# Looking for a old light bulb



## Rudirk (Apr 19, 2020)

Good morning,
I’m looking for a old light bulb for my milling mashine. It have 60 volt .
Do someone know where I could buy this ?


----------



## TonyM (Apr 19, 2020)

Lo Vo Light used to be 50V They are still available on Amazon.co.uk  I guess other places too.


----------



## Wizard69 (May 30, 2020)

All I can do is wish you lots of luck.    Finding filament based light bulbs has become a huge chore.    We have a lot of comparators and other old optical equipment and have to search hard to find old bulbs these days at work.    Frankly the quality isn't as good as it use to be either.

You will likely hate to hear this but I'd seriously consider a lighting upgrade.    What you find today for an old bulb you might not find in 5 months. I've literally have had to design new lighting systems at work, for some of the tooling, as bulbs have become a huge issue.     Sadly a lot of the LED solutions do not inspire confidence that they will be around a few years from now.   Incandescent bulbs are like the steam engine of old except that rebuilding a light bulb isn't something that likely will happen.


----------



## lennardhme (May 31, 2020)

Hi,
incandescent bulbs are available in Australia.
 In the interest of saving the planet, our Govt. offered to change them to leds n/c. An offer which I unfortunately took up.
Only a personal thing & many wont agree, but I find leds throw shadows & are rather harsh. In my workshop particularly I found my eyes were getting a bit strained & my close vision very definately suffering.
My solution was to put solar panels to supply workshop power via an invertor & as power now costs nothing, replaced the leds back to incandescent globes.
My eyesight has improved dramatically & well on the way back to being normal. My optometrist is pleased with the change & so am I.
Only my experience for what its worth.
Cheers,
Lennard.


----------



## Ivan Winters (May 31, 2020)

I live in Bradford West Yorks UK. One trick I have found is that whenever an attempt is made by the authorities to 'outlaw' something the local Pakistani stores will buy up clearance stocks of the old items. Plenty of local Pakistani run D-I-Y stores stock wide ranges of incandescent bulbs in various wattages at very reasonable prices.


----------



## Barnbikes (May 31, 2020)

(BOX OF 10) GE 6S6DC 60V Clear Double Contact Bayonet Base, 6W  | eBay
					

We will do our best to get back with you and answer quickly. 1 BOX OF 10 BULBS.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## SmithDoor (May 31, 2020)

It looks like a auto light bulb 
I would change to a newer type of socket so buy low cost bulbs

Dave


----------



## RDFMTS2 (Jun 1, 2020)

lennardhme said:


> Hi,
> incandescent bulbs are available in Australia.
> In the interest of saving the planet, our Govt. offered to change them to leds n/c. An offer which I unfortunately took up.
> Only a personal thing & many wont agree, but I find leds throw shadows & are rather harsh. In my workshop particularly I found my eyes were getting a bit strained & my close vision very definately suffering.
> ...


Hi Lennard. It maybe that the lamps they were supplying 'no/charge' are old stock ones which were half the frequency of a filament lamp, I.E. 25 hertz instead of 50 Hertz, as the early LED lamps used half wave rectification. More modern designed ones run at typically 400 Hertz and so the flickering is not then noticeable to the human eye due to persistence of vision. Also the hot filament of a conventional lamp running at 50 Hertz, does not cool enough to between cycles for the flicker to be noticeable, where as, an LED can easily switch on and off at a faster rate than that. To deal with the shadow issue, an LED panel or panels, typically 600mm square will give a more defused light for general illumination, then use a smaller LED lamp as a point source task light. There are also differing colour temperatures of LED lamps, I.E. cold white (6500 degrees), white (about 4000 degrees), and what may be best for you warm white (2700 degrees).  I hope this helps.  David


----------



## Tim1974 (Jun 1, 2020)

I’ve been struggling at work since the leds went in too haveing trouble driving at night  hmm interesting


----------



## terryd (Jun 1, 2020)

I Like led lamps and have replaced all incandescent and fluorescent lamps as they fail with leds.  I use a range of cold white and warm white depending on the application e.g. over my work desk I use bright white which are close to daylight which helps when painting or writing while for most purposes I use warm white which is more relaxing.  I must admit that I haven't experienced any problems with my sight, nor has my wife who is quite sensitive to such things usually.

