Heh Scott. After watching your tutorials I have been relamping bubble lights using your instructions. I have recently relamped an old milk glass Christmas light (Japanese lantern). I carefully cut off where the bulb fits from the top with my Dremel cutter. I replaced the bulb in an empty c6 holder, then glued the ornamental light to the housing with contact glue. Worked great! Most of the old milk glass lights have bad bulbs so this was my solution. Will have to alter my technique when relamping different size lights but I'll figure it out. Thanks for your past relamping help. Thought I'd let you know about my milk glass relamping. Ho Ho Ho!
Way to go!!! I have done that too. I have cut the tops off of figural lightbulbs and then inserted T3 lightbulbs into the hole and glued. I have been trying to do a video on relamping and using LED filaments in C7, C9 and standard base lights. I currently filled a 20 light lighted ice tree with all LED relamped lighted ice and stardust bulbs. So be sure to keep any of those bulbs you have that are burned out. Other folks on my facebook page are relamping C6 figural bulbs with grain of wheat lights....But they can not be interspersed with regular C6 bulbs, they have to be run on a parallel C6 wired 12 volt power supply. I'm not a big fan of that. But other folks seem to like it.
Hi Scott. Thanks for your videos! I just watched this one and you may be able to assist me in my bubble light question! Last year I inherited a string of Noma bubble lights (9 lights) and they worked great. I LOVE THEM. Last Christmas season for 4 weeks, every day I plugged in the string, arranged on our piano, and they bubbled beautifully- all of them. I carefully packaged them in January in their red box. This year, 2 weeks ago, I was looking forward to setting them up again, but no, none of the lights light up. I purchased a AC voltage detector that I see online can detect where current is and isn't. But I just cannot get them working! I wonder if you could assist me? Are these 9 Noma lights wired in "series"? There are only 2 wired running thru the string of lights. One wire is continuous from the plug to the last bulb, and the other wire connects to each bulb. Any ideas? Thanks so much. Rick
Hi Rick, Yes these Noma bubble lights are series wired, which means that all lights must work. So have you tested each bulb? It can be done easily with a 9 volt battery, I have a video showing how to do that. If they all work, then it's possible that one of the bulbs have a flattened lead on the bottom and is not making contact. We see this problem every year at this time. So right now that's all I can offer. If you find that you have a bulb with a flattened lead, you can try it in other sockets to see if the set will eventually light, however, in time, it will probably get too flat to light in any socket. It's always best to have regular C6 cone light bulbs on hand to test your candle with. You can remove one bubbler and replace it with a working C6 Cone light bulb. Keep removing each bubbler and replace each one till the candle finally lights. Once lit you can then start putting the bubblers back into different sockets until the entire thing is filled with all bubblers and working. You can email me at c6lites@gmail.com if you still have problems.
I just bought a used set of these. They were working when I bought them, but I got them home and they don't light up. If one light goes out, do they all?
That is correct. If one light goes out, you have to figure out which one is out and replace it. Since they were working when you bought them, there is just a chance that one became loose in it's socket. With C6 or miniature base socket lamps.....all lamps must be working and tight in their sockets. If you tighten them all into their sockets and they still don't light.....then you will need to test each bulb. Here is my video on testing C6 miniature base lights. ruclips.net/video/DlTpBU_tRw8/видео.html another problem with bubble lights is that the lead on the bottom of the light bulb might be flattened and not making contact. The bulb will test as working.....but the lead on the bottom is not making contact and hence the set will not work. You can sometimes move the flattened lead bottom bulb to another socket and then all will light.......If not, here is my video on how to add solder to the bottom of a flattened bulb. I hope this helps...You can also join my facebook group and all of our members will be happy to help you further....facebook.com/groups/475901481145293 you must answer all entrance questions to enter Don't give up....With a little patience and some knowledge, you will enjoy your vintage lighting.
Not sure what you would like to see printed? If you mean the bubble light bases, that would be hard. Most 3D printers need the printing plastic to melt at a low temperature sot hatit may extrude out of the printer. As a result the plastic will quickly melt with a light bulb in it. I have heard that special 3D printers can now make high temp plastic items, so I guess it possible now. However there are several folks that have had the bases made, but I think those repro bases are now starting to dry up.
