1Ernesto

Vintage Christmas Bubble Light un-edit

Bubble lights have always played their part in my celebrations of Christmas. The very first I got to enjoy was at my grandmothers house in her front bay window ...
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Bubble lights have always played their part in my celebrations of Christmas. The very first I got to enjoy was at my grandmothers house in her front bay window in the late 1940's. This photo was made without flash during the day to allow ambient light to temper some of the light from the tube facilitating one being able to see the bubbles in this shot.

Bubble lights function because a heating element heats a certain liquid with a low boiling point. As the liquid sits close to the heating source, it begins to warm. Plugs, chemical compounds or glass expedites this process by conducting the heat. Once the liquid reaches the boiling point, bubbles form and pass through the length of the translucent tube.

Early forms of liquid in bubble lights included alcohol or ether; it could be colored based on preference. Since the late 1940s, bubble lights are now most often made with methylene chloride.
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