Vintage Flourescent Light Fitting Advice

[sallyabell]

Hello!

I am interested in buying an old 1950's light fitting I have seen and wanted to seek some advice... It is originally from Germany, and while it is still working should it be rewired for use in the UK?

Also, are fluorescent tubes fairly standard? It has a working one fitted in it just now but obviously I don't want to to end up with a light fitting I can't get bulbs for.

thanks for your time,

Sally

 

[NozSpark]

If it's a 50s original fitting then I'd certainly look at changing the gear for a more efficient modern replacement... Other than that you need to look at the plastic parts as they can go brittle over time

 

[kerching]

Some old balLasts had an insulation called PCB....it is carcinogenic!

Old style SRS ballasts will not strike slimline T 8 tubes...only T12s

If it was me i would not bother.

If the wife told me I HAD to bother then i would bin everything other than the body and start again

Are their flu tubes the same length as ours?....just thinking

 

[sallyabell]

Thanks chaps!

Would swapping out the parts for new one be an expensive job? It sounds to me like it would be fiddly at least.

It is very un-forwarding thinking of those people in the 50s to make things which woudn't be OK for me to use in 2015. ; )

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

The internal parts today are smaller & lighter  than in the  50s so the parts should  fit, but no-one here  can say for sure without seeing the item.

 

[NozSpark]

The only parts that could cause a problem (IMHO) are the plastic end caps.... They could have gone very brittle and it could be very difficult to get exact replacements

 

[Evans Electric]

I believe that the  length of tubes is standard   ( Although theres one fitted to certain german printing presses that are a wierd size)   

So to sum up :- 

As Kerch says , the ballast may be carcinogenic.  (also the capacitor)  

German voltage is same as ours.

The tube length may be non standard .

The starter will probably be a 4 pin , still available.

Plastic or bakelite parts may be brittle as Noz says.

The tube will definitely be a "Fatty"  and control gear may not work with a modern tube .

It will probably be as ugly as sin .

 

[Lurch]

I'm intrigued as to what this unit looks like, I am imagining something akin to an Ex fitting.

 

[sallyabell]

Thanks folks!

With your helpful advice we've decided it is too much cost and hassle. And for those curious I've done a very exciting sketch of it using the glorious MS Paint. But I don't have enough posts to share links on the forum.

It is a modernist chrome fitting with a ceiling rose, single verticle post down to a wide shallow oval chrome tube which houses the fluro strip in the lower section. Hopefully that makes some kind of sense.

Cheers

Sally

 

[roys]

Don't give up on it yet Sally, I am sure one of the mods will enable your ability to post pictures just shortly, while we are waiting can you measure what size the tube is.

It sounds like an interesting fitting that might be worth a bit of effort, we can advise more when we have a pic and some sizes.

 

[septiclecky]

I believe that the  length of tubes is standard   ( Although theres one fitted to certain german printing presses that are a wierd size)   

So to sum up :- 

As Kerch says , the ballast may be carcinogenic.  (also the capacitor)  

German voltage is same as ours.

The tube length may be non standard .

The starter will probably be a 4 pin , still available.

Plastic or bakelite parts may be brittle as Noz says.

The tube will definitely be a "Fatty"  and control gear may not work with a modern tube .

It will probably be as ugly as sin .

And the end caps will probably be BC and not Bi-Pin like modern fluorescents

 

[sallyabell]

Don't give up on it yet Sally, I am sure one of the mods will enable your ability to post pictures just shortly, while we are waiting can you measure what size the tube is.

It sounds like an interesting fitting that might be worth a bit of effort, we can advise more when we have a pic and some sizes.

The overall length of it is 145cm, but the chrome extends beyond where the fluro tube fits by about 5cm at each side. It is an interesting fitting, quite art deco in style. It is also not cheap so I'm reluctant to buy something which is already expensive which will then end up being even MORE expensive!

 

[roys]

Could be a 4 foot " fatty" tube.

Hopefully you will be ok to post pics soon, do you still have a tube in it? Any details written on the tube or fitting.

Where roughly in the country are you?

 

[sallyabell]

Could be a 4 foot " fatty" tube.

Hopefully you will be ok to post pics soon, do you still have a tube in it? Any details written on the tube or fitting.

Where roughly in the country are you?

There is a tube still in it, which works.

Thanks for all your advice, I got back yesterday from 2 nights away to find my husband had decided to buy something else! haha! Someone else will get the joy of fixing it up.

Cheers

S

 

[roys]

Does the tube have any writing on it Sally? If so what does it say. Usually written on one end sometimes it hides round the back of the tube