'emo' flash: what type of bulbs?

[sebastian toombs]

take a peek at this nifty little item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230039922454&rd=1&rd=1

a friend has one, which he uses on his mamiya 6 folder-- hes lucky enough to have found one with a working flash sync thingy.  does anyone have a clue what kind of bulbs this little flash would take?  he showed me one-- it was a bluish little one-use bulb, and he said that they are quite bright and pretty hard to find.   (and since im a big copy-cat i dont want to ask him about it!)

thanks for your time!

[mitspooner]

I think it takes sad music and black hair dye

[Mark B.]

I used to have that exact flash at one time many years ago. It takes AG-1 flashbulbs
and I believe it uses a PX 27 mercury battery.

[ImageMaker]

AG-1 bulbs aren't at all hard to find -- not long ago, I bought a gross (that's a case of 12 boxes, 12 bulbs per box) on eBay for about $25.  And of course a flash won't be picky about batteries, so anything that physically fits and has about the right voltage will work fine (for a PX-27, I think you'd be fine with a 6 V lithium that fits with a spacer).

[sebastian toombs]

thanks so much!  im really considering one of these-- its so small that to carry it around along with a handful of flash bulbs would be far more convenient than most flashes, plus probably a lot brighter.

[Glenn Thoreson]

Just my standard warning to new flash bulb users - do not carry flash bulbs in your pocket! If static should set 'em off, you'll be in a whole lot of pain.

[ImageMaker]

Yep, and if one goes, all the others in contact will go within a fraction of a second -- they get hot enough, for 1/100 of a second or so at peak brightness, to ignite another bulb in contact (we used to use 'em to ignite model rocket motors and ejection charges -- they'll start a piece of fuse or ignitor cord, or fire a black powder charge directly).  And if a dozen go off in your pocket, they'll most likely set your pants on fire -- and not in a good way.  :eek:

[sebastian toombs]

hm...  interesting.  what would be the recommended way for transporting them?  would keeping them in a plastic 35mm film container work?  or a small tin, like for mints or pills?

[ImageMaker]

The original box is a good start, but an Altoids tin would be a good second choice.  The conductive box will prevent static from reaching the bulbs, and also provide some protection from the immediate heat pulse if they do fire anyway.  I'd bet you could get ten bulbs into an Altoids tin, maybe even a full dozen.