BULB DISCUSSION BOARDS > Christmas Lighting

Modern Bubble lights from Simply Lighting.

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Chris W. Millinship:
Not really too much help but I remember reading somewhere that the tubes are partially evacuated so the methylene chloride is at quite a low pressure and hence will boil easier at a lower temperature. Don`t remember if there was a mention of the pressure though, or where I saw the info- and I can`t seem to find it again, sorry!
Perhaps the dye used has some sort of effect on the boiling point too- do you have a specific colour that won`t work so well, or havn`t you coloured yours?

I thought it was sugar, salt or some other clear crystalline stuff in the bottom (maybe ground glass?), all mine have something like that in them. Wouldn`t sand block out most of the light so the bubbles don`t show up too good in the dark? Just a thought...


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-chris

http://members.ebay.co.uk/aboutme/chrismillinship

James:
Thanks Chris.  My only Bubble Lites are an old Pifco set from the 1950's and they appear to have sand in them.  There are only a few grains though so it doesn't block out too much light.

I haven't added colours yet to the tubes I made, but thats an interesting thought.  Certianly in my old set, the red ones always start first and bubble the most vigorously, while blue takes ages to start and nearly always needs a tap on the side to get them going.  I'll give it a go and see what happens!

Chris W. Millinship:
While on the topic of bubblelites...

I`m in the process of buying my first genuine vintage Noma "biscuit" bubblers (including a working 1949 set of 9 in the original box   ). The seller tells me (with over 20 years experience in dealing in vintage holiday decorations) that ones with green bubble tubes are often even harder to come by than purple ones. Is this true? Are there any bubblelites collectors watching who could enlighten me further? I always thought it was the purple tubes that were the rarest as they were only made for the first 3 years of production, but what about greens? Anyone?


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-chris

http://members.ebay.co.uk/aboutme/chrismillinship

Bill Nelson:
Hello eveeryone! On the subject of bubble tube color rarity, here is a bit of information that I've discovered while collecting. The purple liquid color is indeed the rarest of all, as it was made for only the first three years of NOMA's  (and Paramount's) production. The purple color has a tendency to fade over time, and it is often found with just a hint of purple instead of a vivid color. The strong color tubes are the most desired. As for the green color, it was available in several shades, from a traditional "Christmas" green to an almost lime green. The lime is the least common of the greens, but is not considered by collectors to be rare. As for the sand or crystals often found in the tubes, it is indeed either salt or sugar, neither of which will dissolve in the methylene chloride. The salt and/or sugar is called an "activator", and helps the bubbling action. In Paramount's oil-filled tubes, the crystals that can be seen within the tube are actually small pieces of metallic glitter, which helps the smaller bubbles produced in the oil to be easier seen.  Hope this helps!

ASBESTOS FINGERS:
quote:Originally posted by tim:
Hiya Chris,

The pictures look great - I like the animation! I get a ton of email from others curious about purchasing new bubble lights and this will be helpful with Christmas fast approaching. How would you rate the quality of these lights? I purchased a new set last year at a local hardware mall and nearly all of the lights in the set were duds and were of horrible quality. The ones in your pictures look a lot nicer. I didn't keep the set I had so I couldn't tell you who produced them......


CHRIS:THESE ARE THE BUBBLE LIGHTS I PURCHASED LAST YEAR ,I FOUND THEM TO BE UNIQUE,I PURCHASED THEM IN A WELL KNOWN GARDEN STORE IN SOUTH JERSEY,I RECENTLY,GAVE INPUT ON ANOTHER SUBJECT,CONCERNING C-7 BULB REPLACEMENT,I WAS TRYING TO DISCRIBE THESE LIGHTS,THAT I HAD BAUGHT LAST YEAR.MY FAVORITES ARE THE ROYAL BLUE WITH RED COMBO,THAT IS A COLOR COMBO I HAVE NOT SEEN.THESE ALSO ARE MADE WITH GOOD QUALITY LAMPS.ALSO I WILL ADMIT I HAVE CREATED MY OWN COLOR COMBOS,BY SWITCHING REFLECTOR TOPS.

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