Vintage GE flash bulbs

Before xenon flash tubes, there were flash bulbs. They can only be used once and are rather dangerous, but a lot more fun! Old-time photographers probably reminisce about the smoke and fragrant smell these things give off, but not the leg burns caused by a flash bulb in your pocket going off due to static electricity (or so I've heard)!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• vintage
• classic
• antique
• ge
• g.e.
• general
• electric
• flash
• bulb
• bulbs
• cube
• cubes
• photo
• photography
• photographer
• camera
• smoke
• fire
• explode
• shatter

[trainboy99]

Why did you use them?

[vwestlife]

@trainboy99 Because I wanted to.

[themaritimeman]

Wow, that's cool! And funny!

Hey, that's a cool flash light - it's got a fluorescent tube in it , as well? What is the brand name of the flash light, and what does it take for batteries?

Great video!

[vwestlife]

The flashlight doesn't have any brand name on it, just a "Made in Hong Kong" sticker. It runs on 3 C-cell batteries and has a regular incandescent bulb as well as a small 4-watt fluorescent tube -- neither of which glows very brightly.

[lewisldurham]

Why waste them, give them to someone who uses them with their camera. l

[albyva]

This is just what you need to ignite a gunpowder charge in a model rocket at apogee.

[punishedexistence]

@classicmacintosh I always thought it was zirconium wool, and the inside of the bulb is filled with oxygen, so as to make a bright flash. Then again, it could be magnesium too. Either way, I remember I had an instamatic camera with these little flashcubes it took, the smell is immistakeable. Pretty cool though, old school.

[SeberHusky]

Man, the old days were quite dangerous!

"Say cheese!" [bulb shatters into tiny fragments]

[lightbulbcollector1]

actually, all magnesium flashbulbs have magnesium wool inside of them

[classicmacintosh]

My theory is that the 'steel wool stuff' is in some way magnesium based... maybe magnesium coated steel wool..

Any chemistry boffins care to comment..?

[johnlebl]

@ThisGuyFrritz Actually, the big "Mazda base" bulbs that look like a 40 watt incandescent are now being made in Ireland and are used for cave photos, destructive testing, special effects, movie props... There are three models made by Megaflash. The smaller ones are no longer made, so yard sales and flea markets, and a web site or two carries them. They were usually filled with aluminium wire and oxygen with a pyrotechnic igniter and are brighter than the average modern electronic flash.

[TheToastPeople]

Why did you think dropping it would work lol

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Nooo! Let me use them with my vintage flashgun with my Polaroid Land Camera!

Just kidding, do whatever you want.