Lets see your vintage shop work lights

[Jazz1]

switch on this older LUXO florescent lamp is not working,,does not click in ON position ..i been searching on line for a switch and cant find anything close..is there a special name for this type switch. The light is maybe 50 years old,,dunno. It a night table light of significance with a heck of a steel weight in base..

 

[Bert_]

switch on this older LUXO florescent lamp is not working,,does not click in ON position ..i been searching on line for a switch and cant find anything close..is there a special name for this type switch. The light is maybe 50 years old,,dunno. It a night table light of significance with a heck of a steel weight in base..

Switch looks typical for a manual preheat lamp. The switch does not "click" in the on position. Both "on" and "off" buttons are momentary.

Turning the lamp on goes like this, push and hold the "on" button for several seconds (The ends of the bulb should glow a dull orange). When you release the "on" button the lamp should light.

 

[Jazz1]

Switch looks typical for a manual preheat lamp. The switch does not "click" in the on position. Both "on" and "off" buttons are momentary.

Turning the lamp on goes like this, push and hold the "on" button for several seconds (The ends of the bulb should glow a dull orange). When you release the "on" button the lamp should light.

Thanks so much!!! It was the bulb!! You sir are KING for a Day!

Im under the weather but hardly an excuse for not swapping a bulb…

 

[Nutria]

Another Fostoria, but the interesting one is the Appleton Electric drop light.

 

[RuggedRacing]

I just cleaned up this vintage Dazor 2324 Floating Fixture industrial lamp and upgraded it with GE Color Select T8 LED tubes. A few other details in this post.

It’s a nice and bright update to my little work space.

did you have to change the ballast or just direct replacement?

 

[Beerhippie]

Vintage shop lights?

I have a couple:







At the left end of the top shelf, first picture, are a few from the late teens. Many are pre-WWII and I think the newest one is mid-'70s.

One is Japanese, one made in England. All the rest are made in USA. One runs on LP, one on kerosene. The rest run on white gasoline (camp fuel). Right handy in a power-outage.

 

[fishwatcher]

did you have to change the ballast or just direct replacement?

I didn’t have to change anything other than the tube. New LED tube was a direct swap for the old fluorescent tube. It still works great.

 

[Outlawmws]

I wonder what the power savings is since the ballast is stil in play?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not a shoplight, per se, but this thread is where I have posted my portable lanterns/searchlights (Bell System, WWII Navy, miners', etc), and I just added this one to the collection this morning, found at the flea. Oldest patent is 1916, newest 1938. Cork gasket on the lid. Future project.

 

[Outlawmws]

Lugz, what does it take for batteries? 6V box?

 

[Beerhippie]

Not a shoplight, per se, but this thread is where I have posted my portable lanterns/searchlights (Bell System, WWII Navy, miners', etc), and I just added this one to the collection this morning, found at the flea. Oldest patent is 1916, newest 1938. Cork gasket on the lid. Future project.

I have the same lantern, but mine is a WWII US Navy Battle Lantern. As found:



The USN item #s are visible at the bottom of the bezel.

These originally used two of the big 1.5V dry cells.



Mine required the use of a 1" auger and some chisels to remove the old batteries. I converted it to LED bulb--bayonet-base car taillight bulbs fit the socket--with two banks of 4 CR 18650 batteries. I changed the SPST switch out for a SPDT ON-OFF-ON, so I only use one bank of batteries at a time. I get a measured 12+ hours per bank of run time.



It's bright as... well, a really bright floodlight.





It lives in the car for an emergency lantern.

One thing I learned the hard way: Leaving it lying exposed on the floor of the car on a sunny day with the reflector facing up will melt the bulb. That parabolic reflector really works.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have the same lantern, but mine is a WWII US Navy Battle Lantern.

Nice! When I walked up on it from behind, saw the battleship grey and the handle, that's what I was hoping it was. But I'll take the civvie version for now.

 

[Beerhippie]

Nice! When I walked up on it from behind, saw the battleship grey and the handle, that's what I was hoping it was. But I'll take the civvie version for now.

Should I mention I paid $5 for it at a yard sale?

Nah, that would just be mean....

Mine, and I guess all of them, were originally painted bright yellow. But the Navy... anything that stands still gets a coat or five of battleship gray.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Mean? I'm a NJ flea market guy. If you hang around long enough or visit the annual Garage Sale thread you'll discover I don't like to talk about prices, personally, considering it gauche, but paying peanuts is de rigueur here in the land of dollar tables and tool smorgasbords. (EDIT: Dang brain going soft, actually had to look that word up!)

