Bubble Lights and other Christmas Lights of interest

[Mac Doktor]

First off, this site has an excellent rundown on the history of holiday lighting. I'll jump into the post-war America section for some background info:

http://oldchristmastreelights.com/1946_1950.htm

Next, here's the detailed history of bubble lights, including the legal battle over the patents:

http://oldchristmastreelights.com/bubble_lights1.htm

There's a quick way to tell if a set of candelabra base bubble lights is "new" versus "vintage". Starting in the early '70s, manufacturers began crimping the top of the tubes to make the tip look like a flame. The old ones are straight.

If you're a Lionel train fan, NOMA made the famous talking railroad station.

I have reproduction bubble tubes made by Richard Curry who reverse-engineered the chemistries. I made a lifetime purchase eight or ten years ago and he hasn't had any for sale for a long time; that well has run dry. I paid him $10 apiece, lifetime warranty. I asked Rich recently what original Shooting-Star tubes were going for on eBay and all he said was that they're "out of sight". 

He has all of his trade secrets written down and stashed away with his family. Anyone with deep pockets care to step up to the plate? A good investment opportunity in my opinion. Who doesn't love bubble lights? Oils and shooters are really cool, no one is going to be  making them, and collectors who came to the game too late would gobble them up.

eBay has banned the sale of bubble lights; you can still find a few listings that haven't been reported yet by some busybody. I think I mentioned in the other thread that new sets still around if you can find them. Don't ever buy just what you need, get one extra set. The bulbs in the ones made in the last ten or twenty years are crap. At least one will blow early on because of a bad vacuum or seal. Also, the action may be anemic because of an insufficiently hard vacuum and colder light bulbs but they're all that's available.

Note that there are bubble lights with clear tubes/bases and colored light bulbs. The effect is rather like Easter pastels but with more saturated colors. In the right setting they look very nice. A white or silver tree would be perfect.

Imagine if they banned Nixie tubes on eBay because some have mercury in them.  O_O

Much, much more to tell if anyone is interested...

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"There is no Main Street anymore except at Disneyland—and try and buy a gun there"—Hank Hill

[Charles MacDonald]

On 2022-11-28 18:29, Mac Doktor wrote:

>
> If you're a Lionel train fan, NOMA made the famous talking railroad station.

>

> Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
> "The Mac Doctor"

Canadian Tire has the rights to the NOMA name here in Canada these days
(and possibly elsewhere) , and uses it for everything from AA batteries
to Lawn Mowers.

--
Charles MacDonald VA3CPY Stittsville Ontario
cm...@zeusprune.ca Just Beyond the Fringe
No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

[liam bartosiewicz]

If the bubble lights are just tubes filled with DCM and a boiling chip type thing, then they should be really easy to make, or perhaps I’m just oversimplifying it.

On Nov 28, 2022, at 3:30 PM, Mac Doktor <themac...@gmail.com> wrote:

First off, this site has an excellent rundown on the history of holiday lighting. I'll jump into the post-war America section for some background info:

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[Mac Doktor]

On Nov 28, 2022, at 8:28 PM, Charles MacDonald <cm...@zeusprune.ca> wrote:

Canadian Tire has the rights to the NOMA name here in Canada these days (and possibly elsewhere) , and uses it for everything from AA batteries to Lawn Mowers.

I'll never forget walking up to K-Mart one fall and out on the sidewalk there were NOMA snow blowers. For some reason it seemed like some kind of absurdist sculpture installation. But it was nice to see the name.

The wet noodle logo, not their classic roman logo.

No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

Heh.

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980

[Terry Kennedy]

I posted about these some 8 years ago. Here's what I said:

I worked in the factory (in a different division) that made those in the 70’s - Masden Industries on 23rd St. in North Bergen, NJ. They made the glass enclosure and the contents, and then sold the sealed units to a customer (Beacon Electric, somewhere in New England, IIRC) who provided the bases and lamps and did the packaging and sale.

I have some that are 3’ (yep, FEET) tall.

The chemistry was quite simple* - the ball of material in the bottom was a mixture of sugar and sodium metaborate. The liquid was methylene chloride. The solid would outgas at low temperatures (even from the heat of a hand) and release bubbles which would float upward and eventually be reabsorbed in the liquid. The trick with the giant ones was to wind a spiral of thin heating wire around them to keep the bubbles from disappearing partway up.

The most annoying thing about this factory was that it tended to explode a lot - the machines that did the glass sealing were all 1-offs and old, and the flame would back up into the main gas line, and kaboom.

• If these are made today, I’m sure the formula is different - the one I posted would run afoul of safety regulations these days.

Anyway, that factory produced several tractor trailers full per week during the busy season. There were various dyes to color the liquid.

[Mac Doktor]

On Dec 7, 2022, at 6:42 PM, Terry Kennedy <terry-...@glaver.org> wrote:

I posted about these some 8 years ago.

Long before I joined this group. I missed out on a lot but Im trying to make up for it.

I worked in the factory (in a different division) that made those in the 70’s - Masden Industries on 23rd St. in North Bergen, NJ. They made the glass enclosure and the contents, and then sold the sealed units to a customer (Beacon Electric, somewhere in New England, IIRC) who provided the bases and lamps and did the packaging and sale.

I have some that are 3’ (yep, FEET) tall.

"Mr. Bubble", as Rich likes to call himself, has made some very long custom tubes but I doubt that he's made any quite that long.

The chemistry was quite simple* - the ball of material in the bottom was a mixture of sugar and sodium metaborate. The liquid was methylene chloride. The solid would outgas at low temperatures (even from the heat of a hand) and release bubbles which would float upward and eventually be reabsorbed in the liquid. The trick with the giant ones was to wind a spiral of thin heating wire around them to keep the bubbles from disappearing partway up.