Heh Scott. After watching your tutorials I have been relamping bubble lights using your instructions. I have recently relamped an old milk glass Christmas light (Japanese lantern). I carefully cut off where the bulb fits from the top with my Dremel cutter. I replaced the bulb in an empty c6 holder, then glued the ornamental light to the housing with contact glue. Worked great! Most of the old milk glass lights have bad bulbs so this was my solution. Will have to alter my technique when relamping different size lights but I'll figure it out. Thanks for your past relamping help. Thought I'd let you know about my milk glass relamping. Ho Ho Ho!
Way to go!!! I have done that too. I have cut the tops off of figural lightbulbs and then inserted T3 lightbulbs into the hole and glued. I have been trying to do a video on relamping and using LED filaments in C7, C9 and standard base lights. I currently filled a 20 light lighted ice tree with all LED relamped lighted ice and stardust bulbs. So be sure to keep any of those bulbs you have that are burned out. Other folks on my facebook page are relamping C6 figural bulbs with grain of wheat lights....But they can not be interspersed with regular C6 bulbs, they have to be run on a parallel C6 wired 12 volt power supply. I'm not a big fan of that. But other folks seem to like it.
Very helpful. I was just relamping a couple this week.
Thanks, I saw your Royal relamp online this week. Looks great!!
Hi Scott. Thanks for your videos! I just watched this one and you may be able to assist me in my bubble light question! Last year I inherited a string of Noma bubble lights (9 lights) and they worked great. I LOVE THEM. Last Christmas season for 4 weeks, every day I plugged in the string, arranged on our piano, and they bubbled beautifully- all of them. I carefully packaged them in January in their red box. This year, 2 weeks ago, I was looking forward to setting them up again, but no, none of the lights light up. I purchased a AC voltage detector that I see online can detect where current is and isn't. But I just cannot get them working! I wonder if you could assist me? Are these 9 Noma lights wired in "series"? There are only 2 wired running thru the string of lights. One wire is continuous from the plug to the last bulb, and the other wire connects to each bulb. Any ideas? Thanks so much. Rick
Hi Rick, Yes these Noma bubble lights are series wired, which means that all lights must work. So have you tested each bulb? It can be done easily with a 9 volt battery, I have a video showing how to do that. If they all work, then it's possible that one of the bulbs have a flattened lead on the bottom and is not making contact. We see this problem every year at this time. So right now that's all I can offer. If you find that you have a bulb with a flattened lead, you can try it in other sockets to see if the set will eventually light, however, in time, it will probably get too flat to light in any socket. It's always best to have regular C6 cone light bulbs on hand to test your candle with. You can remove one bubbler and replace it with a working C6 Cone light bulb. Keep removing each bubbler and replace each one till the candle finally lights. Once lit you can then start putting the bubblers back into different sockets until the entire thing is filled with all bubblers and working. You can email me at c6lites@gmail.com if you still have problems.
I just bought a used set of these. They were working when I bought them, but I got them home and they don't light up. If one light goes out, do they all?
That is correct. If one light goes out, you have to figure out which one is out and replace it. Since they were working when you bought them, there is just a chance that one became loose in it's socket. With C6 or miniature base socket lamps.....all lamps must be working and tight in their sockets. If you tighten them all into their sockets and they still don't light.....then you will need to test each bulb. Here is my video on testing C6 miniature base lights. ruclips.net/video/DlTpBU_tRw8/видео.html another problem with bubble lights is that the lead on the bottom of the light bulb might be flattened and not making contact. The bulb will test as working.....but the lead on the bottom is not making contact and hence the set will not work. You can sometimes move the flattened lead bottom bulb to another socket and then all will light.......If not, here is my video on how to add solder to the bottom of a flattened bulb. I hope this helps...You can also join my facebook group and all of our members will be happy to help you further....facebook.com/groups/475901481145293 you must answer all entrance questions to enter Don't give up....With a little patience and some knowledge, you will enjoy your vintage lighting.
It would be great if someone would 3-D print the base.
Not sure what you would like to see printed? If you mean the bubble light bases, that would be hard. Most 3D printers need the printing plastic to melt at a low temperature sot hatit may extrude out of the printer. As a result the plastic will quickly melt with a light bulb in it. I have heard that special 3D printers can now make high temp plastic items, so I guess it possible now. However there are several folks that have had the bases made, but I think those repro bases are now starting to dry up.