 

[Outlawmws]

Belated GJ sucakge awarded to Timm for the $5 searchlight (I likely did the same on CCF in the event)

 

[Modern Garage]

Outlaw, I can't speak to the small light in a desk lamp, but I did test the power savings in one of my four foot forty watt generic fluorescent ceiling lights when I changed over to LED.
Original draw ( plugged into a Kill-a-watt meter) was within a watt or two of 40 watts depending on temp. A drop- in LED stick with ballast still wired in was drawing in mid to high twenties for wattage ( don't have my notes handy) and a direct wire LED with ballast removed draws around 14 or 15 watts.
Obviously the numbers are different for a small desk lamp but there was a significant savings in direct wiring - since I wasn't paying an electrician by the hour. When I re-wired all the eight footers in my shop at 14 feet off the ground that would have been a pretty fair labor charge.
Joe

 

[Outlawmws]

Outlaw, I can't speak to the small light in a desk lamp, but I did test the power savings in one of my four foot forty watt generic fluorescent ceiling lights when I changed over to LED.
Original draw ( plugged into a Kill-a-watt meter) was within a watt or two of 40 watts depending on temp. A drop- in LED stick with ballast still wired in was drawing in mid to high twenties for wattage ( don't have my notes handy) and a direct wire LED with ballast removed draws around 14 or 15 watts.
Obviously the numbers are different for a small desk lamp but there was a significant savings in direct wiring - since I wasn't paying an electrician by the hour. When I re-wired all the eight footers in my shop at 14 feet off the ground that would have been a pretty fair labor charge.
Joe

Good to know. I went with replacement 4 foot LED shop lights throughput my garage and work room and the screen room. so I didn't mess with bulbs or wiring - just plug and play. 10 units all told.

 

[1930artdeco]

Picked this up from an estate sale. He used to work at the local refinery. Will have to add a plug and a switch. Made of a Bakelite type material.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's a drop light I picked up today:



I'm guessing it's at least as old as I am. The ceramic light base and switch are Leviton and still work.

I have the metal parts in the ultrasonic cleaner right now and got the wood pretty nicely cleaned up--even removed all white paint spatter. The wood'll get a few new coats of BLO, then some wax. I think I still have some copper metallic Rustoleum around that should match the old paint well.

I'll use an old extension cord with missing female end for now and order something more "vintage"--cloth-wrapped cord--to finish it off.

 

[RTM]

I'll use an old extension cord with missing female end for now and order something more "vintage"--cloth-wrapped--cord to finish it off.

Go cautious here. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a pre made vintage looking extension cord, than to buy just raw cord. DAMHIKT.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's a drop light I picked up today:



I'm guessing it's at least as old as I am. The ceramic light base and switch are Leviton and still work.

I have the metal parts in the ultrasonic cleaner right now and got the wood pretty nicely cleaned up--even removed all white paint spatter. The wood'll get a few new coats of BLO, then some wax. I think I still have some copper metallic Rustoleum around that should match the old paint well.

I'll use an old extension cord with missing female end for now and order something more "vintage"--cloth-wrapped--cord to finish it off.

Got 'er done! About as easy as any clean-up of an old tool I've done lately.

I have a feeling I'm not the first one to re-wire this light:



How long has the silver screw/gold screw standard been around?

There is nothing to provide a strain relief on this vintage light, so may as well go vintage:



A fiber gasket from a CO2 canister and an Underwriter's knot to the rescue.

Back together:



I have no idea what the paint is (copper plating? I don't think so.), but it survived a half-hour in an industrial ultrasonic cleaner with 180 degree F lye solution, so I chose not to re-paint. I gave it a good coat of Renaissance wax to keep any further rust off and we'll just call it "patina". I also have no idea of how old this light is, but that home-made reflector is NOT galvanized--it's tinned! I haven't seen tinned flashing in a while.

The cage is retained by four captive thumbscrews that fit into the keyholes--very easy to remove to replace the bulb. There are two currently unused, smaller keyholes that I think were to mount a (missing) retainer for the bulb base.

I just happen to have some LED "Edison" bulbs around, so:



Now it's Steampunk.



I have a fabric-wrapped vintage lamp cord on the way. It's only twelve feet long (and only cost twelve bucks), but I won't really be using this much as a droplight (I'll probably be eating those words) as I use a headlamp for all that kind of stuff these days.

 

[Beerhippie]

Go cautious here. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a pre made vintage looking extension cord, than to buy just raw cord. DAMHIKT.

In this case, buying a pre-made cord wasn't bad. For tool cord replacements, I have found it's much cheaper to buy a decent 12 AWG extension cord than to buy 12 AWG type-S cable and plugs to make up my own. I like having twenty-five foot cords on things like my Skilsaw and drills. I rarely need an extension cord that way.

 

[Beerhippie]

Got 'er done! About as easy as any clean-up of an old tool I've done lately.