Yeah. I wonder how they did it with those Wurlitzer jukeboxes? Those tubes are pretty long.

The most annoying thing about this factory was that it tended to explode a lot - the machines that did the glass sealing were all 1-offs and old, and the flame would back up into the main gas line, and kaboom.

Oops.

• If these are made today, I’m sure the formula is different - the one I posted would run afoul of safety regulations these days.

I have no clue as to what else can be used for a fast bubbling action. Rich's oil tubes have rapeseed oil in them, among other secret ingredients. The nucleator is tiny pieces of pumice.

Telsen Electric Company in Britain made tubes that were like Lava Lamps, in that the bubbles were colored and the rest of the fluid was clear. Shooting Stars are like Lava Lamps in reverse, clear bubbles in a colored liquid. They use freon as one of the liquids. That's hard to get these days. The nucleator looks like flakes of mica.

The problem with the Telsen tubes is the same as a real Lava Lamp. They get too hot at the top and bubbles just collect there. They have to be shaken periodically to make some of the fluid drop down again. Rich experimented with this but it was just too unreliable. He gifted me one in return for a very large order.

Anyway, that factory produced several tractor trailers full per week during the busy season. There were various dyes to color the liquid.

Getting dyes that remain stable when heated or in direct sunlight is another problem. I've had some that did that and they were replaced under lifetime warranty.

Also, you will often see vintage tubes that are only half full or even empty of liquid even though they're still sealed. This is due to microscopic cracks in the glass, probably from thermal cycling. Rich uses borosilicate.

BTW, if anyone is considering purchasing some bubble lights this season avoid Christopher Radko like the plague. His bubble likes are SO colorful when they're tuned off. When they're turned on, not so much. The blackbody radiation curve limits the colors possible with incandescent lamps. White, yellow and pink bases look yellowish-white. Red looks orange. Green is a bit dark and blue is almost a ghost. And the blue tube is so dark you can't even see the bubbles.

Also, if you see a set with NOMA artwork on it for twice the price of a no-name Chinese set, buy the Chinese set. Unless you really love that NOMA looking box. And always buy two sets for when a bulb blows. If you have a variac handy dial them down 10%. That will help. It's just not Christmas around here without variacs and 12V transformers all around the stairwell.

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

Edward R. Murrow: “Who owns the patent on this vaccine?”
Dr. Jonas Salk: “Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”—See It Now, 12 April 1955

[Adrian Godwin]

Interesting to read about these old-school suppliers.

In the UK, the supplier of all things cheap, tacky and seasonal (as well as miscellaneous electrical the rest of the year) was Pifco, with products usually made in Hong Kong. Did they reach other parts of the world or were they just a brit phenomenom ?

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[Mykiss Gold]

It’s funny this topic came up. Just the other day I ran into this video on how to make these. I don’t have all the equipment necessary otherwise I’d totally whip up a batch. 

Have a watch. I’ve enjoyed all the Technology Connections videos I’ve seen so far. The rockets and audios  series are extra fun. Watch out for very sneaky Easter eggs. 

https://youtu.be/lgE6BVDl3mw

[Mac Doktor]

On Dec 9, 2022, at 10:04 AM, Mykiss Gold <genericdispo...@gmail.com> wrote:

It’s funny this topic came up. Just the other day I ran into this video on how to make these. I don’t have all the equipment necessary otherwise I’d totally whip up a batch. 

You want the hardest vacuum you can get. I have it on good authority that it does make a difference.

Have a watch. I’ve enjoyed all the Technology Connections videos I’ve seen so far. The rockets and audios  series are extra fun. Watch out for very sneaky Easter eggs. 

https://youtu.be/lgE6BVDl3mw

I hadn't seen this before. I'm not sure about waring regular sunglasses when using an Oxy/Fuel torch on borosilicate glass. There are special goggles for this.

On Dec 9, 2022, at 9:16 AM, Adrian Godwin <artg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Interesting to read about these old-school suppliers.

In the UK, the supplier of all things cheap, tacky and seasonal (as well as miscellaneous electrical the rest of the year) was Pifco, with products usually made in Hong Kong. Did they reach other parts of the world or were they just a brit phenomenom ?

Based on observation it seems that round the late '60s production of plastic Xmas ornamentation shifted from Japan to Hong Kong. I believe they used a cheaper type of plastic which was shiny and didn't hold fine detail.

As for bubble lights, NOMA's last gasp in the Sixties was making them look like rockets. These are highly desirable as they didn't sell very well and those of us who were kids at the time really want them. Unfortunately, like many other plastic decorations that were intended to get hot they had Tricresyl phosphate added as a fire retardant. This causes the plastic to decompose over time. I have a box of bubble lights that I call the coffin. Inside there are wires, light bulbs and sockets, and glass tubes. All held in place by the cardboard insert. No plastic to be seen anywhere except for some sugary crumbs sliding around.

Because of the TCP, some types of bubble lights are impossible to find in good condition. The Shooting Stars made by Peerless must have had a lot of it because I've never seen one that wasn't at least a third gone and that was years ago. Clemcos are a vanishing breed as well. The upshot of this is that many of the NOMA lights that have survived are from very early on, second half of the '40s. They made them in huge quantity between '46 and '49 and those are still with us along with Paramounts and Royals.

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. 

"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."— Roy Batty, Blade Runner

[Dave ZL3FJ]

Pifo hair dryers were common out here in the colonies waaay back!

I think there were other appliances as well but……

DaveB

NZ

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