What kind of light do I have?

[Undergroundcanon]

Can anyone help me identify this light? It is cast aluminum with a green finish. It has a 30ft cord with an old ass wooden plug. It has a sealed beam GE bulb that works and is super bright. It was a gift from a friend and I would love to know something about it. There are no labels or stamps, inside or out.

 

[AlecIrwin]

Can you take a picture of what it looks like "head on?" I am no expert on this, but the parabolic shape on what appears to be the back of it makes me think it is some sort of PAR? Again, what does it look like where the bulb is?
(This was my wild guess. I have no clue. If the back "is" parabolic and aluminum, doesn't it technically fall under "Parabolic Aluminized Reflector?"
I am waiting for someone to correct me on this. Haha.)

 

[Undergroundcanon]

Front and back shots. I have no clue what it is, but I love it! The light is bright enough to be a train headlight...just FYI

 

[MPowers]

Can't Identify the unit, but the plug is a bake-lite 2 pin stage plug. Turn the plug over, is there a name or company stamped on it? Show us the inside, the socket and the lamp. Units of this era often had their logo/name stamped or cast on the center of the back side.

The 30' cord is an after market addition by someone along the line of owners after the original purchase.

How did you come across this unit? Inherit it with a new job or find it on Amazon or........???

 

[AlecIrwin]

Wow, I was way off. The tape on the front of the light made me assume that it must not be the front. (By the way, you might wanna take that off.)

That wooden connector looks like a stagepin connector without the ground. The stage pin plug means it was probably used for a theatrical application. What kind of beam does it produce? Can you tell? (The difference between a wide wash of light and a sharp spotlight.)

 

[Undergroundcanon]

It is a narrow enough beam of light, that I would assume it is a spotlight. There are no names anywhere on the light, inside or out. The plug does appear to say 12v possibly, very worn and hard to read. The light was a gift from a friend who found it in a junk store. She was told that they believed it was a theatre light.

 

[AlecIrwin]

Ok. Here's my longshot theory.

The fixture has a "screw type" of mounting, as opposed to a C-clamp, which makes me assume that it was permanently installed.
The stage pin connector means that it was probably used in a theater.
The connector probably does NOT say 12v, (12 volts), but might say 120v (which is about the standard amount of power you get from a general purpose outlet in America.)
Another interesting thing is the switch that is actually on the fixture, which means it probably wasn't intended to be flipped on and off during a show.

Maybe this light was used as accent lighting in a theater? Pointing at some part of the architecture? That's my best guess.

 

[Undergroundcanon]

It's not 12v, I just tried the battery on my car.....lol
Perhaps it's time for bed!

 

[AlecIrwin]

Night time is the best time for educational experiments! Now you know!

 

[venuetech]

I do not think it is entertainment related as there is no color frame clips and the yoke is unlike anything you would normally see. The plug is a stage two pin without ground but it is very unique as it is for single strand asbestos cable common to older theatrical fixtures, unlikely to be original. I suspect the fixture found it's way into a theatre and someone installed that plug. I wonder if there is a transformer in the back half, if so that would add a lot of weight. I suspect the cable is original. My guess is that it is some sort of fixture for an aircraft landing light. The handle and the odd clip that it forms hint at some unknown purpose. as do the acorn nuts (stainless steel?) and rubber feet on the yoke. The placement of the power input on top is also a bit odd.

 

[lightz]

I do not think it is entertainment related as there is no color frame clips and the yoke is unlike anything you would normally see. The plug is a stage two pin without ground but it is very unique as it is for single strand asbestos cable common to older theatrical fixtures, unlikely to be original. I suspect the fixture found it's way into a theatre and someone installed that plug. I wonder if there is a transformer in the back half, if so that would add a lot of weight. I suspect the cable is original. My guess is that it is some sort of fixture for an aircraft landing light. The handle and the odd clip that it forms hint at some unknown purpose. as do the acorn nuts (stainless steel?) and rubber feet on the yoke. The placement of the power input on top is also a bit odd.

I have read somewhere in one of my lighting books that it was common to use aircraft landing lights for rock n roll shows because they were brighter than any light in the theatrical market. (Please correct me if I am wrong)

 

[jhochb]

Good Morning

I have read somewhere in one of my lighting books that it was common to use aircraft landing lights for rock n roll shows because they were brighter than any light in the theatrical market. (Please correct me if I am wrong)


AirCraft Landing lights ( ACL ) are 28V lamps commonly wired in series of 4 lamps.
With a VERY narrow beam. They come in 250W or 600W ( 1K or 2.4K )
A popular R&R gag in the day.

OP
Can you tell us the diameter & take a photo of the lamp socket?
The socket may not be original but it may help us ID it

 

[venuetech]

AirCraft Landing lights ( ACL ) are 28V lamps commonly wired in series of 4 lamps.
With a VERY narrow beam. They come in 250W or 600W ( 1K or 2.4K )
A popular R&R gag in the day.
t

Or they would have a stepdown transformer built into the fixture, for a single lamp.

 

[silicsound]

It looks like a plano convex spotlight to me. Is there a sliding knob on it somewhere, like a fresnel? Or is the lens in the front actually the lamp?

 

[JD]

There are some clues-

1) Not watertight, so it was an indoor fixture.
2) Gap at the back handle looks like it could be hung on something if needed.
3) Not the type of finish or mounting bracket you would expect to be used in a theater (more of a foot that could be screwed down if needed.)
4) Power cord grommet at top of can, and rubber cord.

My guess- Some type of inspection light used in another industry that found it's way into a theater by accident. Stage pin connector added at that point. (btw- not wood, but a type of early plastic. Plenty of stage pin connectors used it, and some may still use it.)

 

[jwolfkill]

This looks a lot like an older marine spotlight. Where I live, we see them mounted on towboats. The pilots use them to pick out bridge pilings and other obstructions, so they're insanely bright and very tightly focused to project the light a mile or more. I suspect that it would be mounted yoke-up on some kind of swivel base on the ceiling of the pilot house so that the pilot could operate it with the handle. The switch placement would be consistent with that use, too.

JD, what tells you that this instrument is not watertight?

 

[josh88]

Well for one, the two holes in the side.


Via tapatalk

 

[Les]

Well for one, the two holes in the side.


Via tapatalk

And the non weather-proof switch and strain relief.

It does look like something you'd find on a boat though. If the light in the wheelhouse of your barge needs to be watertight, you have bigger problems than just the light.

 

[jwolfkill]

And the non weather-proof switch and strain relief.

It does look like something you'd find on a boat though. If the light in the wheelhouse your barge needs to be watertight, you have bigger problems than just the light.

Duh . . . saw the holes in the one photo after I posted. The biggest doubt I have about my theory is that most towboats have had their spotlights mounted outside the pilot house for a long time now - they're generally controlled remotely from inside the pilot house, either mechanically or electro-mechanically. I can't find any pictures of pilot houses on older towboats with a spotlight mounted inside the pilot house, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. I wonder whether the holes in the housing might have been attachment points for some kind of control rods?

 

[jwolfkill]

If the light in the wheelhouse your barge needs to be watertight, you have bigger problems than just the light.

Yes, indeed you do have problems if you have to be concerned about whether the spotlight is watertight:

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