Blue glow from Nixie Tubes - is that bad?

[Dman777]

My In-12 Nixie clock which has a strange strobe effect on 3 of the tubes from https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/neonixie-l/YcmrKD52IXg are starting to emit a small blue glow color from those tubes...is that a typical sign that they are starting to go bad?

[gregebert]

For the most part, I've only seen a single small blue dot when a tube has been in-storage for a long time, perhaps years. For example, after I buy a few tubes one may have a blue dot. They always disappeared after a few hours of operation.

I do have 2 other tubes that have a very small blue-dot away from the orange-glowing region, and they have been doing that for about a month now. I have not seen any degradation.

[Dman777]

No blue dot...this is a very small blue glow similar to a bottom of a flame.... it outlines the nixie wire that glows orange. It's only on the tubes that are effected from the strobe issue I mentioned earlier. 

[David Forbes]

That purple glow or haze is a result of the mercury that is put in Nixie
tubes to make them live longer. It is normal.

--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ

[Dman777]

Strange, it is apparent on the tubes that strobe on slightly....not on the tubes that are not effected by the strobeing issue.  

On Monday, August 11, 2014 6:33:39 PM UTC-5, Dman777 wrote:

[jpeakall]

Ever notice that if you key up a HF radio handheld with the antenna next to a mercury doped nixie that you get a baby blue haze? Very cool looking.

Jonathan

David Forbes <dfo...@dakotacom.net> wrote:

>That purple glow or haze is a result of the mercury that is put in Nixie
>tubes to make them live longer. It is normal.
>
>
>On 8/11/14 10:46 PM, Dman777 wrote:
>> No blue dot...this is a very small blue glow similar to a bottom of a

>> flame.... it outlines the nixie wire that glows orange. It's only on the

>> tubes that are effected from the strobe issue I mentioned earlier.
>>

>> On Monday, August 11, 2014 6:33:39 PM UTC-5, Dman777 wrote:
>>>
>>> My In-12 Nixie clock which has a strange strobe effect on 3 of the tubes
>>> from https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/neonixie-l/YcmrKD52IXg are
>>> starting to emit a small blue glow color from those tubes...is that a
>>> typical sign that they are starting to go bad?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>

>--
>David Forbes, Tucson AZ
>

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