Vintage color organ - can't match blue bulb color / brightness of original

[lasermaster1977]

Lot of good informative replies, thanks.
Here are photos of two bulbs someone asked to see. The right one is the original, left one I had tried to match.
Notice how the base on the original is kind of flared out at the bottom in comparison to the other C7.

Here are two photos of the twinkle C7 1/2 bulbs I use in my Light Box that I bought decades ago at a local Dallas True Value hardware store known as Elliot's True Value. I must have 10 of these 4 bulb RYGB sets, new old stock, plus extra individual colors. The best hardware store ever, in Dallas, TX hands down, during the 70's, 80's ,90's and 2000's. These bulbs were distributed from Dallas but made in Korea. But the LECO company has an interesting history. As a side note, I hadn't paid attention to this when I bought them back and now find it more coincidental than usual. Made by the LECO Electric Mfg company. I Google'd that name and found this link which I found even more interesting.

https://oldchristmastreelights.com/b..._continued.htm



Myself, I'd keep those Realistic light organs as original as possible as they will retain better value, and instead make identical-to-similar replicas using the numerous LED options suggested by others in this post. I agree with others that you probably will find the new results even more fun and gratifying.

Good luck! and have fun!!

[mixedgas]

Your looking for a gas filled lamp with Krypton or AR/N2 fill used for signs. They burn brighter and the Kr cools the filament quicker, making things more musical. Your also dealing with the EPAs dimmed down C7s post mandate. I would not focus on the fill, these days the supplier would look at you funny. Radio Shack was a big enough buyer of odd stuff that you can bet they specified their own lamp parameters. As long as it was CHEAP for them and made a year or more of life.

Note the filament shape of your two lamps. The one is a long life decorative lamp, the other linear one is for higher wattage /brightness and speed.

Consider Teal instead of Blue.

There is a place in New York City on Canal St. that does odd bulbs and fixtures as a specialty.

Canal Lighting & Parts
13 Canal St. NY, NY

The above place will have it, they just will not know what I'm talking about. I've been there, the store is a fantastic voyage. NYC is a big enough market that they have all sorts of odd lighting stuff to keep the city going.

I'd also try:
Bulb Direct Inc.
1000Bulbs Inc.
Atlanta Light Bulbs, Inc.
NoveltyLights.com

McMaster Carr.. Has clear C7 in 4 and 7 Watts, ie 15 and 30 Lumens, so I think that is a clue.
Blue stain on the glass lowers the Lumen rating considerably.

McMaster would not have C7 in blue, but they will give you a choice of Lumen ratings.


There is always SATCO's wierd stuff:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/5443/DEC-100254.html

B9.5 Chandelier Bulb - 25W - 120V - Satco S3218 | 1000Bulbs.com


1000Bulbs has 5 watt blues in C7.. C7 is a shape, the base, wattage, fill, color and filament are what matters.

I am a former seller of bulbs, during College, but that was late 80s, early 90s. I had the bulb department of the local electronics parts place as part of my sales assignment.

I learned about the gas fill while placing an order for 5,900 small lamps for the Great Billboard Gig in the Sky.

G-D Damn Photon Addiction started early... My 8th grade science project was on fluorescent lighting, as in make your own..
If this was a lighting forum my username would be "Dumet". Nela Park is 45 minutes away, I suppose it was inevitable with 20 or so now closed GE lamp plants around here. Lots and Lots of lamp surplus showed up, and we still have metal halide and led lighting plants by the score. Nela Park may be a fraction of its former self, but the lighting fixture expertise is around town in droves. The hanger for these things was 2.5 miles from my childhood home, so the love for light shows started early:

https://youtu.be/g3-aU1H9QSk

Steve

[vintage70]

Myself, I'd keep those Realistic light organs as original as possible as they will retain better value, and instead make identical-to-similar replicas using the numerous LED options suggested by others in this post. I agree with others that you probably will find the new results even more fun and gratifying.

Good luck! and have fun!!

I agree about keeping them original. I am just overwhelmed from all the replies from various members, unbelievable knowledge in here. "Gas filled lamp with Krypton or AR/N2" Wow, Amazing info. I wish I could find those Ritz bulbs.

[vintage70]

Your looking for a gas filled lamp with Krypton or AR/N2 fill used for signs. They burn brighter and the Kr cools the filament quicker, making things more musical. Your also dealing with the EPAs dimmed down C7s post mandate. I would not focus on the fill, these days the supplier would look at you funny. Radio Shack was a big enough buyer of odd stuff that you can bet they specified their own lamp parameters. As long as it was CHEAP for them and made a year or more of life.

Note the filament shape of your two lamps. The one is a long life decorative lamp, the other linear one is for higher wattage /brightness and speed.

Consider Teal instead of Blue.

There is a place in New York City on Canal St. that does odd bulbs and fixtures as a specialty.