As an aside, I have solar panels for my household generation which is great int the daytime and I thought of a battery storage system for evening use (mostly illumination and some to drive my heat pump in winter), but when I looked at the current price I worked out that it would take years to recover the cost in any savings.

Just my own experiences.

TerryD


----------



## OrangeAlpine (Jun 1, 2020)

I found that my eyes are sensitive to light color.  Love 5000 K,  6000 K is a bit harsh.  Also the solution to having an LED blasting your eyes is to install a bank of them.  Soon the room is filled with beautiful 5000K light and the single source blasting effect is gone.  As long as I have 80 y.o. eyes, there is no way I'd go back to dim yellow light incandescent.
Bill


----------



## almega (Jun 1, 2020)

I too like the LEDs, espcially in the warmer colors. I have switched out all house lighting and my shop lighting. As OrangeAlpine says, once you have all switched and you have a flood of lighting, there is no shadow effect and it is pleasant on the eyes. I even modified a string of mirror lamps and installed under my mill head to provide shadow free lighting to the mill table and I really like that.


----------



## Cogsy (Jun 2, 2020)

almega said:


> I even modified a string of mirror lamps and installed under my mill head to provide shadow free lighting to the mill table and I really like that.


I did the same a few years back and they went out on me a few weeks ago. I ripped them down to replace them before I found out it was the power supply that had gone bad and I haven't got back to repairing it yet. The mill sure is dark now when I'm trying to hit my marks.


----------



## SmithDoor (Jun 2, 2020)

I would change to 12 volt and use 12 volt transformer.
You just use a low cost battery charger from Harbor freight. Bulb from the Auto supplier like Walmart.
I have used RadioShack but not here more .
I do use Jameco Electronics - Electronic Components Distributor since 1980's .
They most parts electronic you ever need .

Dave



Cogsy said:


> I did the same a few years back and they went out on me a few weeks ago. I ripped them down to replace them before I found out it was the power supply that had gone bad and I haven't got back to repairing it yet. The mill sure is dark now when I'm trying to hit my marks.


----------



## SmithDoor (Jun 2, 2020)

There also 32 volt bulbs too.
The bulbs was used in homes with out the power company up to 1930 on larger batteries using a small gas generator.
The good news the odd voltage bulbs use same socket as 120 volt bulbs or some cases automotive sockets.
At one time may still use 24 bulbs in big trucks.

My self I change to 12 volt automotive or LED so I get replacements.

Dave


----------



## bluejets (Jun 2, 2020)

Rudirk said:


> Good morning,
> I’m looking for a old light bulb for my milling mashine. It have 60 volt .
> Do someone know where I could buy this ?
> View attachment 115515




60 volt or 60W...?


----------



## petertha (Jun 3, 2020)

Not sure if this helps but I found inexpensive LED replacements for my '97 vintage Taiwan lathe panel lights. The trick is to find the original (assume incandescent) model number & sometimes that comes up as 'replacement' in the LED description.


----------



## grahamgollar (Jun 3, 2020)

Although conventional filament lamps have been ostracised they are still available in a "Rough Service" version 100% interchangeable


----------



## terryd (Jun 3, 2020)

bluejets said:


> 60 volt or 60W...?



Hi Blue,

Probably 60V as machine lighting was traditionally run from a drop-down transformer for safety reasons as the lamp is quite close to the operator when compared to domestic lighting.  When I taught shop here in the Uk all of the machine lights were 50V.  I now use LEDs

TerryD


----------



## Richard Hed (Jun 3, 2020)

I have had the same problem for years.  I bought a very brite shop lite with 3 500 watt bulbs for good lighting.  Of course, that is all heat which in the winter is fine but in the summer is awful.  Worse yet, (not to speak of the high electric bill) was the f-ing bulbs burned out shortly and they were very expensive to replace.  Finally I got down to just one bulb which I used for a while before IT burned out.  Then I bought one at a time to replace them and finally the LEDs came into their own and I bought one of them for directly over my lathe.  There is still a little bit of shadow when a tool is in the way, but it's way better than before and not all that heat and high bills.  I have three of them now and very goo lighting where I needs it.


