Repairing Old Lights

Paul has acquired a source of NEW cloth wiring. This is the gold silk covered cloth that so many of our old favorite lighting decorations were originally made with. However, now it has a new twist - rubber lined wires under the silk covering - added safety to a vintage look!

Have burnt out Matchless Stars you wish you could light up again on your tree? We have replacement bulbs that will fit the stars, along with the tools and ability to replace the bulbs in both single and double row Matchless Stars. We use a high quality lamp replacement that will last far longer than the original bulb.

Need that old Noma Window Candolier rewired? Frayed cord, broken exposed wiring, fragile brittle cords...they all add up to an unusable unsafe holiday decoration. A cheap replacement rubber cord makes it work again but detracts from that glorious vintage look. NOW you can have a working decoration AND that vintage cloth cord, with the safety that is paramount for your home and family.

Please contact us with your relamping, or rewiring pricing. Repairs are made quickly, and your item(s) shipped back safely to you. Enjoying, restoring and preserving vintage holiday decorations are what we are all about.

TESTING C6 BULBS!

Here's an quick and easy way to test those old C6 series light bulbs:

To the Right, is a picture of 3 C bulbs, from left to right:

C6, smallest bulbs, series wired (if one burns out all, they all go out)

C7, standard christmas lighting bulbs (such as your ordinary christmas window candle bulbs)

C9, the large outdoor bulbs ( used in outdoor strings, popular in the 50's and 60's)

Don't be fooled by the color of the bases on these bulbs. The gold or silver bases help to identify the age of the bulb, but not the size of the bulb.

When you test these bulbs, simply rest the screw in part of the base against one of the battery terminals, and the pointy end on the other battery terminal. Use a square 9 volt battery. See pictures below. Don't be afraid to wiggle, and press firmly, so as to make a good connection. If the bulb is good, it will light. This is the best way to find that burned out bulb in your string. Sometimes corrosion from age can prevent a good contact.

Generally C-6 lighting came in 8 or 9 bulb strings. If one bulb is burned out, your set will not light. Use the battery test to find that bad bulb, and make your repair easier. Don't ever throw out your burned out bubble lights, matchless stars, or plastic stars. They can ALL be relamped.

If you want to get the most life out of your vintage C-6 lighting, have a qualified person build an electrical box with a dimmer switch and an outlet, or contact Paul to build one) You can plug your sets into this box, and slowly bring the bulbs up to the brightness you desire. Think of it as a "controllable surge suppressor". Light bulbs get "spiked" when you first plug them in. 110 volts charge through the tiny filament. This dimmer switch will make your sets last significantly longer. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, we can manufacture these boxes for you.

Only the C6 bulbs can be tested this way, using a 9 Volt battery. Occasionally, you may run across C-6 based bulbs, that were used in "farm sets" or battery operated sets. They are quite uncommon, and should not be tested in this manner. The operated on very low voltage, and the battery will burn them out instantly. They can be easier to identify by the pointy glass exhaust tip at the top of the round bulb. Often in transparent colored glass.

A friend of mine recently sent me her collection of matchless stars for relamping. Here are a few photographs of them. Almost no flea bites on these gems, and only 6 out of 51 needed re-lamping. All the rest still have the original bulbs intact. An amazingly beautiful collection... of Czechoslovakian Glass Matchless Stars, from the mid 1930's. They are faceted glass prisms, on a bakelight base, with a center glass jewel. Best thing is, the color doesn't fade on you, the lamps are replaceable, and they are certainly pleasing to the eye.

UPDATE - May 2008

We have found a treasure trove of Mirostar Foil Wrappings! Blue, Pink, Green, Gold, Red and Two Tone Blue-Green! Wow!!

These metal foil wrappings were used for candolier and wreath decorating. Often with age, the foil tears, and pieces go missing.

We have several colors to choose from for re-wrapping your holiday treasures.

All of these wrappings are clean, reflective, and in great condition. We were lucky to find them, and now pleased to offer you the chance to have your Mirostar Decorations looking like new again!

Contact Paul for pricing information.