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Old 21st Nov 2016, 5:21 pm   #121
greenstar
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Default Re: Old torches - anyone here collect them?

New kid on the block, from Stoneleigh car boot yesterday, £1.50. I am not sure of the make - there is only 'British Made' on the base. it looks like an outer covering has come off, and am tempted to add a nice leather coat. Need also to obtain a U10 battery, so have ordered a 1289 as here:
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=78716
Tony
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Old 21st Nov 2016, 5:35 pm   #122
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Great for £1.50! It does indeed look as if it was covered at one time. Should scrub up well.

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Old 22nd Nov 2016, 12:56 am   #123
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It looks like an outer covering has come off, and am tempted to add a nice leather coat...
That looks to be made in the same style as the flat torch I reported in post #50. The switch and bullseye lens look very similar. I don't think it ever had an outer coat.
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Old 22nd Nov 2016, 1:05 am   #124
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The copper plated 'oil lamp look-alike' I've had for a lifetime and is a bit of a rare survivor...
I had one of those, as a child!

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I think I have some of these somewhere, in a packet confusingly labelled 'flashlight bulbs'...
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Originally Posted by Techman
If these are the long form red type, then this is exactly the type with the internal bi-metal strip that was originally in this lamp and I would love to be able to find a replacement for this lamp and wonder if you would be able to spare one. However, if these are part of a set in an original packet or for what ever other reason, then I quite understand if you would rather keep them complete.
Well, I had a hunt for what I thought I remembered, and didn't find them. However, what I did find was what I think you're looking for! Its glass bulb is tubular and about 1" long, with a MES cap. I've tested it and it works. It seems to operate from about 3 volts up to 4.5 volts and takes around 0.3 amp. It's clear in colour, not red, although I'm sure you could resolve that. You're welcome to it, FOC for the price of postage. It will be nice to see one of those copper lamps burning again! Please drop me a PM to discuss details.
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 1:33 pm   #125
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Originally Posted by greenstar View Post
New kid on the block, from Stoneleigh car boot yesterday, £1.50. I am not sure of the make - there is only 'British Made' on the base. it looks like an outer covering has come off, and am tempted to add a nice leather coat. Need also to obtain a U10 battery, so have ordered a 1289 as here:
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=78716
Tony
I love these little No.8 lights! I have three of them, one was so broken anyone else would have binned it, but with care I got them alight again.

Now, what I did find was that as 'stock' these little lights are not really very bright - and I mean that in the kindest way! In pitch black they are just about OK, but using them to light your way will not work. But they love to be 'hotrodded' - and bought up to date. From 0.75 Watts to well over 2. Here's what you need to do if you feel tempted.

