csshih
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hi All,
Up for review is a curious light emitting gadget: a tritium light bulb cord-pull.
This product can only purchased in one place on the internet: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=240263 for 55$ + $10 for shipping. The rather high price is for the contents of the bulb.. a tritium vial which will be further discussed in the review
They are available in two colors, and I will be reviewing a "ice-blue" one, which is 60% as bright as a green one.,
B@rt also sells a few other tritium products: bare vials, TiGlows (a tritium vial inside a titanium tube that has holes to allow light out), and tritium spheres.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=194646
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=238397
The tritium light bulb cord-pull is a handmade product. B@rt starts the product off with a bulb made of clear plastic, then beadblasts the bulb and mounts a large glass 4x20mm Tritium vial inside.
Fine! a few glowing pictures!
What is tritium, you may ask? Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is commonly used in Watches, gun sights, emergency exit signs, and, well, for boosting the yield of thermonuclear weapons. Of course, this vial doesn't have enough to do so. Well, even if you did have enough material, you'd need a a nuclear missile to boost the yield of in the first place. I believe those are rather hard to find.
Basically, you get a vial that glows in the dark without any extra source of energy (sunlight, uv light, etc) for 12 years (which is the half life of tritium, the output will be halved).
The reason tritium glows is that inside the glass vials containing tritium, there is a phosphor lining the glass. as the tritium decays, electrons are released and hit the phosphor, making it glow.
One might be alarmed because it is indeed a beta emitter, worry not, as if you broke the vial inside, the tritium gas would quickly dissipate in the air as it is chemically identical to hydrogen. (I've tested the tritbulb's durability: it survived drops from over 3 feet onto a hardwood floor). If the tritium gas is inhaled, it will pass out of the body rather rapidly as water.
This product was initially made for using on light bulb cord-pulls, and appears durable enough for that task, of course, you're not required to use it only for that task, the possibilities are endless. The bead-blasting is done well with very few noticeable noticeable imperfections, the finished product is well sealed off at the base, and a few sharp tugs did not result in anything coming off.
I believe that these are a rarity -- it is very hard to find products that contain this large of a tritium vial (that is filled to maximum pressure, too). It would make a great present to those interested in collecting the rare and exotic -- of course, it would also be very useful for safely finding your light cord in the dark, or anything else you want to tag.
Up for review is a curious light emitting gadget: a tritium light bulb cord-pull.
This product can only purchased in one place on the internet: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=240263 for 55$ + $10 for shipping. The rather high price is for the contents of the bulb.. a tritium vial which will be further discussed in the review
They are available in two colors, and I will be reviewing a "ice-blue" one, which is 60% as bright as a green one.,
B@rt also sells a few other tritium products: bare vials, TiGlows (a tritium vial inside a titanium tube that has holes to allow light out), and tritium spheres.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=194646
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=238397
The tritium light bulb cord-pull is a handmade product. B@rt starts the product off with a bulb made of clear plastic, then beadblasts the bulb and mounts a large glass 4x20mm Tritium vial inside.
Fine! a few glowing pictures!
What is tritium, you may ask? Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is commonly used in Watches, gun sights, emergency exit signs, and, well, for boosting the yield of thermonuclear weapons. Of course, this vial doesn't have enough to do so. Well, even if you did have enough material, you'd need a a nuclear missile to boost the yield of in the first place. I believe those are rather hard to find.
Basically, you get a vial that glows in the dark without any extra source of energy (sunlight, uv light, etc) for 12 years (which is the half life of tritium, the output will be halved).
The reason tritium glows is that inside the glass vials containing tritium, there is a phosphor lining the glass. as the tritium decays, electrons are released and hit the phosphor, making it glow.
One might be alarmed because it is indeed a beta emitter, worry not, as if you broke the vial inside, the tritium gas would quickly dissipate in the air as it is chemically identical to hydrogen. (I've tested the tritbulb's durability: it survived drops from over 3 feet onto a hardwood floor). If the tritium gas is inhaled, it will pass out of the body rather rapidly as water.
This product was initially made for using on light bulb cord-pulls, and appears durable enough for that task, of course, you're not required to use it only for that task, the possibilities are endless. The bead-blasting is done well with very few noticeable noticeable imperfections, the finished product is well sealed off at the base, and a few sharp tugs did not result in anything coming off.
I believe that these are a rarity -- it is very hard to find products that contain this large of a tritium vial (that is filled to maximum pressure, too). It would make a great present to those interested in collecting the rare and exotic -- of course, it would also be very useful for safely finding your light cord in the dark, or anything else you want to tag.
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