Christmas colour wheels.

[rpms]

In 2010, Sambootoo from Moody,Al did an impressive thread about colour wheels.
I printed off all 23 pages in hopes that someday I would have a vintage metal tree and a colour wheel.
Two years ago, I found the tree. Not sure if it is vintage but it will do.
My newish neighbour is a bit of a collector and has yard sales 6 times a year. I am not sure where she finds her stuff but it is always the best.
She knew I was on the hunt for a colour wheel. I went to the door today and found a package from her. This colour wheel was inside. She said she got it off eBay from California. Can anyone tell me a bit about it? I don't see a pic of it in the pages I printed off.
The tag on it reads,E-206 95. 120 volts Reexamination Service. Underwriters Laboratories

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow, Brian, it's in excellent condition!  Is there a brand name somewhere on the unit?  

 

If you put it into service this season,  please post a picture or two of it lighting up the tree.

 

Congratulations!

 

[twintubdexter]

That color wheel is certainly more attractive than the kind with an exposed bulb, however that tree looks a little on the dry side.

 

[wayupnorth]

Dry? You are absolutely right, Joe. We had one as a kid but I have no idea what happened to it. I do remember it would shed pieces of what looked like tinsel on the rug. I did find the color wheel in my parents basement and ended up selling it on e-bay years ago.

 

[whirlcool]

My parents had the exposed bulb colorwheel light, and it threw some serious heat.

We only had a silver tree for about 4 years or so. As Wayupnorth stated these trees shed all over while assembling and disassembling them. I think somehow the shedding was related to how much you paid for the tree. We had ours 1961-65. Before that we always had flocked trees.

BTW, you have a very nice and most generous neighbor. That was very nice of her to get you that color wheel.

 

[sambootoo]

Good for you!!! I'm glad you finally got your color wheel, and good for your neighbor for looking out for you! Believe it or not, I do not have a color wheel like yours. That's a nice one. Your color wheel would be one of the COLORTONE brands. Some of these wore the SNAPIT label, Sears models wore the HARMONY HOUSE label, some TIMCO, and others simply COLORTONE. There were many different styles of these, all quite well made and they were popular. The parent company was CABLE ELECTRIC CO. of Providence, RI. The all plastic, China made color wheel sold now by Vermont Country Store is a replica or a knock off of one or the colortone models. I'm impressed that you printed my color wheel thread, there is one page devoted to COLORTONE. 2010! Wow. Doesn't seem like that long ago. Odd as it may seem, this is about my favorite hobby. I sold 2 color wheels today and spent some time repairing another to sell.

 

[gansky1]

I got our tree and color wheel lamp from Sam, this is our second year using it and we love it!!

I used a CFL spotlight bulb in my color wheel this year, I think I used an LED version last year that ended up in the dining room can light after Christmas. Almost no heat and truer color spectrum with these bulbs.

 

[danemodsandy]

What Memories!

Back in the early '60s, one of our neighbors had a really nice aluminum tree, very full, not scraggly like some. It was hung with satin ornaments only.

At the time, nothing too spectacular about that. But they not only had a color wheel, they had a motorized rotating tree stand. Watching that tree slowly spin as it changed colors from the color wheel was quite a sight.

I remember that one year, a new family moved in and the light show suddenly wasn't there any more. It felt like we'd lost something important.

 

[twintubdexter]

Gansky1

Photo number 1 is really very nice...almost looks like a Christmas card.

 

[cuffs054]

Gansky, good idea on the bulb. I'm going to change mine.

 

[rp2813]

My sister has our two color wheels of mid '60s vintage.  She has an aluminum tree but I've only seen it up once.  At least I know where the wheels are.

 

I agree about the CFL bulbs.  I have a vintage traffic signal light assembly over the patio bar and the reflected CFLs produce vivid coloring through the thick glass lenses.

 

[mieletag]

The only thing I would warn about using the CFL lights is UV degradation of plastic lenses. Don't mean anything bad by it, but I have had quite a few things destroyed by them over time. The Cree
LEDs don't seem to do it. I still have a Sony XBR WEGA tube type TV that, if you use a cfl, turn it off, the screen will glow very bright for quite a while after from the phosphors. The led and incandescent do not cause any afterglow.

Just an observation.

 

[petek]

My color wheel which I've had for a few years never shone on the tree all that well. I've only had a regular CFL in there, were they supposed to use some sort of spotlight bulb or something... Maybe I'll try one of those CFL spot light bulbs you mentioned above Greg.

 

[turquoisedude]

I'm using a CFL floodlight in a 70s-era colour wheel down in Ogden this Christmas - so far, so good!