Canal Lighting & Parts
13 Canal St. NY, NY

The above place will have it, they just will not know what I'm talking about. I've been there, the store is a fantastic voyage. NYC is a big enough market that they have all sorts of odd lighting stuff to keep the city going.

I'd also try:
Bulb Direct Inc.
1000Bulbs Inc.
Atlanta Light Bulbs, Inc.
NoveltyLights.com

McMaster Carr.. Has clear C7 in 4 and 7 Watts, ie 15 and 30 Lumens, so I think that is a clue.
Blue stain on the glass lowers the Lumen rating considerably.

McMaster would not have C7 in blue, but they will give you a choice of Lumen ratings.


There is always SATCO's wierd stuff:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/5443/DEC-100254.html

B9.5 Chandelier Bulb - 25W - 120V - Satco S3218 | 1000Bulbs.com


1000Bulbs has 5 watt blues in C7.. C7 is a shape, the base, wattage, fill, color and filament are what matters.

I am a former seller of bulbs, during College, but that was late 80s, early 90s. I had the bulb department of the local electronics parts place as part of my sales assignment.

I learned about the gas fill while placing an order for 5,900 small lamps for the Great Billboard Gig in the Sky.

G-D Damn Photon Addiction started early... My 8th grade science project was on fluorescent lighting, as in make your own..
If this was a lighting forum my username would be "Dumet". Nela Park is 45 minutes away, I suppose it was inevitable with 20 or so now closed GE lamp plants around here. Lots and Lots of lamp surplus showed up, and we still have metal halide and led lighting plants by the score. Nela Park may be a fraction of its former self, but the lighting fixture expertise is around town in droves. The hanger for these things was 2.5 miles from my childhood home, so the love for light shows started early:

https://youtu.be/g3-aU1H9QSk

Steve

This is just some amazing info. Had to read it 5x just to quite grasp it / maybe. Especially the " gas filled lamp with Krypton or AR/N2 fill " You know your stuff (expert). Thanks so much. Now I just have to find the bulbs, lol.

[lasermaster1977]

I agree about keeping them original. I am just overwhelmed from all the replies from various members, unbelievable knowledge in here. "Gas filled lamp with Krypton or AR/N2" Wow, Amazing info. I wish I could find those Ritz bulbs.

There seem to be some out there, albeit used.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17493323184...BoCGNgQAvD_BwE

[vintage70]

There seem to be some out there, albeit used.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17493323184...BoCGNgQAvD_BwE

Thanks. I don’t see any like lasermaster posted that are clear blue, just opaque blue.

[lasermaster1977]

Thanks. I don’t see any like lasermaster posted that are clear blue, just opaque blue.

oh yeah, you're right. they are opaque and not clear, so sorry. (and mine are clear but twinkle, blink on/off, via a bi-metallic metal piece in series with the filament.)

[buffo]

You know your stuff (expert). Thanks so much.

That's Steve for ya! Handy contact to have in the rolodex when you've got an obscure question! (For the record, he's also responsible for the majority of the information contained in the Ion Laser section of Sam's Laser F.A.Q.) Damned shame he couldn't make it to SELEM this year; we could have used his help in the ion laser work area!

I have to say: I'm constantly surprised by the breadth and depth of knowledge that is represented by the community here. You've got programmers, electrical engineers, bio-chemists, and university research scientists, but you also have amazingly creative carpenters, plumbers, and redneck gearheads (looking at you, Ryan!) who can fix damned near anything that moves and is made of metal. Then you've got the hobbyists - most of whom are self-taught - who seem to excel in a wide variety of disciplines. Despite the fact that these do-it-yourselfers are not plying their craft(s) professionally, you'll often find that they have just as much knowledge as the pros.

Most of us were initially drawn to PL because we had questions about lasers, but these days when I have a question about something, I'll almost always reach out to someone I've met here on the forum before I do too much looking anywhere else. (Who needs Google when you've got PhotonLexicon?)

Adam

EDIT
PS: Regarding the earlier question about LED bulbs failing early due to rapid on-off cycling, I'd like to amend my initial answer. Reading what others have posted, I agree that it's not the LED itself that might fail, but rather the driver electronics in the base of the bulb that convert AC to DC to feed the LED. If that circuit is not designed for rapid power cycling, I can see how it might fail prematurely. (So the bulb salesman might not have been spewing BS after all.) Still, given the low cost of LED bulbs, I'd suggest giving them a try to see just how long they do last. I also think that an LED bulb that is dimmable might be able to better withstand the rapid cycling compared to a non-dimmable bulb.

[kecked]

How about breaking the bottom off the dead ones and inserting a white led or other incandescent bulb inside. Use the glass as a filter.

[buffo]

How about breaking the bottom off the dead ones and inserting a white led or other incandescent bulb inside. Use the glass as a filter.

Huh... That's a cool idea, Marc! I never would have thought of that.

Assuming the new LED bulb has an easily-removable plastic outer shell, you could just rip that off and epoxy the old glass envelope over the top of the LED element inside the new bulb...

Adam