Cryselco reflector lamp

[George Miles]

I have found a Cryselco reflector lamp

275 watts infra red what was it used for? Has it a use today? Is it replaceable if I use it and it breaks?

George

[Adrian Caspersz]

I'd guess some sort of heater. Say to keep meat pies warm at the chip shop? or chickens warm in the shed.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

At one time such things were used for treating painful joints, etc. Not sure if by doctors, or simply a snake oil product. But they were popular in the 1950s.

[Jonathan]

Probably keeping young chicks warm. I still have one or something similar from when we bred hens.

Jonathan

[tabbypurr]

Heat lamps. Promoted mainly for health uses, they also found use for assorted other things such as keeping things or animals hot, photography etc (but not to be confused with photolite 275 watters, a different beast). Replaceable? I doubt they're often seen now. Once common they're now of limited use, but make an interesting room light with a practical modern lightbulb. They can take pretty high powers of course.

NT

[John Rumm]

Like a giant spotlamp with ES fitting on the back?

Applications needing light and heat.

The house I grew up in had something similar in the bathroom - a fitting designed to take two of them (although it normally only ever had one fitted). The general principle being it would both light the room, and add some warmth to people in there in what was an otherwise unheated room. (IMHO it was spectacularly unsuccessful in that respect!)

Oh and top tip, if as a kid you are entertaining yourself while in the bath by squeezing most of the water out of a flannel, and then tossing it into the air, and catching it on the return, try not to toss it too high. Else there may be one time it does not come down... followed by a sizzling sound, and a very loud bang, after which you find yourself sat in a bath filled with lots of broken glass in complete darkness. DAMHIK.

I recall buying a replacement lamp for it once and being told that most of them were sold to people warming chicks a and other small livestock, but that was over 30 years ago, so no idea if they still get used for that.

Yup, amazon lists loads of similar things - some clear some tinted.

[George Miles]

bath by squeezing most of the water out of a flannel, and then tossing it into the air, and catching it on the return, try not to toss it too high. Else there may be one time it does not come down... followed by a sizzling sound, and a very loud bang, after which you find yourself sat in a bath filled with lots of broken glass in complete darkness. DAMHIK.

Sparking an interest in electrickery in the boy which could evolve into an illustrious career !

[g]

[Chris J Dixon]

I believe that the ones for chicks, and the like, expected dry conditions. The proper ones for bathrooms, naturally more expensive, were supposed to be more robust and cope with condensation without shattering, though I don't think the specification mentioned moist flannel impact.

Chris

[John]

Didn't some have dark red glass?

Memories of cold bathrooms!!!

[John Rumm]

Yeah, steam /moisture etc never seemed to cause it problems, but a bit of soggy cloth draped over the back of the reflector did it no favours :-)

[John Rumm]

Not sure that was really a seminal moment in career guidance, but it did make me very grateful I could shout loud enough for mother to come to the rescue - otherwise it would have been a difficult situation to escape from without ending up with glass embedded in all kinds of places it would have very unwelcome!