vintage christmas lights

Babybearjs · December 21, 2012, 10:17:03 PM

well, I thought I'd throw this in the ring... I just started to research "vintage" and "antique" Christmas lights, and found a whole mess of great stuff on Ebay. for those old enough to remember, I have started to collect of all things.... C6 Christmas light sets. these were the first light strings that were made back in the 1910-20's to the 1970's and were replaced by the more common "mini" light sets.... I'm amazed at how many strings are on ebay, I thought these were all but extinct.... my luck! they are still around and the newer sets can still be used! they used 8 14.4 volt lamps and are wired in series, as apposed to the more common parallel we know today... the common C7 lamps came out around the end of WW-II and are still used today. now that the LED lamps are showing up all over the place, these really will be cool to use on a tree! and, yes... you can still get bulbs for them... though you have to settle for clear, unless you know how to color them using alcohol Ink! (for coloring glass)

Dan · December 22, 2012, 10:52:42 PM

My yard is filled with 1000's of c-9 BLINKER bulbs. No one within 50 miles of me has any BLINKER c-9's

AE_Collector · December 22, 2012, 11:22:00 PM

I had a string of indoor "Bubble Lights" when I was about 10 years old (mid 1960's). They were the string of 8 series sockets in a big sircle that you put around the tree. I think that I still have one of the bulbs left than never burnt out. The bulb was a heater that casued the colored water (?) in a vial to bubble.

Terry

Dan · December 23, 2012, 12:45:20 AM

The bubble lights are cool. I have some on my tree (they brought them back a while in the 1990's). I also have GE Lighted ice lights on my tree too.

jsowers · December 23, 2012, 01:01:26 AM

I use the old GE C7 lights every year on my tree. With reflectors. There's nothing like the color of those lights. The color is on the inside on the oldest ones, and the newer 1960s and 70s GE lights have the color on the outside, but it doesn't chip. They also warm up the tree and make it smell great. I don't leave them on all day.

If you use C6 strings, be sure to use a household dimmer switch in line with the power cord so you don't shock the lights and have burnouts when you turn them on. I've made a couple of these cords out of old extension cords and a metal outlet box and they really save the lights. When one C6 lamp goes out, they all go out.

I also use the old Noma window candles. I like how they have the lights at different heights and they have plastic halos. Like Dan and his yard full of twinkle lights, I don't think anyone else within 50 miles has these in their windows. I did replace the rotten wiring before I used them.

On the tree I use the green GE strings from the 1960s and 70s. They're the best ever made. Below is a picture of last year's tree reflected in the window. I don't have this year's up yet.

McHeath · December 23, 2012, 01:08:23 AM

Nice lights! We had those on our tree when I was a kid, and they worked year after year with rare burnouts. Nowadays the modern mini's I get go back endlessly. The LEDs I've been buying the last couple of years are just as bad, failing after only a year of service and lots of burn outs as well. Geesh, and these are supposed to be all economical and such, but you kinda lose that when you have to replace them nonstop.

DavePEI · December 23, 2012, 07:35:23 AM

Quote from: McHeath on December 23, 2012, 01:08:23 AM
Nice lights! We had those on our tree when I was a kid, and they worked year after year with rare burnouts. Nowadays the modern mini's I get go back endlessly. The LEDs I've been buying the last couple of years are just as bad, failing after only a year of service and lots of burn outs as well. Geesh, and these are supposed to be all economical and such, but you kinda lose that when you have to replace them nonstop.

Aside from LED burn-out, led light strings are prone to failure of the in-line mounded resistor which you will find at one end of the line. The value is usually 740 ohm, 1/4 watt, and is used to limit current in the bulbs. This is usually molded in plastic on one wire to the plug.

Some parallel LED sets have a current limiting resistor molded into each plug.

One solution to frequent LED burn-outs is to increase the value of this resistor slightly. But at the cost of LED sets, is it worth it?

Aside from that, some sets have fuses in the plug - if only half of your set fails, check these.

Ahh, I long for the days of the huge old incandescent bulbs on a parallel string on each of our porch rails! But I cursed the series sets when a bulb burned out!

Dave

Babybearjs · December 24, 2012, 04:23:00 PM

Yeh, I was able to secure a bunch of C6 strings and bulbs.... now that Christmas is here, I can take my time looking.... I am going to try to grab up as many this next year as I can... Ebay is showing an awful lot of C7's and C9 strings and bulbs... thank god I can still use the C6 strings... I was afraid I was going to have to build my own strings.... I luv old lights and telephones.... too bad they aren't still made like that.... it makes me wonder if America has lost its imagination with making things that last......I'll post pictures of my lights once I get them after new years.... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

poplar1 · December 24, 2012, 06:09:17 PM

It is said that a pbx tech named Robert Morris used switchboard lamps to make the first electric lights used on a Christmas tree.

Babybearjs · December 25, 2012, 01:41:55 AM

I heard that it was on of Edisons emplyees who took automotive bulbs to make the first string... thus the 14.4 voltage of the C6 lamps...(rated @ 15 volts).....

Babybearjs · December 30, 2012, 01:47:29 AM

for those interested, go to http://www.oldchristmastreelights.com/ and read up on the history, its really neat! John

Babybearjs · December 31, 2012, 04:52:22 PM

I also found the recipe for alcohol ink: its rubbing alcohol and RIT dye! so simple.... experiments are forthcoming!

Babybearjs · December 31, 2012, 10:37:58 PM

and here is some history for you all!

Babybearjs · January 03, 2013, 12:48:21 AM

I started the vintage Christmas light thread, and for anyone interested... check out some of the Ebay auctions in this category... someone is selling a batch of old C6 14.4 volt lamps and getting top dollar for them... I knew they were vintage, but I didn't think people wanted them so bad... even the 8 socket strings are going for a high amount... so much for LED's..... people still love the ORIGINALS! (IE... W.E., A.E, G.E., etc.)

DavePEI · January 03, 2013, 06:29:49 AM

Quote from: Babybearjs on January 03, 2013, 12:48:21 AM
I started the vintage Christmas light thread, and for anyone interested... check out some of the Ebay auctions in this category... someone is selling a batch of old C6 14.4 volt lamps and getting top dollar for them... I knew they were vintage, but I didn't think people wanted them so bad... even the 8 socket strings are going for a high amount... so much for LED's..... people still love the ORIGINALS! (IE... W.E., A.E, G.E., etc.)

And to think that we threw out dozens of strings of them, and literally hundreds of spare brand new bulbs after my parents passed away. Even a pile of the old exterior strings and bulbs. Oh, well!

I remember when my parents were alive - tree raising day was an ordeal with them bickering back and forth for hours while they argued about how the tree went up and how to place the lights and bulbs. Needless to say we avoided the place when they were doing it!

There is something to be said about the new artificial trees with the lights on them that go up in 15 minutes, and which can be taken down in the same time, then stored in a very small box!

Dave

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vintage christmas lights