Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Should I Use An A19 or a E26 Bulb on My Vintage Lamp?

Oh the bulb... Without a source of light, the lamp becomes just another dust collecting nick-knack perched on the table top or night stand. With a little filament and electricity, blam-o! We have light. So then the questions is "Should I Use An A19 or a E26 Bulb on My Vintage Lamp?" 

Answer: Why not? 

47260 - LED Vintage Style Light Bulb, A19, Medium Size (E26) w/Loop Filament

The problem is the question. The A19 and E26 are unrelated and describe different aspects of the bulb. The A stands for Arbitrary and the 19 is the measurement in 1/8th of an inch. A19 equals and Arbitrary shape with 19/8th or 2 3/8th (2.375 inches) in diameter. What comes after A? 

Source: https://www.lightopedia.com/static/frontend/images/tools/bulb-shapes-and-sizes.gif

Thanks for the great infographic LightOPedia. And as you can see, there are many different shapes and styles for bulbs, but the A series is the OG. Even Thomas Edison, when asked about the bulb, at one point said "A". 

Notice in this chart, there is no E Series. The E of the "E26" in the light bulb description stands for Edison and the 26 is the measurement in millimeters. E26 equals Edison style (screw type base) with 26 millimeters width (about 1 inch). 


The E26 socket is the most common size lamp socket in North America for table lamps, ceiling fixtures, bathroom lights, hallway lights, and many other applications. Another term for E26 is Medium Socket. E12 sockets are also known as Candelabra Sockets and E39 sockets are known as Mogul Sockets. 

Join us later as we will take a dive into the energy consumption of bulbs. Watt?


Thursday, May 19, 2022

What is a 2 1/4 Inch Fitter and How to Mount a Fixture Shade

Since the dawn of glass lamp shades, glassmiths would create decorative ornate pieces. Perhaps they were commissioned for a specific design or maybe they were making shades for a production of lighting. Either way, one questions remained: fitment. How was this designed shade going to fit on a lamp fixture? 

Pan Light Fixture Drawing

Fortunately some standardized sizes were adopted by the lighting industry and they are still in use today. Traditionally shades were mounted to a fixture with a lipped edge (Figure 2). The shade holder would use a series of set screws (normally 3) to mount the shade to the fixture. 

Lipped Fitter on Glass Shade

For smaller shades, also known as fixture shades, the fitter size is known as a 2 1/4 Inch Fitter. These shades are common in sconces, pendants, pan lights, bathroom fixtures, floor lamps, and many more applications. 

Glass Shade with Fitters
To mount the fixture shade on the lamp, you would need a 2 1/4 inch shade holder, fixture shade, and set screws. Loosen screws so the shade lip can seat in the base of the shade holder, then tighten the screws evenly to firmly hold the shade in place. Pliers or screw drivers are not recommended since they may apply too much pressure on the shade. 


Other standardized lipped fixture shades include: 3 1/4 Inch, 4 Inch, and 6 Inch.