Author Topic: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date?  (Read 4978 times)
AZTECH
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Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « on: December 16, 2011, 09:18:11 PM » Author: AZTECH
Do anyone here knows how to trace dates those Westinghouse tubes?

I notice most the dots above the "F40CW" and the left or right of USA.







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funkybulb
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #1 on: December 16, 2011, 10:47:06 PM » Author: funkybulb
nice find. i only have one of those F40CW westinghouse but very close to EOL. i wish to  have some of thoses tubes that are in better shape or NOS. be carefull with those clear gemicidal tubes they put out UV light. wich can be harmfully so inorder to veiw it safely that you need enclose that tube in pyrex glass. to date those tube is the number of dots but i cant tranlate that dot into meaningful data. i am in the same boat as you are.

« Last Edit: December 16, 2011, 10:49:42 PM by funkybulb » Logged

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Silverliner
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #2 on: December 21, 2011, 01:45:56 AM » Author: Silverliner
Nice lamps you have got there! To pinpoint the age of the tubes, I need some information. Do any of the lamps have a set of dots with a number in between well below the main etch body? It looks like this: ....7.... Early 80s Westinghouse lamps have this system. 70s lamps rely on the dots that I see in the pic, the 80s lamps also have these dots but they don't mean anything anymore from then.

Also, check the tabs on the end caps, do you notice two different sizes, some may have smaller tabs, others are larger and feel sharper? Thats how I can tell from early 70s to late 70s.

Last of all, on the Sterilamp tube, can you check the stem presses and see if any of them have any code information? just wondering, thanks.
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AZTECH
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #3 on: December 22, 2011, 02:05:03 AM » Author: AZTECH
Nice lamps you have got there! To pinpoint the age of the tubes, I need some information. Do any of the lamps have a set of dots with a number in between well below the main etch body? It looks like this: ....7.... Early 80s Westinghouse lamps have this system. 70s lamps rely on the dots that I see in the pic, the 80s lamps also have these dots but they don't mean anything anymore from then.

Also, check the tabs on the end caps, do you notice two different sizes, some may have smaller tabs, others are larger and feel sharper? Thats how I can tell from early 70s to late 70s.

Last of all, on the Sterilamp tube, can you check the stem presses and see if any of them have any code information? just wondering, thanks.

Thanks! Alright more details about size tabs:
 
 #1 picture of two germicidal tubes have no tabs or stem presses.
 #2 picture of one F20T12 have large tabs and one F40T12 have large tabs.
 #3 picture of two F40T12 have small tabs 
 #4 picture of two F40T12 (bold black letter) have large tabs and one F40T12 small tabs.

All above listed don't have ....xx.... below the main etch body.

but I have other new picture of two of F40T12 did come with both ....11..... below the main etch body also one of them have large tabs and one of them have small tabs as well. 

 



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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #4 on: December 23, 2011, 02:38:09 AM » Author: Silverliner
Ok, I will try my best. The Westy with the date code .....11.... is from November '81.

I dont know the year of the G25T8, but appears to be mid-late 70s, since the electrode is a coiled coil type, the early 70s and earlier Westy preheat fluorescent lamps had a triple coil electrode (they have an extra twirl in the middle).

The F20T12 soft white is undated but is most likely '78-'79. 78 was when the lighting industry introduced the Soft White line for home use, which were just WWXs in diguise. The F40CW in the same pic is '75 vintage, from the Salina, KS plant. (F20T12/SW from Fairmont).

In pic #3, top lamp is '70 from Fairmont, WV plant. Bottom lamp is '73, from the Salina, KS plant.

In pic #4, top lamp is from '77, bottom lamp is from '71. Both Salina, KS.

So there you have it! It took me a long time to finally figure out how to read the 70s Westinghouse fluorescent date code system, its tricky.

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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #5 on: December 23, 2011, 03:12:50 AM » Author: AZTECH
@ Silverliner,

Thanks for help for tracing those dates! Very interesting and you probably have lot books of tracing those code on fluorescent tubes perhaps?

   
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #6 on: February 10, 2012, 12:48:59 AM » Author: slipperypete
Can anyone decode a Westinghouse F40CW lamp that has the following.    ..USA.. stamp on it?
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #7 on: September 25, 2020, 10:06:51 AM » Author: fanjedi
1977?
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Silverliner
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Re: Westinghouse tubes how to trace the date? « Reply #8 on: October 06, 2020, 06:01:52 PM » Author: Silverliner
Does it come in a case? Take a pic of the case label at the end. I can determine. But 1977 sounds about right.
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