Please help me figure out what type of bulb fits this lamp!

May 7, 2014 2:28 PM

Someone left a nice heavy lamp in my building's laundry room. Probably because no one (including the local lightbulb store) can figure out what sort of bulbs these fixtures take. I'm lamp-poor at the moment and this would work great in my office. Please help me identify! There are no markings on the base of the lamp. Three images are here: http://imgur.com/a/fw3AX Thank you for saving this from the landfill!

Markings say "Sun-Lite" 75W 125V
It looks like the bulb would plug in rather than screwing in
Google is no help. Light store emailed the Sun-Lite and they are not offering any response.

posted by 2soxy4mypuppet to Home & Garden (21 answers total)

Its hard to see in the pic, but is that a foamy rubbery bit and a removable nut?

It looks like the but might be a compression fitting that grabs at the bulb? If so, what does it look like with the but removed?
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 2:39 PM on May 7, 2014

Response by poster: It's all hard black plastic and while I can tighten and loosen it, by spinning the black part, it never loosens enough for the black part to detach and I'm afraid I'll break it.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 2:42 PM on May 7, 2014

Those two prongs deep in the middle are for some kind of halogen. Maybe these?
posted by Dashy at 2:46 PM on May 7, 2014

It definitely looks like there used to be some kind of halogen bulb in there. I'm thinking something along the lines of this. The keywords being halogen MR11 and GU4.
posted by QueenHawkeye at 2:47 PM on May 7, 2014

I've seen CFLs that fit that type. Sadly I forget what the actual word on the box was, but it was stocked by Lowe's in their lighting section (which is not where they keep the usual lightbulbs). Maybe show the picture to someone at a hardware store?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:03 PM on May 7, 2014

Wait, I found it! You're looking at a GU24 connector.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:04 PM on May 7, 2014

Actually, maybe not - damn, I'm bad at this. Apparently there are other two-pin light connectors. At least this has a list of categories for a professional to check against?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:09 PM on May 7, 2014

The electrical contacts... Are they two on the bottom that two prongs would sit on? Or one on the bottom and one on the side?

I'm wondering if something like a small Edison screw bulb would fit in there, and then the black nut tightens, squeezing the rubbery bit round the bulb neck...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 3:14 PM on May 7, 2014

Doh! On a mobile, hadn't realised there were more photos. No rubbery bit. Ignore me.
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 3:18 PM on May 7, 2014

What do the other markings say? I can make out:
LISTED
____ LAMPHOLDER
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:20 PM on May 7, 2014

Best answer: Based on similar lamps I have seen before, I suspect (ok, guess) these are actually a screw-base bulb, but it is so cheap that rather than an all-metal female threaded socket, they just have metal "legs" with a bump on each, to engage the screw-base. But I cannot see inside the socket well enough to see how good of a guess that is. does that seem reasonable based on what you can see in person?
posted by misterbrandt at 3:36 PM on May 7, 2014

It looks like it that black part should screw off and a shade would fit between it and the metal housing, like this one. The one linked looks like it might be the same manufacturer but uses 25W candelabra bulbs. Do the black rings come out?
posted by Yorrick at 3:37 PM on May 7, 2014

Response by poster: 46F6 LAMPHOLDER
UL LISTED

It looks like the black rings come out, but I've been afraid to keep unscrewing them.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 3:55 PM on May 7, 2014

The black rings should just be a nut to hold the shade in place. It shouldn't hurt to take them off. The lamp should be unplugged, but then you would have no reason to have it plugged in anyway. If you take it off, we can get a better look at the mechanism that holds the bulb.
posted by Yorrick at 4:18 PM on May 7, 2014

Response by poster: The little black rings won't come off. The hole for the (stem?) of the bulb is only about 1/2" in diameter.

By the time this is over, I will rename the gallery "I Hate Lamp."
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 4:45 PM on May 7, 2014

Best answer: I agree with misterbrandt that this is a standard E12 candelabra base. The holes you see inside don't accept pins, they're rivets that connect the socket with the internal wiring.
posted by zsazsa at 4:47 PM on May 7, 2014

Response by poster: I will buy a pack tomorrow and report back!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 4:57 PM on May 7, 2014

Here's some more corroborating evidence: this person is looking for a Sun-Lite 46F6 and provides a few more part numbers that are on it, including E12J-#, which implies that it's an E12 base. Here's the UL listing for that part, which also says candelabra base.
posted by zsazsa at 5:04 PM on May 7, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you! Googling I see that I can buy an extender so that it will take other bulb sizes, but I'll start with a cheap candelabra and see if that fits.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 5:08 PM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I couldn't wait and ran to the store for a test bulb. E12 candelabra bulbs they are! (I've never had a light with that sort of fitting so wouldn't recognize. Can't think of why the lamp gusy didn't know, though....)

Thanks for the rescue, MeFi! I'm going to order these although I may eventually wind up with an extender.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 6:13 PM on May 7, 2014 [3 favorites]

( heh... E12 is an SES/small Edison screw. I managed to be right for completely the wrong reason. )
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 10:47 PM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]