I have a feeling I'm not the first one to re-wire this light:



How long has the silver screw/gold screw standard been around?

There is nothing to provide a strain relief on this vintage light, so may as well go vintage:



A fiber gasket from a CO2 canister and an Underwriter's knot to the rescue.

Back together:



I have no idea what the paint is (copper plating? I don't think so.), but it survived a half-hour in an industrial ultrasonic cleaner with 180 degree F lye solution, so I chose not to re-paint. I gave it a good coat of Renaissance wax to keep any further rust off and we'll just call it "patina". I also have no idea of how old this light is, but that home-made reflector is NOT galvanized--it's tinned! I haven't seen tinned flashing in a while.

The cage is retained by four captive thumbscrews that fit into the keyholes--very easy to remove to replace the bulb. There are two currently unused, smaller keyholes that I think were to mount a (missing) retainer for the bulb base.

I just happen to have some LED "Edison" bulbs around, so:



Now it's Steampunk.



I have a fabric-wrapped vintage lamp cord on the way. It's only twelve feet long (and only cost twelve bucks), but I won't really be using this much as a droplight (I'll probably be eating those words) as I use a headlamp for all that kind of stuff these days.

Doing a little research on the polarized lamp base. Looks like the polarized standard didn't make it into the NEC until '62, so the lamp base, at least, is likely no older than that.

The copper finished steel on the light reminds me of the Schuyler patent funnels from 1911 to 1928, and the early Coleman funnels starting in '28.

 

[Outlawmws]

Timm, I'd be thinking 20's maybe thirties too. I've seen/handled 50's and 60's drop lights, and that's older. I've never seen one with a wood handle!

I agree - not the first to be inside it and likely the socket was broken and replaced then. Any Idea of it's history? Where it came from? An old repair shop or an oldster that did that back in the day?

Good choice on the Edison style LED!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The first 2 are Lux. The 1st i dont know if i can get fluorescent bulbs, if not I'll use led strip lights cut to fit. The 2nd Lux is a combo light. The round fluorescent bulb needs replaced and I'm using an led in place of the incandescent. The rest are stage lights, 2 work.

 

[Beerhippie]

Timm, I'd be thinking 20's maybe thirties too. I've seen/handled 50's and 60's drop lights, and that's older. I've never seen one with a wood handle!

I agree - not the first to be inside it and likely the socket was broken and replaced then. Any Idea of it's history? Where it came from? An old repair shop or an oldster that did that back in the day?

Good choice on the Edison style LED!

Searching on the 'net, I found a sum total of three pictures of what appears to be this same light--but no information whatsoever. The only thing I learned is that these seem to sell for about 30 times what I paid for it--$5. Not bad.

Working on this light brought back some pretty not happy memories of using drop (trouble) lights over the years--running wiring or soldering plumbing in already hot attics and crawlspaces with a very hot lightbulb near my head, which was prone to breaking the filament every time it was bumped when lit. I'd usually bring two or three spare bulbs with me and got very good at swapping them out in total darkness. We all tried "heavy-duty" light bulbs that were supposed to be made to handle getting bumped around when lit--and maybe they worked just a little bit better.

I'm not in the least nostalgic about old tungsten-filament bulbs.

The "Edison" LED was something a co-worker brought a case of in the other day. He bought them for household lighting and his wife declared they were too bright. Too bright for a 60-something guy working in a shop is an oxymoron.

 

[Outlawmws]

Too bright for a 60-something guy working in a shop is an oxymoron.

Roger that!

 

[Beerhippie]

Timm, I'd be thinking 20's maybe thirties too. I've seen/handled 50's and 60's drop lights, and that's older. I've never seen one with a wood handle!

I agree - not the first to be inside it and likely the socket was broken and replaced then. Any Idea of it's history? Where it came from? An old repair shop or an oldster that did that back in the day?

Good choice on the Edison style LED!

I have no idea of the provenance of this light.

I got it from a shop that has lots of old tools at antique store prices. We used to call it the "antique tool museum" as the pricing was so high nothing ever sold. The original owner retired and passed it on to his daughter and SIL and they seem more interested in actually selling some of this stuff. That light had been there for at least a decade at his museum pricing and I finally managed to talk the new owners down to a reasonable (for me) price.

I'd never seen a wood-handled (this is maple, btw) drop light or anything that looks like this one before, either.

It's now plugged into a switched outlet to bring light to a dark corner of the shop.

 

[Outlawmws]

It's now plugged into a switched outlet to bring light to a dark corner of the shop.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I've never seen one with a wood handle!

I'd never seen a wood-handled (this is maple, btw) drop light or anything that looks like this one before, either.

Here is the only one I have ever seen prior to @Beerhippie 's. (Excuse the terrible photo.)



