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 On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 6:17:01 AM UTC-8 [email protected] 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 ? > > > On Thu, Dec 8, 2022 at 1:15 AM Mac Doktor <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> On Dec 7, 2022, at 6:42 PM, Terry Kennedy <[email protected]> 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 >> >> -- >> 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/0A6F9303-C0DB-451A-89B9-11DF88DBFBBE%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/0A6F9303-C0DB-451A-89B9-11DF88DBFBBE%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. 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