invacar LightBulbFun's Invacar & general ramble thread, index on page 1, survivors lists on Pages 24/134 & AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12 Restoration from Page 186 onwards, still harping on...

[Christine]

Land Rover  PTO  will break off , because the Model 70 was  argueably the strongest , safest ,  machine ever  built . ..

 

Edit , and the Land Rover crossmember will be rotten..

[Missy Charm]

On 01/09/2025 at 01:09, LightBulbFun said:

with REV back and the Throttle cable sorted, it was time for  an evening trip across London

to Northolt, to pick up some of these  

what these are an American type of fluorescent tube, so of course when I spotted a bunch of them being sold by a Seller in the UK, I had to grab a few  I actually found em a while back, but tis only now I have been able to action getting them, they had little interest from other collectors because they are Chinese made, but to me they are still interesting being a US type that should not be over here in the first place! and they are also because of US Federal lamp efficiency regulations and the exemptions/loop-holes around them, they have a rather high CRI then what you normally expect from such a tube, so I look forward to seeing what they are like lit up  

after battling through the A40, I eventually made it to the sellers house, and I had a very fruitful haul! of course I had to ask the seller "how did you end up with these American market tubes here in the UK" and it turns out he collects, fixes/repairs/sells replacement bits/parts-out Juke boxes, and of course Juke boxes have fluorescent lighting in them, and in an order of tubes for them, these U-Bent ones where sent by accident

his house/workshop was amazing, multiple shelving units full of electromechanical bits, bobs, odds and sods you name it! I wish I grabbed more pictures, @Zelandeth you would of loved it in there!

and then he was like "I have a few boxes of tubes I have pulled out of the juke boxes I have parted out over time, are you interested in them?"

Does the pope shit in the woods?!

yeah in what I suppose is typical Fashion for me at this point! what went from "im just picking up a few" kinda escalated  there is a very awesome eclectic mix of tubes, many vintage US types that dont normally exist here, and since there from Juke Boxes, many of them themselves are of odd-ball types (Juke boxes often use whats known in the US as "Appliance tubes" fluorescent tubes of odd ball wattages and lengths, designed to fit within as the name implies appliances, like Cooker hoods Juke boxes, and things like that)

there where also a number of Black-ender tubes in there, that is to say tubes with phenolic Bakelite end caps, something unique for the most part to older US Westinghouse and Sylvania tubes, which I am extremely pleased about, especially the Westinghouse T12's, which you just dont see in the UK usually! (part of the reason I did that 300 mile round trip in REV previously was to pick up some Westinghouse fluorescent tubes!)

but the Pièce de résistance*, was this Bright Light Lamps tube

British, Bright Light Lamps where a small British company that no one really knows all that much about, but who are know for making special/custom fluorescent tubes, their products are always extremely quirky, and even tho my tube in this case is "just" a regular white 2ft 20W T12 in terms of the type it is, its about as un-regular as they come! the stand out feature being that they necked the tube down to use T8 end caps on a T12 tube, which is just fucking weird! (but gives you a nice view of the cathodes  ) so I am extremely pleased to have this, it is also quite unusual in that it is just white and a 2ft 20W tube, again normally Bright light lamps where known explicitly for doing odd-shapes, odd lengths or odd colours, for example I have seen BLL 2ft 20W T12's like this once before, that another collector own but they are pink in colour, not regular white like mine is, so I am surprised BLL bothered making such a regular spec of tube as mine, theres no way they would of been able to compete with the big companies in terms of cost/profitability etc

* but speaking of french there was even a vintage pre philips take over (I think), French Mazdafluor tube in one of the boxes

did I mention it was a very eclectic mix of tubes?! and I have not even actually really dug through them yet, these are just what I spotted at first blush, the ones that stood out like sore thumbs  this is exactly why I always "chase the lead" if I see anything even slightly odd ball, ill enquire about it, because who know what else there might be along with it  

anywho! eventually after a good long chat with the seller, the tubes where loaded into REV and I was on my way home, a nicer drive coming back, traffic was a bit lighter/more free flowing, night-time cruising FTW

 I admit I do wonder what people make of being passed or seeing not just an Invacar ,but one with a bunch of fluorescent tubes rattling about with the driver, (on a Sunday night heading into London)

33 miles covered  

tis good to have REV back  

on that note all being well I am hoping to take REV to the National Microcar rally on the 21st of September  would be good to know if anyone else is attending?  

 

 

Was the 'British Bright Lamps' factory in Thanet in Kent?

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, Missy Charm said:

Was the 'British Bright Lamps' factory in Thanet in Kent?

