Turn of the (Last) Century Light Bulb

[randooch]

I absolutely KNOW that one of you folks would enjoy owning this bright bit of pure amazement.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271119998935?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 

[DiverAdam]

Interesting Idea for a gift for someone who has almost everything

 

[Landman]

Randall,

That is very cool. Where did you find that?

I remember reading years ago how new light bulbs were junk and actually manufactured to last only a short time so they would have to be replaced. The old bulbs were built to last. There is a Thomas Edison bulb in a Fire Station in California that has been burning now for over 110 years. Here is a link to the longest lasting bulbs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest-lasting_light_bulbs

 

[alanfgag]

Mount Wilson Observatory has a nice collection of early Edison lightbulbs that date back to first light of the 60" telescope in 1908. They are still used on a daily basis. Some can be seen here on the controls for the dome that houses the 60". I'm not sure if any of the original bulbs have burned out yet.

 

[casechopper]

Old light bulbs lasted in part, because the filaments were very thick. This made them very inefficient (less light per watt) but durable. Modern lightbulbs are more focused towards efficiency. Considering energy costs compared to lightbulb costs a thinner shorter life filament is probably worthwhile. Those old bulbs are definitely cool aesthetically though.

 

[randooch]

Cool picture, Alan! Case, that's an interesting theory about efficiency vs. longevity.

Mike, I got the bulb from an ancient woman who lived next to our family in the 1960's. She had a garage packed to the ceiling with stuff, and occasionally gave us some strange item or another.

 

[Walt]

I would argue that the shorter life bulbs as a conspiracy is mythology.

The old bulbs are either carbon filament (the oldest ones) or thick tungsten and in either case generates much more heat than visible light. Sure they can last a long time but sure are dim compared to a comparable wattage modern incandescent.

Still the key to the longest life is to leave them on continuously as thermal expansion and contraction from turning them on and off shortens their life.

CLF's can also be very short life if frequently turned on and off with short on cycles. I still use incandescents in bathrooms for that reason since they are much cheaper.

If you want really long life there is the LED bulbs now if you can take the idea of forking out the high acquisition cost.

Either way old bulbs are cool for sure (pun intended). I like old vacuum tubes myself.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Like a red hair in a bottle as my electrician father used to say lol. The old bulbs did not throw much light for the wattage they consumed.

If you want good light bulbs you won't find them at the dollar store. Any good hardware store should have long life bulbs good for 5000 hours. There may be even longer lasting ones, for industrial service in hard to reach areas. Needless to say, these cost more than the cheapies and more than most consumers are willing to pay. But they are available to anyone who wants them.