# Anyone know what this antique sculpted-filament bulb is about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066 "2011-02-21T00:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/1 "2011-02-21T00:27:04Z")
We did a little cleaning of my late mother’s house today, and finally got down to boxing her huge music-box/bell/knick-knack collection. There was one item that I not only didn’t know she had, but have never seen before: a light bulb with a sheet-metal sculpture in place of the filament. There was a cut-metal sculpture of a rose branch and a bird inside, and when I plugged it in, the sculpture glowed, but not like a regular bulb filament does, in a brilliant white, but a soft, almost-violet glow from all the surfaces. I wish I had photos, but we weren’t thinking about it when we found it and I’m not AT the house right now. It’s seriously something that I’ve never seen before and I can’t seem to bring anything up on Google with (antique lightbulb “shaped filament”) as the search term, nor with “sculpted filament” or “sculpture filament”. Has anyone seen anything like this before, and what’s the deal? Were they once popular and now completely obscure or is this one a one-off? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/2 "2011-02-21T00:30:42Z")
Might be a variation of a neon flame bulb. I will google a few related terms. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/3 "2011-02-21T00:32:33Z")
Google ‘neon flame bulb’ and see if anything there is close. (under images) I wonder if yours has a different gas mix for the unusual (for a neon type) color? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/4 "2011-02-21T00:42:08Z")
Look for “decorative filament” light bulb. [Here’s one with a Santa’s head.](http://Pics.AmRes.com/p_asp/m2726.asp) They also seem to be called “silhouette filament”. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/5 "2011-02-21T00:44:43Z")
And for the grand prize, I’m guessing that your mom’s bulb was made by [Aerolux](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerolux_Light_Corporation). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/6 "2011-02-21T01:47:20Z")
Wild! I have never, ever, heard of these or seen them before. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/7 "2011-02-21T01:50:44Z")
I use a neon flame bulb for a camp fire in my model train layout. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/8 "2011-02-21T02:04:01Z")
Okay, pics… [in light](http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=501058717469&set=a.463459657469.248128.575367469&theater), [in dark, bulb lit](http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=501058437469&set=a.463459657469.248128.575367469&theater). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/9 "2011-02-21T02:06:51Z")
Warning: facebook login required. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/10 "2011-02-21T02:10:28Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Warning: facebook login required. Sorry…let me see if I can save them to photobucket or something. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/11 "2011-02-21T02:10:34Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Warning: facebook login required. > [@Facebook](#): > > Tiu ĉi enhavo ne estas disponebla nuntempe > La paĝo, kiun vi petis ne povas videbli nun. Eble ĝi estas dumtempe nedisponebla, la ligilo, kiun vi klakis jam ne servas, aŭ vi ne havas permeson por vidi tiun ĉi paĝon. Translation: Content not found. 😕 I’m logged into FB as well. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/12 "2011-02-21T02:19:18Z")
Dammit…why doesn’t the internet ever work right when I’m not on my own computer? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-this-antique-sculpted-filament-bulb-is-about/572066/13 "2011-02-21T23:06:41Z")
Do they really call the metal parts “filaments”? I think of these as glow discharge lamps. They also made them with simple elements the shape of little pie pans cut in half, two elements forming a pie pan the size of a quarter coin. Neon filled ones would glow orange, and argon filled ones would glow purple with a fair amount of ultraviolet. I had a few when I was a teen but haven’t seen them in years. Painting certain phosphors (or somethings) on the element would change the color, too.