My bad the "british" at the front there was bad editing on my part, (tho they are British!) the Company was just known as "Bright Light Lamp", very little is known about Bright Light lamps, or should I say "Bright Light Lamp" since studying some other examples, I realised its not actual pluralised! many of us collectors associate them with LongLamps LTD, another company/brand found on highly unusual custom fluorescent tubes 

to pinch a couple pictures from my fellow collectors 

but looking into it and the fine details I am not sure that they are the same company, while Longlamps LTD was also known for making special custom fluorescent tubes, their tubes have different hallmarks then what I have seen on Bright Light Lamp Tubes

not how the LongLamps LTD tubes have Red etches with GEC-esk Alphabetical date codes, and all the bi-pin T8 tubes (like the 15W one) have plain style end caps, while Bright Light Lamp, tubes all have straw coloured etches with long numerical string date codes,  and those with Bi Pin T8 end caps like all the ones seen below, have knurled end caps

On 29/06/2024 at 21:52, LightBulbFun said:

On 28/06/2024 at 14:21, junkyarddog said:

that bottom picture was doing the rounds among the lighting community a few months back because of the extremely rare fluorescent tube in the photograph

not only are the tubes in the foreground quite nice in their own right, there is clearly at one Bayonet capped fluorescent tube in there  which I talk about here

https://autoshite.com/topic/33156-the-lightbulbfun-thread/page/6/#comment-1757427

but most eye-catchingly in the background is a very rare type of circular fluorescent tube, an 80W T12 type made by a company known as Bright Light lamps or Longlamps Ltd , they where known for producing very odd ball fluorescent tubes, out of standard components, and their most well known product has to be this mysterious circular tube, take a 5ft T12 fluorescent tube roll it up into a circle, stick on a couple of T8 ends et viola! 

sadly that is not my own picture! I would love one for the collection, the clear T8 ends means you can rather uniquely for a fluorescent tube study the electrodes while the tube is in operation without the phosphor getting in the way  

Bright Light Lamps/Long lamps limited where also famously known for producing this tube

again not my picture! but it is a very curious early attempt of a compact fluorescent tube, take a 4ft T12 fluorescent tube slice it into 4 equal lengths and joint the lengths up with T8 intersections! 

sadly very little is known about  very little is known about the company/companies and they very much one of these mysterious companies with mysterious and intriguing products! 

so I am really not sure if LongLamp LTD and Bright Light Lamp are one and the same as is often thought

I was at least able to find some info on  LongLamps LTD, from the Graces Guide its listed in in the 1950 British Industries Fair with the following details

Longlamps, Ltd. Stand C,100. 24, Marshalsea Road, S.E.l. Teleph. : Hop. 1315. Tel. Add. : " Neon, Elect, Sedist, London.”—Architectural Lamps and Fittings; Fluorescent Lamps and Fittings; Neon Signs and Equipment; Fluorescent Equipment; Cold Cathode Neon Fluorescent.

but I have not been able to find anything on whoever "Bright Light Lamp" are

however speaking of my own Bright Light Lamp tube, that in itself turned out to be something quite special, I should of known better then to think it was "just" an unusually constructed, 2ft 20W T12 tube, after the post I did and while I was sorting out all the tubes I got, I realise hang on a second this is *longer* then a 20W 2ft tube,

 

so I looked at its reletive length difference to a regular 20W 2ft T12 tube, and had a close look at its etch, and then I realised

turns out that it is not a 20W 2ft tube at all, e F25T12/28, American spec 25W 28 inch appliance T12 tube!

shown here compared with the French 20W 2ft T12 also from this haul, and a "regular" Americian 28 inch F25T12 appliance tube, that I actually got from another collector a few months back, which I dug out of the collection to verify

(this recent haul with REV, contained all sorts of American Appliance tubes, but rather amusingly this Bright Light Lamp oddity was the only 28 inch T12 one!)

and sure enough looking at the etch closely I realise it says 25W not 20W!

 

this is very odd because, ok it makes sense, if your back in the day of need to replace an odd-ball, fluorescent tube like this, Bright Light Lamp would be the people you went to have a custom replacement made up if you where that desperate

but at the same time because a fair amount of US equipment did find its way to the UK, most specialist lighting wholesalers did go out of their way to stock a selection of American specific lightbulbs/fluorescent tubes, so its not like the F25T12/28 where *total* unobtanium

so it is very interesting that someone did go out of their way to have Bright Light Lamp create one!

 

so yeah this tube is all the more curious! and there is the question of who is the Private label? seems to be labeled "NEW ER" or "NEW ERA" 

and then finally theres the question of does it conform to spec, does it have the same electrical properties and physical gas-filling properties of the F25T12/28 its designed to replace? I still need to do in depth testing on that front  

[High Jetter]

Maybe a look at Companies House Webcheck might enlighten you? (Sorry)

[Christine]

I've got these lighting my shed

 

 

 

 

 

[LightBulbFun]

Had another trip out in REV

actually a couple trips out

one to the bakery first

and then to somewhere near Bromley to pick up a Lights Idea 2x20W plug-in fluorescent light, which came with a nice vintage 1970's Atlas tube spare also

also stopped at a halfords to see about getting some nicknacks, amusingly there was a Corsa C in the carpark having its coolant (and oil) topped up, 

after some after-dark cruising along the A2 and A12

I was home with 42 mile covered today

also a few amusing interactions while out and about on this trip including sweary positive affirmation from a Big burly dude on a harley davidson who filtered through traffic for a closer look, a father and his sons utterly perplexed by it, another member of public took a picture of someone she was with in the drivers seat (after they asked!)  the halfords staff who thought it was the coolest thing ever (apparently the first three wheeler they have ever had)and the obligatory old women "I have not seen one of those in years"  (also had 2 separate people mistake it for a Bond Mini car of all things! usually she gets mistaken as "the car from Mr Bean" LOL)

[High Jetter]

An car.

[Snake Charmer]

16 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

usually she gets mistaken as "the car from Mr Bean" LOL)

Just say "Ffs, from Ali G." 😁