----------



## RM-MN (Jun 3, 2020)

Richard Hed said:


> I have had the same problem for years.  I bought a very brite shop lite with 3 500 watt bulbs for good lighting.  Of course, that is all heat which in the winter is fine but in the summer is awful.  Worse yet, (not to speak of the high electric bill) was the f-ing bulbs burned out shortly and they were very expensive to replace.  Finally I got down to just one bulb which I used for a while before IT burned out.  Then I bought one at a time to replace them and finally the LEDs came into their own and I bought one of them for directly over my lathe.  There is still a little bit of shadow when a tool is in the way, but it's way better than before and not all that heat and high bills.  I have three of them now and very goo lighting where I needs it.



You need to spend a big chunk of money and get rid of that shadow.  








						1pcs LED Sewing Machine Light Working Gooseneck Lamp 30led With Magnetic Base for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1pcs LED Sewing Machine Light Working Gooseneck Lamp 30led With Magnetic Base at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Put the light right where you want it.


----------



## skyline1 (Jun 4, 2020)

A theatrical lighting supplier might be able to help.

IIRC Some small projector lamps were 60 Volt

Stage gear sometimes uses very odd voltages and they will have contact with (and catalogues for) the big lighting suppliers (Thorn, GE, Mazda, etc) they can probably get one for you even if they don't carry them in stock.

That being said a lot of theatre lighting is LED now, all of mine is. (I run a a community P.A. and lighting service) 
LEDs last longer, use far less power, make less heat and are ideal for harsh environments like a machine shop. (No glass to break if a lump of metal hits them and no filament to break with vibration)

The flicker problem present in early LEDs has now been largely overcome as previous posts have mentioned. It may be worth noting that fluorescent lights also have this problem and old worn ones especially have been known to cause migraine headaches or even epilepsy in sensitive people.

Fluorescents can also cause a strobing effect which makes rotating objects appear stationary at certain speeds (Very Dangerous !)

Best Regards Mark


----------



## RM-MN (Jun 4, 2020)

skyline1 said:


> The flicker problem present in early LEDs has now been largely overcome as previous posts have mentioned. It may be worth noting that fluorescent lights also have this problem and old worn ones especially have been known to cause migraine headaches or even epilepsy in sensitive people.



If I have had sufficient sleep even new fluorescent lights flicker badly.


----------



## Richard Hed (Jun 5, 2020)

RM-MN said:


> If I have had sufficient sleep even new fluorescent lights flicker badly.


Flourescents gave me headaches and eyeaches.  Have gotten rid of them.  But to over come the flourescent problem, I would put incandescent bulbs with them.  My biggest problem with flourescent is that they pretend to last for 20,000 hrs but I doubt that they actually lasted more than 7,000.


----------



## SmithDoor (Jun 5, 2020)

flourescent light have life from 6,000 to 40,000 hours.
If can find the data on your flourescent light it tell how long but your power can shorten the life. The CFL is short and data is not true. I have switch my CFL to LED type. But still use 48" flourescent for main parts .

Dave



Richard Hed said:


> Flourescents gave me headaches and eyeaches.  Have gotten rid of them.  But to over come the flourescent problem, I would put incandescent bulbs with them.  My biggest problem with flourescent is that they pretend to last for 20,000 hrs but I doubt that they actually lasted more than 7,000.


----------



## mcostello (Jun 5, 2020)

Switched the whole house over to Leds. Instant on which is great. Power usage is 18% less. Spent $140, saving $15 a month appx. 1 year in to this. Got a bargain on the bulbs $3.00 each.


