenades" they sold, which was kinda like a lunch box with 6 round grenades it...

There were a lot of other fire extinguishers out there, I wouldn't know where to start except with google... being unmarked and clear it will be hard to find much out about it, wouldn't hold much value either...

 

[ombudsman]

Looks like a "Red Devil" fire extinguisher to me. I'm no expert, though.

There were a bunch of those mounted in the attic of the Presbyterian church here. The liquid was red. I have also seen them elsewhere (years ago.) I could be mistaken about the name. If your grenade is what I think it is, it is most likely from the '30s or '40s. (20th Century)

 

[loveitfightforit]

Great! Thanks for in the info; i'll start researching Red Devil and see what i come up with.

 

[ombudsman]

BTW, I've seen them for sale at antique malls over the years.

 

[botlguy]

I agree that it is probably a Red Comet, rather than Red Devil, even though the holder may be different than others have seen. Here is a picture of my Red Comet with an Automatic holder. The heat melts a fusible link and triggers a rod that breaks the point releasing the fluid which I have been told is Carbon Tet.

 

[Staunton Dan]

Not sure which one you have there but it looks kinda neat. Here's a similar one that I have that was taken off the wall of an old house. It's the only one that I own.

 

[Poison_Us]

When looking though a antique mall in Wisconsin, we found a complete set of fire grenades. There were 6 in a red velvet lined wooden box with lid. Don't remember what the price was.