• CombatWombatEsq@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Is it my turn to do the joke? Yeah? Okay, here goes:

    Op, why are you putting this absolutely fascinating post in mildly interesting? This is way too interesting.

    Edit: the colors are produced by phosphors that are painted on the filament: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/12/aerolux-flower-bulbs/

    2nd edit: I’ve been fully nerd-sniped:

    The red bulbs are filled with neon gas, the pink bulbs with a neon-argon mix, and the purple/violet bulbs with argon gas. The green color (as was used for grass, accents in advertising bulbs or leaves in the flower and bouquet bulbs) was produced by coating the metal with barium, which responded to the wavelength of light given off by the ionized gas.

    Source: https://brewminate.com/flower-light-bulbs-forgotten-wonders-of-the-mid-1900s/

    • Ech
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      12 hours ago

      Thank you! I was wondering what shenanigans they were possibly using to make filament glow in different colors, even in the same bulb. That also explains the need for such large enclosures. Neat!