----------



## bluejets (Jun 5, 2020)

mcostello said:


> Switched the whole house over to Leds. Instant on which is great. Power usage is 18% less. Spent $140, saving $15 a month appx. 1 year in to this. Got a bargain on the bulbs $3.00 each.



Think you need to recalculate that........$15.00 representing 18% .......that's a lot of Kwh per month just on lights, even at the Aussie rate of 20c a unit.


----------



## Cogsy (Jun 5, 2020)

bluejets said:


> Think you need to recalculate that........$15.00 representing 18% .......that's a lot of Kwh per month just on lights, even at the Aussie rate of 20c a unit.


You must live on the east coast - I pay about 29c a unit over here


----------



## mcostello (Jun 6, 2020)

These are Electric Company figures taken off My bill.


----------



## skyline1 (Jun 6, 2020)

Estimates vary but LED Bulbs generally use around 10% of the power of their Incandescent counterparts for the same light output. In domestic situations the savings are impressive but imagine the savings in a big stage lighting rig.

I can run my entire LED lighting rig from a 4KVA Generator that I can put in the back of the van along with the entire lighting setup. If I was using Incandescents I would need more like 40KVA. That is a whole different game, A trailer drawn generator costing in excess of £10,000 pounds, much thicker, bulkier and more expensive cables and several beefy roadies to set it up.

Whilst my rig is quite modest by theatrical standards LED lighting makes the difference between a simple, portable, one man operation and a major undertaking.
Plus of course a huge saving in fuel costs.

Another major bonus in stage use is not having to search through mountains of filter gels to find the right colour and then climb up ladders to fit them. I just do it remotely at the lighting desk.

Best Regards Mark


----------



## bluejets (Jun 6, 2020)

mcostello said:


> These are Electric Company figures taken off My bill.



Then there is a mistake in there somewhere.


----------



## Ken I (Jun 7, 2020)

Those 50V / 60V lights have their origins in the safety regulations - most regulations classify <50V as safe and therefore unregulated.

Below 50V you can string naked wires and still be legal. (depends on current regulations - no pun intended.)

So things like Pinball machines were built with 24V (Gottlieb) or 50V (Williams) electrics. Open circuit voltage on welding transformers was kept to below 50V for the same reason.

A lot of shipping uses some strange voltages (particularly older ships) and you can get odd values from those electrical suppliers to the marine trade.

I believe that a lot of Russian vessels use 60V - the old school Russian military did not use anything standard so the enemy would be unable to use captured stores - they made everything odd sizes (ballbearing, fuzes, coil voltages etc. etc.) such that captured stores would fit Russian equipment but not vice versa.

Unfortunately if you were a civilian manufacturer you pretty much had to do the same thing because of availability issues.

My advice would be to never buy anything of Russian origin unless you have ascertained that it uses standard sizes.

I have had the unfortunate experience of having to cope with Russian marine and industrial equipment - it was to say the least frustrating.

Regards,  Ken


----------



## skyline1 (Jun 7, 2020)

I forgot about marine equipment thanks for reminding us Ken, so if a theatrical lighting supplier can't help a marine one might.

Where I used to work we supplied a lot of electrical equipment to the British Royal Navy and they too had some really odd requirements often with different parts of a vessel using different supply voltages and frequencies (and a fair amount of D.C. stuff) depending on the function of that particular department. RADAR for example (IIRC) used a lot of 400Hz supplies I can't remember exactly why.

One of the oddest ones however was for civilian use on  power supplies for a large I.T. system. This used multiple electronically controlled generators which could be brought online in sequence or taken off according to load and isolated for maintenance.

This used a very oddball voltage but what was really strange was it's frequency exactly 440Hz This will be familiar to musicians as it is Middle A on a piano and a musical standard. According to the designer (ever curious I had to ask !) this was so that in an emergency should the electronics fail the generators could be synced and brought on line using nothing more than a tuning fork.

Talk about the machine being "on song" these were, literally ! 

Best Regards Mark


----------



## SmithDoor (Jun 7, 2020)

Note: NEC notes any voltage under 70 volts is low voltage. It also same voltage used for telephone ring .

Dave


----------

