Experimental filament samples by Aladar Pacz
date: label: date made
content: 1909
name: label: maker
content: Pacz, Aladar
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One set of 98 experimental tungsten filament samples by made by Dr. Aladar Pacz of General Electric between 1908 and 1910. Pacz tried various formulas for doping tungsten wire to prevent coiled filaments from sagging, an occurrence that would cause the filament to short circuit thereby degrading the life rating of the incandescent lamp. His “non-sag” wire solved the problem and was used in GE’s Mazda C lamps as well as the coiled tungsten lamps of Westinghouse and the other GE licensees. Former GE Brewmaster Dave Kovaric reported that this is the only one of three slide boxes that survive. Each slide number corresponds to an experiment and Pacz’ work culminated with experiment #218 - hence the internal GE name “218 wire” for their product. Slides #62 and #68 are missing (line 62 is blank, line 68 “Harrison...”) Slides #79 and #100 have no tag (line 79 “Cleveland; line 100 is blank). Xref: Howell & Schroeder, “History of the Incandescent Lamp,” 119-122. Label on cover: “Pacz / Filaments / 12-1-08”; label on one end: “1909-1910 / 8.” Handwritten list inside box cover identifies each slide. Most slides have a paper tag with an inked number 1 thru 99. Numbers 79 and 100 have no tags and the tags on 80 and 94 are blank. “B. & L. O. Co.” printed inside box lid (box maker).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from General Electric Tungsten Products Plant, thru Timothy Trozzo
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2017.0245.01
label: accession number
content: 2017.0245
label: catalog number
content: 2017.0245.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: microscope slides
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: box (closed): 1 1/2 in x 8 in x 11 1/2 in; 3.81 cm x 20.32 cm x 29.21 cm
label: Measurements
content: slides (each): 3/32 in x 4 in x 1 in; .23812 cm x 10.16 cm x 2.54 cm