[Jack.Straw]

Hello.  My name is scott and this is my first post here.  Lately i've been spending my spare time building music instruments.  I'm currently in the design faze of a steampunk themed guitar.  One of the elements of the design is a T10 light bulb with the insides removed.  I would like to fill the glass tube with a solution and seal it with a fish tank silicon or something similar.  Here is a picture of the empty bulb:



I'm looking for something with a cool, lasting effect...  something that looks like it could be a vital part of some mythical scientific machine.  I could illuminate the contents if needed.  Please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Thanks for your time,
-Scott

[billnotgatez]

Do you want something that glows in the dark?

[verpa]

It's not really chemistry related, but a friend in college created a cool effect using LEDs hooked up to a battery and submerged in silicone oil for an art project.  You might even be able to strip some out of those cheap multicolored glow lights they sell for gravestones now.

The upshot is that most clean silicone oil is relatively harmless and a good insulator.  Can't remember off hand what she used to dye the oil, maybe someone else can chime in.

[skyjumper]

food coloring to dye the oil? I cant imagine it not dissolving. You could have them flash (steal the wiring off of one of those novelty buttons you see in Walmart for almost any holiday)

[verpa]

Really?  I know that water-based ones doesn't work well with cooking oil, and I'd be pretty sure the same with most silicone oils due to the long chains ( only ever used them for oil baths and synthetic distillations personally ), please correct me if you know I'm wrong.  Looking up food colorings, apparently you can get non-toxic lakes now but *shrug* I've never really worked with them.

[skyjumper]

Assuming all of your leads are properly sealed in some kind of shrink wrap or similar, you could always use just water or glycerol and food dye..

[hobobot]

dissolve solid sodium in liquid ammonia? (blue)

I'm trying to think of a good thermodynamic oscillator. But all I can think of is the beating mercury heart. And that wouldn't work.

[billnotgatez]

I assume this sodium and ammonia process could be very dangerous.

[hobobot]

I assume this sodium and ammonia process could be very dangerous.

It's not so bad as long as it's pure ammonia. The ammonia solvates the electrons on the Na causing electrons to float around freely in solution. Very odd sort of solution.
Used in the birch reaction.

[verpa]

How would you keep the ammonia cold without messing with the instrument's sound?
Braver man than me to keep a highly reducing, caustic, explosive to moisture, wanna-be gas anywhere there are non-chemists around.

If one was willing to go the slightly dangerous route ( though a bit less than *liquid ammonia* ), you could make a bubbly lamp using DCM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_light

FWIW

[nj_bartel]

Braver man than me to keep a highly reducing, caustic, explosive to moisture, wanna-be gas anywhere there are non-chemists around.

That's what I was thinking!!!

[vmelkon]

How would you keep the ammonia cold without messing with the instrument's sound?
Braver man than me to keep a highly reducing, caustic, explosive to moisture, wanna-be gas anywhere there are non-chemists around.

If one was willing to go the slightly dangerous route ( though a bit less than *liquid ammonia* ), you could make a bubbly lamp using DCM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_light

FWIW

Wow, I remember my local store (Eaton) selling those some years ago. I didn't know they were invented in 1935. Eaton also had something cooler and quite expensive : neon light. It had a candle like dancing glow. Difficult to describe.

[Jack.Straw]

Thanks for all the responses!  I actually have an old set of bubble lights around... i may try that one since my 1st idea failed.  I got a few UV/blacklight LEDs & covered the wires & connections in a fish tank sealer.  I then filled the bulb tube with a UV reactive liquid and submerged the black light LEDs into it.   I also made a color wheel circuit so that the LEDs would react to sound.  Unfortunately my 9 volt source could only power 3 (maybe 4) of the (supposedly) black light LEDs... and the effect was almost completely unnoticeable unless it's pitch black in the room.  It sounded like a cool idea, but in practice it didn't really work.  I don't believe the LEDs are truly black-light, but more of a purple colored imitation... but I could be wrong.  Perhaps if i used a LOT more of them, but i don't really want a power source larger than a 9v battery.  So... it's back to the drawing board...

Thanks again for all the responses, please let me know if you have any other ideas.

[verpa]

Better luck with the next trial.