Two Efest 18350 lithium protected batteries (the black ones), some 1.5mm foam, electrical tape and a 6.5V 0.3A bulb from Maplin (no other bulb of the same rating will be as good). Simply wrap the batteries in foam and then wrap over the foam with electrical tape - this prevents rattling and gives a perfect fit. Fit the Maplin bulb - these are amazingly gas filled (usually they are vacuum) and give a crisp white light without darkening - plus have a low placed filament for a good beam. Give the reflector a clean while you are in there with some wadding. Charge up the batteries and pop them in - and you get over two hours of steady white light per charge!
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 2:30 pm   #126
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Ian, thanks for your comments. Work on the torch is proceeding. I have given it a nice leather jacket. I have a 4.5v Ever Ready (post 33) that has some similarities. That had a Cree LED bulb fitted, and is a very useful torch. My policy is not to change the torch (although think some covering was justified) and to give it a life. I love these torches because they have a very comfortable feel in the hand, weight, size and shape. But I don't think I will get a 1.5v Cree, so your idea is interesting. I wonder if there are bright, possibly warm white, 1.5v LED's made?
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 2:36 pm   #127
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The various Pound Shops offer a good LED flashlight which is about the same size as the old 'No.8' types, and gives a really strong light from 3xAAA cells, if you need to see where you are going.
I have a few of the old type; you can obtain No.8 battery from Germany, via the Internet. It comes plastic-cased nowadays, but you can cut the sleeve open, wrap the two cells with a turn of wide masking-tape, then apply a new label of the correct style, downloaded from the Web.
It would be good to have one central resource where old battery-label scans could be placed, for free use by enthusiasts. Is there room for one on here?
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 3:01 pm   #128
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There is a battery scan section on Golborne in the archive.
You would need to join and contribute to gain download access though.
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 3:53 pm   #129
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I must admit that I started with £ shop torches, and also more expensive 'police' types at £12 a go. Two of the latter were faulty on arrival. I do use £ shop ones. and find they are just as good as more expensive ones - they last a few months and are never reliable, with odd exceptions. I don't want to spend a fortune on torches, and I like old things, so it's very agreeable to me that a rescued and repaired old torch works better lasts longer and is better made in the first place! Say no more as we have had a thread on new torches. I guess this comes back to the debate around how original a restoration should be.
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Old 23rd Nov 2016, 4:27 pm   #130
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Ian, thanks for your comments. Work on the torch is proceeding. I have given it a nice leather jacket. I have a 4.5v Ever Ready (post 33) that has some similarities. That had a Cree LED bulb fitted, and is a very useful torch. My policy is not to change the torch (although think some covering was justified) and to give it a life. I love these torches because they have a very comfortable feel in the hand, weight, size and shape. But I don't think I will get a 1.5v Cree, so your idea is interesting. I wonder if there are bright, possibly warm white, 1.5v LED's made?
The only LED I have is the MES conversion from Reflectalite. This was good, but despite the brightness the light quality felt a bit 'thin' to me compared to bulb. I used it in a reflector type No.8 light - works better with reflector than with the bullseye I felt. The mod I suggested is what I feel works best for this design of light, but I am sure there are other options. I will be looking at fitting one of the lovely 3 Volt YUJI 5mm LED's potted into a MES case - 3200 Kelvin of High CRI warm light. Sounds good on paper!
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Old 24th Nov 2016, 5:54 pm   #131
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Here's the new kid in his jacket. I yielded to the temptation and tried a Cree bulb in there, with a 3.7v rechargeable battery. WOW! I will try it with a No 8 cell, when my 4.5 battery arrives to take apart, but the Cree does make it a very useful little torch, and the bull's eye is fantastic. Such simplicity.
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Old 24th Nov 2016, 7:03 pm   #132
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I think you will need No.8 Battery for that torch, which consists of 2x U8 cells in a single cardboard sleeve, for 3 volts.
The U8 cell is long gone in single form, but can be found in the Camelion brand 'No.8' equivalent, from Germany.
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Old 24th Nov 2016, 9:13 pm   #133
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Brigham, thanks, I hadn't realised a No.8 is 3 volts. I wonder if the original bulb would cope with the 3.7v rechargeable I have in there?
I am not looking for complete authenticity in this, although I would not want to change it irreversibly. Although I don't really like very bright torches in all situations, my eyes are needing more light and the Cree LED's are very effective and economical. The bull's eye in this one produces a marvelously clear and uniform area of light. This little torch with the same bulb, and less voltage (3.7 against 4.5), is quite a bit brighter than the reflector torch in post 33, the reflector there is tarnished. I had imagined a bull's eye torch to be quite dim before I got this working. Given it's size it is likely to become my favourite for general use.
I do think it would have had a covering originally. The light end and the battery cap are both nickel plated, and the middle bit is not, and looks to me unfinished as found. The switch rivet looked rough - I am sure it would not have been left looking unfinished like that if there was no cover. It will be easy enough to change the covering and bulb in future.
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Old 25th Nov 2016, 12:00 pm   #134
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Here's the new kid in his jacket. I yielded to the temptation and tried a Cree bulb in there, with a 3.7v rechargeable battery. WOW! I will try it with a No 8 cell, when my 4.5 battery arrives to take apart, but the Cree does make it a very useful little torch, and the bull's eye is fantastic. Such simplicity.
That looks a very nice beam. May I ask what LED you used in there - do you have a link to have a look? That beam is quite narrow, as it should be, but most LED MES upgrades sit very high and throw a odd beam with a magnified image of the LED die in the centre.
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Old 26th Nov 2016, 10:30 pm   #135
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Hi Ian, these are described as Cree LED bulbs, with an E10 fitting. I did buy two from different suppliers, but they are similar. I also have on in my flat torch with a reflector, and that gives a beam with brightness concentrated in the middle. I appreciate now that the bull's eye lense gives an even and bright light distribution.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NICELITE-L...p2056016.l4276
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Old 30th Nov 2016, 10:20 am   #136
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I made a video last night showing some of the old bulbs in my collection - may be of interest to those who find such tech as fascinating as I do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBlNrWNDyx8
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Old 1st Dec 2016, 1:47 am   #137
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Hi Ian, these are described as Cree LED bulbs, with an E10 fitting. I did buy two from different suppliers, but they are similar. I also have on in my flat torch with a reflector, and that gives a beam with brightness concentrated in the middle. I appreciate now that the bull's eye lense gives an even and bright light distribution.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NICELITE-L...p2056016.l4276
Thanks for that. I see a choice of two there with the MES fitting - did you go for the one with the rounded top?
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Old 1st Dec 2016, 11:57 am   #138
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Hi Ian, it's this one, it does look like a rounded top - the ones currently advertised look a little different.
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Old 1st Dec 2016, 3:11 pm   #139
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Thanks for that- I'll have to give one of those a try.
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Old 1st Dec 2016, 4:16 pm   #140
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...the initial "on" period was slightly longer than subsequent ones...
I also remember those. If you listened very carefully, you could actually hear the faint 'ping' as the bimetal made and broke the connection.

I think I have some of these somewhere, in a packet confusingly labelled 'flashlight bulbs'...

I just made a video which captures the little dink sounds of different types of flashing bulbs. Another sound of the past. https://youtu.be/EHYLxKGbWMo
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