This is weird... in the 1977 catalogue i have, the light is called the "M-250R" yet this light has instructions that say "M-250R1" and this light has to be from before the late 70s because it lacks drip holes.
It seems some silverfish got in it at one point and ate a chunk out of the instructions. I wonder when did they change from the M-250R to the R1 though.
@ Joe; hmm. i looked up silverfish (i'd never heard of them) and it looks like i might have some of them in my bathroom. sometimes they come down from the skylight in my bathroom. more so in the winter than the summer. i think the heat and humidity in the warmer weather keeps them in the attic whereas in the winter the heat and humidity from the shower probably draws them in. turns out they eat everything from clothing to plaster, drywall, paper products... so yeah it wouldn't surprise me if there were some of them in the barn where this was kept. i hope there aren't any in the fixture itself... lol
@ NiMo: so the M-250R1 and M-250R2 were made together at one point? so they changed the instructions to R1 when they changed the light to R1 but they left the catalog alone? this light's door has no drip holes so it's pre-80s.
Hmm, it's a bug that looks sorta like a fish that eats paper but I'm not sure if the they like dry or moist environments. It hasn't been in water that's for sure though.
oops i edited the comment above before seeing your reply. turns out they like humid areas. turns out i have some that like my bathroom. any way to kill them or at least keep them away? i think the humidity from the shower brings them from the skylight in my bathroom. probably some hole up there that goes into the attic...
i wonder if anyone here has a copy of the instructions... i told the seller i didn't mind the instructions being torn. it's not like i don't know how to tighten two bolts and make three wire connections and do basic maintenance to it lol.
yeah i was thinking about the same age as my M-400 split door since this doesn't have the rubber gasket (which i honestly think is better because it's removable without any damage or glue residue and i think overall it keeps the optical area cleaner inside. my M-250A was spotless inside the lamp area despite being literally FILLED with dirt. i kept asking the seller to show me a pic of the nameplate but he never did. i told him about the date codes so he'd know the age of the fixture since he wasn't telling me the true date code. no response as of this post (7:07AM EST)
Yeah, my B2255 had a rubber gasket so the optical area was quite clean when I first opened it up. It seems Powerlites kept the rubber gasket up to the early 80s.
I think the rubber gasket may still be an option either with AEL or some GEs. I think it was called an elastomer gasket? something that sounded like elastic... to be honest i like the black ruber gaskets so much more than felt. the westinghouse fixtures had always used felt it appears. my OV-10 has a felt gasket and so does my OV-25. the biggest thing with the felt gaskets IMO is that they get all stiff as they age. i thought that's how they were supposed to be until i got my M-400, whose gasket is soft and fluffy liek cotton balls lol. My OVC's gasket is still pretty fluffy since it was only in use from the early 90s to the late 90s. my OV-10 was clean inside too since there's a SUPER tight seal between the reflector and refractor rim. It latches really loudly and strongly. there's a loud "snap!" when you latch or unlatch it. my OV-25 was pretty dirty inside but compared to the outside of the reflector on the inside of the light, it was clean lol.
ehh i don't really like the orange gaskets. they stand out too much from the fixture IMO. I prefer the back ones the best. But yeah i saw the orange ones at Joe's and they looked almost new. the felt gaskets really get nasty over time though especially near the water since the salty humid air is hell on the felt (and the paint, though that could be from the bird doo doo lol.
My R47 had a felt gasket and it was a bit hard and crusty (eww!) before I washed it. It seems to have softened up after a good soap and wash though so I stuck it back on with double sided tape.
I find the black rubber gaskets tend to get brittle and crack easily with age. One of the lens gaskets on my CGE 8-8-8 signal cracked into three pieces when I took the lens off so I ended up having to tape it back together. Said gasket got replaced with one I got with a set of lenses.
My Econolite 12-8-8 has the orange gaskets for some reason. They're pretty new looking but I guess it's because the light was made in 1995 whereas my CGE is probably from the 50s or 60s.
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@ NiMo: so the M-250R1 and M-250R2 were made together at one point? so they changed the instructions to R1 when they changed the light to R1 but they left the catalog alone? this light's door has no drip holes so it's pre-80s.
i wonder if anyone here has a copy of the instructions... i told the seller i didn't mind the instructions being torn. it's not like i don't know how to tighten two bolts and make three wire connections and do basic maintenance to it lol.
I find the black rubber gaskets tend to get brittle and crack easily with age. One of the lens gaskets on my CGE 8-8-8 signal cracked into three pieces when I took the lens off so I ended up having to tape it back together. Said gasket got replaced with one I got with a set of lenses.
My Econolite 12-8-8 has the orange gaskets for some reason. They're pretty new looking but I guess it's because the light was made in 1995 whereas my CGE is probably from the 50s or 60s.