Bulbs

When I were a lad, we had 4 types of bulb in the house - all bayonet type, 40 watt,65,100 and candle bulbs. That was it, a few spare in the cupboard. Now we have bayonets, Edison large screw, small screw even bare wire ones, and don't even go down the pretty flickering ones, ones for ovens, fridges, LED, Halogen etc etc. AND don't forget low voltage ones

If that wasn't bad enough, you often have to buy packs of 2 or 3.

The lighting world has gone MAD !

Used to be a single size gas mantle, before that it was just a flare. Even oil lamps had different sized wicks.

You could always go back to candles or even just go to bed when it gets dark.

regards Martin

Gone mad maybe greed got something to do with it as well !

H

I was always told that Bulbs are for planting, Lamps are for lighting

Roy

Torch bulbs? They had Eddison screw and pre-focus and multiple voltages.

I was brought up in a Victorian mid-terrace that had been retrofitted with electricity and wired up by my uncle. There were two fuses in the fuse box, power and light, one socket in the two downstairs rooms, two in the kitchen, none in the pantry and none in the four bedrooms. If you wanted power in the bedrooms you had to run things off the light socket via a y adaptor with a pull cord for the light. As all the light sockets were put in at the same time they were all the same type, bayonet connectors. As there was a lack of power sockets we had no table lamps or standard lamps so no need for special bulbs for them. We had not replaced the hanging bayonet sockets on twisted twin purple cotton covered wiring so did not need specials for them either. The light switches were all round, brown bakelite on a wooden pattress fed by wiring that was mounted on the surface of the lath and plaster walls and covered with wooden trunking.

I prefer the options we have now and accept the possibility that if I change the lighting to miniature flush mounted spotlights that I will need something other than a large bayonet mounted bulb.

Martin

Edited By Martin Connelly on 17/02/2020 11:32:12

Would that be tallow or beeswax or synthetic wax and what diameter and length. Perhaps the Roman ones calibrated in hours which of course vary in length by season as they divided the night into the same number of hours regardless of the length of the darkness.

Edited By Bazyle on 17/02/2020 14:14:50

A prominent microscopist of my (cyber) acquaintance sings the praises of whale oil.

I was going to write ' ... takes a lot of beating' but a beating is what you might get if you try to procure any!!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

PS: Not you, Michael, same first name initial but different first name.

We may have had less types of light bulb, but we made up for it with six different non-interchangeable domestic power plugs (two pin and three pin in 2A, 5A and 15A sizes). Plus of course that bayonet plug that fitted into a bulb holder, a hangover from the days before electricity meters when consumers were charged per light fitting or socket, and the proprietary (and expensive) plugs needed for council houses with non-standard sockets.

People would go to extreme lengths to keep the bill down, many years ago, when my father was asked to wire a house for the first time he was told not to put a light fitting in the front bedroom as there was a lamp post outside.

Brian G

And try explaining to older folk that you don't buy bulbs by wattage anymore - it's LUMENS!!

Ah, lights that get on one's wick, even if they are not paraffin (kerosene ) fuelled! An aunt who lived out of town, beyond the reaches of the new fangled electrickery was a most accomplished cook with a paraffin heated oven.

Another aunt still used her Aga despite the farm having three phase power available.

Howard

Most illuminating.

Neil

Or "ornamental bulbous plants"

H

Even worse, we can no longer hint a friend is dim by suggesting he's a 40W bulb. Even Einstein wasn't as bright as a 40W LED!

The problem of differing lamp base sizes.is all to do with the odd bayonet size that was a UK standard. I am not aware that it is used anywhere else. When we import large amounts of light fitings they are mainly intended for the major areas of the world which have Edison screw as a lighting standard.

As for only being available in packets of 2 or 3, I cannot agree. All of my local supermarkets sell lamps as singles. A couple of them have packs which are a saving over buying them as singles.

Andrew.

You can always plant an electric light bulb.

It won't grow, but you can always plant it

It used to be - UK was bayonet and France was Edison screw in - now everyone has both - "We are doomed Captain Mannering"

One of my favourite jobs, feet on a salt rusted ring, safety clip on a similar ring, leaning backwards ,40ft up a cargo mast overhanging an 80ft drop into an empty cargo hold , to change a 500W GES lamp !

Did we really do this ?

I thought dimness was measured against a Toc H lamp

Mike