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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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1st Dec 2014, 11:20 pm | #301 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Ha ha! I was thinking, maybe, of some hot-wire technique.
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2nd Dec 2014, 12:58 am | #302 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Southend, Essex, UK.
Posts: 802
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Must admit I had thought about cutting the holder part off with a view to installing a modern filament!
Alan |
12th Dec 2014, 12:09 pm | #303 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 59
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
@alanworland Probably have done so already but have you looked at Ebay UK? I have on the rare occasion seen sets like yours with spare bulbs.
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13th Dec 2014, 8:56 am | #304 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 518
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Here are some of my lights.
One set,I now have three, was bought for my first Christmas by my uncle and I am now in my 62nd year. My mother always said that when my uncle bought them they were 2nd hand. There was always some under breath cursing when my dad had to find the bulb that had gone.One out all out. I run them off a light dimmer these days to help the bulbs last longer. I have tried the diode in the circuit with another set and must admit I can't see any flicker Steve |
13th Dec 2014, 7:07 pm | #305 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,145
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
My 1971 Christmas tree has been installed complete with BC lamp adaptor on top of the Ekco TC196 television in my winter 'snug'. The lights are actually coloured but their beauty alas, similar to all living things has faded as the years have passed.
Before anyone suggests touching them up with nail varnish.....I'm not going down that route! Happy Christmas 2014 to all our friends. John. |
14th Dec 2014, 5:22 pm | #306 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: St Albans, Herts, UK.
Posts: 2,193
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Here's our winter vintage set up this year in the kitchen/diner and we've gone all Japanese! My Teleton C18BS, an nice olive green Roberts R505 but of more interest and relevance to this thread is the tree complete with a set of 20 screw in lights from the 60s.
The first pic shows the whole set up including a festive BBC2 test card, the second and third show a couple of the lights in close up, both on and off and meanwhile over on the other side there's a rather famous music video playing! Merry Christmas to you all from Mr and Mrs S
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All the very best, Tas |
15th Dec 2014, 1:04 pm | #307 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 59
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Pictures of Noma 'Snowman' Lights
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20th Dec 2014, 8:00 pm | #308 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,129
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Most of my Christmas lighting is LED in the interests of energy saving and easy operation at safe low voltages.
Inspired by this forum I have however gone 100% vintage, or at least vintage style in one room. Two very small Christmas trees each with a series wired set of 13*coloured lamps, each 20 volt 3 watt. One slightly larger tree with 20 series wired lamps each 14 volt, 3 watt. The lamps are new but of a style that has been popular in Europe for decades, clear bulbs with an attractive ridged or corrugated finish. And yes I know that 20 times 14 is 280 volts, not 220,230,or 240 volts but it seems that they are usually used 20 in series. And a load of cheap £ shop series wired 20 light sets that although brand new have been made to essentially the same design for decades. The total loading is however approaching 1KW, whilst the thousands of LEDs are only about 100 watts in total. *meant to be 12 in series but I added another to increase lamp life. |
20th Dec 2014, 8:19 pm | #309 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Quote:
Somehow, we survived! |
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20th Dec 2014, 8:26 pm | #310 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,814
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
I appreciate the points made re 20x12v bulbs in series. I use these, they don't seem to get over hot to the point of fire risk but full loading [12v each] makes them prone to failure. I never have the lights on unsupervised but most people aren't that diligent. If it was a chain of twenty four I suspect the bulbs would be more durable on 10v or so.
A long time ago I linked two problematic chains to see how many bulbs could be included and remain bright. It was about 30 in the end on around 8 volts or so each They shone bright, ran cool, lasted 22 years! Dave W I'm more concerned re the type of device eg a floor lamp where the plugged in transformer is on all the time and a lower voltage is switched at the bulb end. I always switch off at the socket. After a four year run and over 300 posts I wonder if this thread represents a particularly British idiosyncrasity. Peter's comment in his initial post is that he's sure other Forum members must share an interest in this subject is now quite amusing in retrospect! Last edited by dave walsh; 20th Dec 2014 at 8:38 pm. Reason: more |
20th Dec 2014, 11:07 pm | #311 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,786
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
I have a couple of Poundland 20 bulb sets, one clear and one coloured. They look almost identical to a 30 year old Pifco set I inherited from my parents, except that there isn't as much cable. They're ideal for my little 4' tall artificial tree though. For £1 you also get two spare bulbs and a spare fuse bulb, but none have failed yet. This is the third Christmas they've been in use.
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21st Dec 2014, 12:55 am | #312 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area.
Posts: 2,965
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
I am letting the side down this year. I am down to my last spare bulb on my miniature olive set which uses miniature screw fitting and rated at 20v 2w. So will not be putting them up this year but hopefully next year if I can source more spares.
All our other lights are LED sets apart from an older 1980's Noma 20 lantern set which uses the W1 type push in type bulb.
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Simon BVWS member |
21st Dec 2014, 10:07 am | #313 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,275
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
I have such a thing for vintage lights, I alternate between my favourites which are the Osram candles and the Pifcos with a few others thrown in. I remember trying LEDs but I could not get on with them at all.
I am not worried by how much energy they use as they are so beautiful and to me they have earned there "eco" credentials by lasting as long as they have Gary |
21st Dec 2014, 12:34 pm | #314 | |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: St Albans, Herts, UK.
Posts: 2,193
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Quote:
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All the very best, Tas |
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21st Dec 2014, 2:01 pm | #315 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area.
Posts: 2,965
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Thanks Tas but they are the slightly larger MES screw fitting. I have loads of these which I bought by mistake if anyone is interested.
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Simon BVWS member |
21st Dec 2014, 2:34 pm | #316 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 103
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Hi All
Pictures of my Pifco bubble lights. I keep them connected to a light dimmer and never run them at full voltage. Always switch on very slowly and bring up the voltage over a period of several minutes. Happy Christmas to all. Dave |
21st Dec 2014, 6:59 pm | #317 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,275
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Dave
These bubble lights are good fun, certainly something else to add to the tree ;-) Gary |
21st Dec 2014, 7:58 pm | #318 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 103
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
Yes Gary.
Admired by everybody who sees them and over 50+ years old. Dave |
21st Dec 2014, 10:52 pm | #319 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
I just think it's nice to see a tree with a good mix of decorations on it. Too often nowadays, you see a tree with all identical size and colour baubles and all white lights, and I think that looks terrible.
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If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments. |
23rd Dec 2014, 10:12 am | #320 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 1,275
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Re: Vintage Christmas Tree lights
AJS
Yes I think that its all a bit corporate looking to me, the lifestyle gurus at work.........:-( |