They were in a huge surplus lot I bought several years ago. There were a number of Air Corps trouble lights, as well, as seen inside this box.



The cage on the wood-handled one was metal.



The cages on the others was fiberboard, believe it or not!




I wish I had taken more photos of the wooden-handled jobbie, so I could contribute some data on its manufacturing, as a type, but I sold it to a guy in England, for a museum, ironically. It was one of those deals where I had to buy the entire lot (300+ items) for just a few dozen things I wanted. It took me several years to flip the bulk of it and I still have a few things.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here is the only one I have ever seen prior to @Beerhippie 's. (Excuse the terrible photo.)



They were in a huge surplus lot I bought several years ago. There were a number of Air Corps trouble lights, as well, as seen inside this box.



The cage on the wood-handled one was metal.



The cages on the others was fiberboard, believe it or not!




I wish I had taken more photos of the wooden-handled jobbie, so I could contribute some data on its manufacturing, as a type, but I sold it to a guy in England, for a museum, ironically. It was one of those deals where I had to buy the entire lot (300+ items) for just a few dozen things I wanted. It took me several years to flip the bulk of it and I still have a few things.

Your wood-handled one is similar to, but differs from mine. It doesn't appear to have the captive thumbscrew and keyhole for the cage and some of the wires on the cage seen to be wrapped to the frame--oops, I see that's a repair--maybe it is the same!

 

[Catcher1984]

I didn’t have to change anything other than the tube. New LED tube was a direct swap for the old fluorescent tube. It still works great.

I have some dazors as well (3) and I tried swapping LED bulbs in all of them but they only worked on one lamp. Weird thing is one is newer and it’s not the one the bulbs worked in :/

 

[RTM]

I have some dazors as well (3) and I tried swapping LED bulbs in all of them but they only worked on one lamp. Weird thing is one is newer and it’s not the one the bulbs worked in :/

LED bulbs are wired differently, some will work with or without a ballast. My circle light will go either way. Some of my 4' tubes in the garage required the ballast be clipped, and power routed to only one end, etc Check them carefully., worst case sparks and blown breakers with the ones I've messed with.

 

[Beerhippie]

LED bulbs are wired differently, some will work with or without a ballast. My circle light will go either way. Some of my 4' tubes in the garage required the ballast be clipped, and power routed to only one end, etc Check them carefully., worst case sparks and blown breakers with the ones I've messed with.

I usually just re-wire and use either 12V or 120V LEDs. Much easier when all is said and done.

 

[rustyzman]

I have no idea of the provenance of this light.

I got it from a shop that has lots of old tools at antique store prices. We used to call it the "antique tool museum" as the pricing was so high nothing ever sold. The original owner retired and passed it on to his daughter and SIL and they seem more interested in actually selling some of this stuff. That light had been there for at least a decade at his museum pricing and I finally managed to talk the new owners down to a reasonable (for me) price.

I'd never seen a wood-handled (this is maple, btw) drop light or anything that looks like this one before, either.

It's now plugged into a switched outlet to bring light to a dark corner of the shop.

Neat light. I have a very similar one I found in the bottom of a cardboard barrel in a very old apple orchard barn.
I can't get to it right now, but I'll have to take a pic of it once I can access it. Very similar handle and same style cage attachment.

I have the LED edison bulb in it too and redid it with a twisted cloth cord and vintage style plug. I usually hang it in my truck cab at car shows and plug it into an inverter. Mine has a different switch that you rock over and it pulls on a chain. Never saw that style before.

 

[Beerhippie]

I put the finishing touch on my maple-handled drop light today:

 

[Outlawmws]

Love the twisted cloth cord Timm!

 

[Michael_PE2003]

When I bought my lathe, it came with most of a worklight, minus a shade and cord. After I cleaned off all the layers of paint I could read the manufacturer's name and it's an O.C. White. This is how it came...minus all the paint.



I found a shade on eBay. I liked the shape and size and thought it was painted steel, turns out it's brass.



I figured out how to attach the shade to the socket. It's a little crude, I used a hose clamp and some Buna-n rubber sheet as a buffer around the socket inside the shade so at least it's pretty well hidden. I also found a cord in the pile that would work and...




The shade is O.C. White according to the eBay listing. I have no idea if that's true, but it looks like it belongs.

 

[Michael_PE2003]

Not quite as vintage as the one above, it looks more like 50's to 60's is this Woodward Machine Co. fluorescent wall mount, also above the lathe as area lighting.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Three of many. No more pictures. Picture 2 is of a Fostoria or FC White. I managed to get 3 of these before the mancave crew pushed the price way up.
The Delta bell is shaped like a bell. It has a Bakelite Plastic cam switch and a fancy arm.