Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
Learning Lab 1 |
Object Name |
Filaments, Bamboo |
Lexicon category |
10: Unclassifiable Artifacts |
Description |
The filament of a traditional light bulb is the stringy item that illuminates. Many different items were tried by Edison and his assistants, even trying to use a hair follicle from the head of one of his assistants. Eventually it was found that bamboo fibers were a strong substance, especially the Japanese variety of bamboo called Madake. To make filaments similar to the strands of bamboo you see here, a single plant of bamboo was sliced lengthwise into very fine strips and bent to fit into the size and shape of the bulb it was meant for. Then the filament was coated in powdered carbon and heated at extreme temperatures before allowing them to cool. This process turned the filament into a carbonized structure instead of a cellulose structure. Some of Edison bulbs made with a bamboo filament burned for over 1,200 hours. |
Imagefile |
023\Learning Lab 1.JPG |