Bubble light thread coming up in a bit. I'll move this topic to that...
> On Nov 28, 2022, at 11:32 AM, Nick Andrews <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > I have a few of both types. One string of the Silvestri 70s/80s-produced > smaller ones that run on a typical smaller-socket light string (box looks > like old K-Mart style printing). These are a spherical holder that the glass > vial slides into, and an opening that slides over the smaller incandescent > bulbs on a typical light string. This tiny form factor is nice BUT getting them hot enough to bubble is the devil's mischief. I've found that putting some kind of insulator around the base helps. Leaving them in the styrofoam does the trick sometimes. I've never gotten them to work on a tree. > Then I have 9 of the older Noma style screw-in replacement bulbs made in the > 90s for Builders Square, 3 each of blue, red, and green. These are candelabra base, the same as a nightlight bulb. Sadly, like everything else these days "NOMA" is now just a registered trademark owned by Who Knows Who, inc. All bubble lights are made in an anonymous Chinese factory and put into a bespoke box. They did this back on the old days as well. NOMA would sell cheaper sets through other channels using a generic brand name. Collectors can tell who the real manufacturer was by the UL number on the AC cord tag. That didn't change. > The 'festoon' part on those is simply clear plastic, not the more colorful > flying saucer shape vintage stuff. In this context "festoon" means the wire and sockets. The term isn't used much anymore. The word "string" is common parlance. > You can find them on ebay sometimes relatively inexpensively. Unfortunately, eBay has banned all sales of bubble lights. 1946, 2016—doesn't matter. Apparently, methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is now much more hazardous. 8/ You can probably find them locally. Walmart hasn't had them in years. Lowes maybe. They turn up at random in stores that don't sell tons of Xmas stuff like the big guys. Bed, Bath & Beyond, pharmacies, the seasonal aisle at a grocery store. Terry Bowman, KA4HJH "The Mac Doctor" https://www.astarcloseup.com <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 <https://youtu.be/TNbJ45yyVcY> 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 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CBE0E2C6-DE6D-432F-B1B7-1EA487BE0768%40gmail.com.
