It's date code is 99. It's NOS but looks like it was stored in a wet environment, as the etch is almost worn off completly and the base is rough and green. I'll need to scrab it with steel wool...
Bought it at the ReStore for $3.50 along with an older GE 175W /DX lamp for $3. These were on a shelve marked as "handblown glass ornaments" lol The employees thought these were fake light bulbs for decorations lol.
Thanks! Yeah they were the only HID things in the store besides a used 70W HPS floodlight labeled as "HALOGEN FLOOD - $9" I didn't get it though since i only brought 25 bucks with me. I don't even want to tally up all i've spent at restores over the past year or two lol. Probably over 100 bucks in total lol.
I probably would have snapped up the HPS flood too but if I had to choose I would have bought the NOS /C instead. It's not everyday you see a NOS /C.
To clean up the base, I used Brasso , toilet bowl cleaner might also work along with Bar Keeper's Friend. (The latter is impossible to get in Canada though).
Ever heard of a product called "Corrosion Block" you guys? Us boat owners use it A LOT in such a salty environment on everything, ranging from electrical to engine parts to anything metal you can think of! It kinda kills the corrosion, and lubricates too.
Great find! Have you checked the base for any date information and are you able to see the ordering code any part of it? I'm trying my best to appromixately date it.
thanks! it was surely the first thing that caught my eye. the guy said those two lamps had been on their shelves for a long time and he was surprised when i wanted them lol.
i don't think there's any info on the base. the base is aluminum but is heavily greened and it's rough. it must have sat in a wet environment. the etch has 99 on it. i think that's the date code... it has the large 400 in the center of the etch and has a very robust frame inside.
Hmm, I never actually seen a HID lamp with a aluminum base before. Maybe it's nickel plated? My 60s BT-25 merc has a nickel plated base. Another clue would be the shape of the glass insulator.
99 is the date code. March '69, great vintage lamp! By the way it doesn't have an aluminum base, it has a nickel plated brass base. It is smoother and shinier than aluminum.
@ Andy; well i couldn't have tested it if i didn't. Even if my lamps are NOS i still test them. The only lamps i have that I've never tested are those that i don't have propeer gear to operate.
@ Joe and Dave; ahh okay. The base certainly isn't smooth and shiney now though lol. I plan to correct that though... Thanks for dating it. Joe had dated it too but wasn't 100% certain so thanks both of you. and yep the frame is identical to the rough service one in your link Joe. Maybe back then this frame was standard.
I'm going to a flea market with my grandparents today so maybe I'll find something. All i usually find are table lamps and other household fixtures i don't really care about lol. I sometimes see traffic signals but they're either not for sale of the seller is asking too much. Flea markets seem to always be pricey though IMO. I'm not really a fan of them myself but I'll bring my wallet just in case...
I still have some NOS lamps that haven't been tested yet. Namely my late 60s BT-25 100w clear mercs, and my 1980s 400w /DX cleartop.
I've never seen traffic signals for sale at the flea market before though, the ones that were there were not for sale and plus they were usually modern poly stuff.
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To clean up the base, I used Brasso
i don't think there's any info on the base. the base is aluminum but is heavily greened and it's rough. it must have sat in a wet environment. the etch has 99 on it. i think that's the date code... it has the large 400 in the center of the etch and has a very robust frame inside.
The frame sorta looks like a rough service one.
@ Joe and Dave; ahh okay. The base certainly isn't smooth and shiney now though lol. I plan to correct that though... Thanks for dating it. Joe had dated it too but wasn't 100% certain so thanks both of you.
I'm going to a flea market with my grandparents today so maybe I'll find something. All i usually find are table lamps and other household fixtures i don't really care about lol. I sometimes see traffic signals but they're either not for sale of the seller is asking too much. Flea markets seem to always be pricey though IMO. I'm not really a fan of them myself but I'll bring my wallet just in case...
I've never seen traffic signals for sale at the flea market before though, the ones that were there were not for sale and plus they were usually modern poly stuff.