These things have been around
for a long while. To be honest, I cannot really see and
purpose for their continued existence. In every way they are
out performed by linear/compact fluorescent "black lights".
Due to the relatively low running temperatures of the filaments in
common incandescent lamps, very, very little UV is actually
produced. To try to squeeze a little more UV from the
filament, the companies which manufacture this type of lamp tend to
overdrive the filament - making it run far hotter than
normal. This does provide more UV emission - but also has a
huge impact on lamp life. Generally these lamps have rated
lifetimes of between 100 and 500 hours (rather than around 1000 for a
standard incandescent lamp of the same rating). Even then
though, the lamp will be producing relatively little UV. Some
examples similar to this I have seen simply use a normal glass bulb and
apply a deep violet coloured coating externally. My example
hasn't cheated to quite that extent, and does actually have a Wood's
Glass bulb. Wood's Glass is glass with a higher than usual
concentration of nickel and iron oxide present, which causes it to be
almost totally opaque to most visible light (apart from some deep red
and violet), and any shortwave UV. It does however allow
long wave ultraviolet (UV-A) to pass through relatively unimpeded.
This lamp appears to be in the overdriven category - producing far more
heat than you would expect from a 60W source (it actually managed to
burn a patch in the paper in the few seconds it was on for me to get
that photograph!), but despite that only crates a pitiful amount of
UV. Barely even managing to make the paper glow, and having
really very little effect on fluorescent objects (being illuminated
just as much by the visible emission than by fluorescence).
The colour of the glass also appears to be a little uneven - one side
allowing through far more light than the other. Varying from
a fairly pale blue colour on one side to a much deeper violet on the
other. A single 5mm UV LED is more effective for providing a
source for the purpose of making things fluoresce - and it'll run on
20mA at a few volts...rather than 250mA at 250V...We won't even bother
comparing it to my main fluorescent black light (F15T8BLB fixture), as
it's like comparing a unicycle to a Ferrari F-50.
For the above reasons, I really do not see that this lamp serves any
practical application - but it is an example of lighting technology,
and as such deserves a place in the collection.
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