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Re: 25mm Glass

Posted By: Don Miner
Date: Wednesday, 2 April 2008, at 10:19 p.m.

In Response To: Re: 25mm Glass (Tom U.)

> Well, you're right Don, it's a trade-off you
> need to decide. I'm just not sure of the
> cons of using colored glass in this case.
> What would they be to you?

> If you look at the spectral distribution of
> a standard green tube pumped with neon, the
> spike is around 640 nanometers. If you look
> at an orange, colored glass tube w/
> phosphor, you see the spike at around 610
> nanometers. They're really different colors.
> (Clear glass with neon is about 645.)

> If you look at the lumen output of each, the
> green pumped neon is about 175 lumens in
> 15mm glass and the orange coated is about
> 300 lumens in the same.

> You're right, most phosphor coated tubes
> will lose 20% of lumen output after 1.5
> years and it levels out for a while after
> that (some more, some less). That seems like
> an acceptable level to me.

> While the green pumped neon won't lose as
> high a percentage in lumen output over time,
> the color will shift more toward the color
> of the neon gas as the same phosphor
> breakdown happens.

> My opinion is that the mercury shouldn't
> darken the orange tube significantly for
> quite some time if the tube is processed
> well.

> I guess here, ultimately the customer should
> choose. But, I think it's cases like this
> where neon can, and should, stand apart from
> other lighting mediums. Particularly in
> cases like this - "a lighting
> fixture...in a modernized dorm
> building."

> cheers,

> Tom U.
Tom, I agree with you, but the key phrase is "tube is processed well". I have seen many mercury tubes come to my shop, unbroken, but "dead" with enough mercury to process 6 or more tubes. The tubes are invariably blackened from the excess mercury. I sometimes wonder where these pumpers learned their craft. But that is another thread for a later time. Thanks for your attention. Don

Messages In This Thread

• 25mm Glass -- sivart -- Friday, 28 March 2008, at 3:24 p.m.
  • Re: 25mm Glass -- neontek -- Friday, 28 March 2008, at 9:47 p.m.
  • Re: 25mm Glass -- John Anderson -- Friday, 28 March 2008, at 10:32 p.m.
    • Re: 25mm Glass -- Don Miner -- Saturday, 29 March 2008, at 1:02 p.m.
      • Re: 25mm Glass -- i catchers -- Sunday, 30 March 2008, at 9:49 a.m.
  • Re: 25mm Glass -- Bob -- Sunday, 30 March 2008, at 3:52 p.m.
    • Re: 25mm Glass -- Don Miner -- Sunday, 30 March 2008, at 5:11 p.m.
      • Re: 25mm Glass -- Bob -- Monday, 31 March 2008, at 2:28 p.m.
      • Re: 25mm Glass -- sivart -- Monday, 31 March 2008, at 3:16 p.m.
        • Re: 25mm Glass -- Tom U. -- Tuesday, 1 April 2008, at 4:27 p.m.
          • Re: 25mm Glass -- Don Miner -- Tuesday, 1 April 2008, at 10:13 p.m.
            • Re: 25mm Glass -- Tom U. -- Wednesday, 2 April 2008, at 4:37 p.m.
              • Re: 25mm Glass -- Don Miner -- Wednesday, 2 April 2008, at 10:19 p.m.

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