Haunted Mansion Lighting

[LCK123]

Does anyone know why there are small netting pieces covering each of the candellabra light bulbs that hang from the chandelliers in the Haunted Mansion? We were walking through a few weeks ago and noticed these small nets covering each of the bulbs. I thought it might have something to do with saftey - the type of glass if the bulbs break? - but my husband didn't seem to think so. Just one of those weird things we noticed but couldn't figure out. Does anyone know why this netting is there?

 

[Montu]

Does anyone know why there are small netting pieces covering each of the candellabra light bulbs that hang from the chandelliers in the Haunted Mansion? We were walking through a few weeks ago and noticed these small nets covering each of the bulbs. I thought it might have something to do with saftey - the type of glass if the bulbs break? - but my husband didn't seem to think so. Just one of those weird things we noticed but couldn't figure out. Does anyone know why this netting is there?

Then your husband is sensible.

They have to do with the light level the bulbs cast when they're covered.

 

[WDWRLD]

I think that they are to look like the old gas lamps, thats the mantle that glows from the burning gas.....But thats only my guess.

 

[WDWRLD]

They have to do with the light level the bulbs cast when they're covered.

Any dimmer could lower the light level without covering each bulb.

 

[MiceysBestPal]

I think that they are to look like the old gas lamps, thats the mantle that glows from the burning gas.....But thats only my guess.

Yes, that is absolutely correct.

Gas LANTERN-type illumination (not the "Bunsen burner-type" open flame jet) utilizes a 'mantle' which is a net-like material.

That's what the netted bulbs are designed to resemble, along with the fact that all of these bulbs "flicker" to simulate an inconsistent gas source and uneven mantle "burn."

http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/consumer products/mantle.htm

The link above will show you images of gas mantles.
The second one (shown between two boxes) may be the kind Disney actually uses to cover the light bulbs in the HM.

 

[Goofyernmost]

a few more photos of the fabric that is used and the lights themselves

I don't have any idea, however, the first thought I had when I saw them were that they closely resembled the "mantles" that are used with gas lighting. Maybe it is to make it seem like it is gas lighting in the house and not electric.

 

[charles1989uk]

I don't have any idea, however, the first thought I had when I saw them were that they closely resembled the "mantles" that are used with gas lighting. Maybe it is to make it seem like it is gas lighting in the house and not electric.

yes that is right, Obviously the Mansion is supposed to look like a victorian ghost house, so the ceiling chandeliers are made to look like the 'Incandescent gas mantles' of the mid to late 1800's. They are called Welsbach mantles. Though instead of using real gas lamps the imagineers designed their own out of fabric. [Fiberglass] Obviously it would be too dangerous to use real gas mantles inside the attraction, so by using a small incandescent bulb (15 watt or lower )ect. a fridge bulb, salt lamp bulb, exit light bulb, and placing the specially designed net over it it looks like the lights are gas fed. The bulbs are controlled by a lighting controller in the control room of the ride, which allows the electric bulbs to flicker simulating burning gas lamps. Also pictures of the woven fiberglass sleeve that is made for these types of electric gas lights (you can buy them online at sites like amazon) the mantle below is pictured with a LED bulb instead of an incandescent.

 

[charles1989uk]

Photo I took of the chandelier in the vestibule of Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, Orlando, FL. and pictures of the light bulbs in the chandeliers, what they really are is incandescent pygmy bulbs (15 watt Exit light bulbs) with what appears to be ‘Fiberglass woven cloth of some type, over them to replicate a gas mantle type light source. I know it is definitely a 'Woven Fiberglass fabric' that is on these bulbs. The mantles themselves may be specially woven for the bulbs themselves but either a 280 gram Fiberglass Twill or a biaxial Fiberglass sleeve are pretty close (product wise)

I have done a lot of research and tests on these electric mantles as I found the subject interesting and I like the lighting effect they give out in the ride. I tried using a Incandescent pygmy bulb with fiberglass covering it but the bulb became insulated which leads me to believe that the bulbs in the Haunted Mansion have been specially engineered to run cooler than a regular incandescent would, This might be done by filling the bulb with a gas such as hydrogen which absorbs a lot of the heat from the filament causing it to cool rapidly, whereas normal retail small incandescent lamps just have the oxygen removed from the glass bulb to stop the filament burning up) also the lights in the ride flicker which means less electric going through the filament which also means less heat ) (you can wire a extension cord using flourescent starters to make a lamp plugged into it flicker. (only an incandescent bulb)< more on that later) as a result you can't just cover a normal store bought incandescent appliance bulb. The only way I find to do this was to use a 1 or2 watt LED pygmy dimmable bulb of 2000 kelvin (extra warm white) (Amber) and use either a woven Fiberglass Biaxial sleeve of woven Fiberglass Twill to make the mantle. I have created one of these light from scratch and will post a photo here to show the similarity. Last edited August 22nd 2020

 

[made in china]

Hi y'all. Joined just to add to this because since I was a kid I wanted one of these light fixtures (yeah I'm a bit weird).
Over the years I have collected the info and parts.

Angelo P/N 70180 is still available on eBay from time-to-time. I have collected several of these myself. Good thing about them is that they use a common bulb that is replaceable, a T7.5 bulb fits just fine (that may have been an EXIT lamp or appliance bulb in the 50-60's).

Then I went on eBay and sourced a "dresser lamp" as similar to the HM style as I could find. I seem to have found one with the correct glass shade. These are still widely available on eBay as Disneyland used off-the-shelf glass shades. Finding the EXACT fixture Disneyland used may be more challenging. I found a very similar fixture, but I suspect the Disney techs made the HM fixtures from parts cobbled together that they found. My hope is that some day I can find a similar ceiling fixture. The glass is easy to find, it's the fixture that is pretty unique.

And to top it all off, I have found a great option for the "unstable gas flow/subtle flickering" effect from a guy named Jerry who makes a product called "Simflame". The P/N is LM015 for a plug-in lamp, and if you get a ceiling fixture you can opt for LM011.

A few things to note:
I wouldn't suggest LED style mantle. LEDs, whilst theoretically a good idea are not ideal for reproduction of lighting effects, primarily because they are not 100CRI. Yeah, it'll "work", but the Angelo 70180 is either 25 or 35 watts, and with a Simflame dimmer is much less than that. You'd NEVER see a savings on electric rates going LED for a lamp you'd rarely use (or even if you used it frequently), and the poor CRI of LED would seem "off" for the authentic effect from Haunted Mansion.

Set the "Simflame" to the "subtle flicker" and "dim mode" for most authentic HM operation.

The parts are not "unobtanium" to my surprise, eBay has lots of the things we need (not Jerry's Simflame device, though) like glass shades, Angelo 70180 bulbs and if you get lucky, an entire ceiling fixture.

Hope y'all find this helpful, if you are as weird as me and "need" a Haunted Mansion authentic lamp! You can always justify it as a good Halloween decoration....

 

[TFad]

Is anyone aware of the actual manufacturer of the WDW Mansion’s load area chandeliers? I’ve been trying to find something close with no luck. May have to resort to piecing parts together. Would love to have an authentic look for my HM themed office. Thanks!

 

[NickPytlinski]

Hi y'all. Joined just to add to this because since I was a kid I wanted one of these light fixtures (yeah I'm a bit weird).
Over the years I have collected the info and parts.

Angelo P/N 70180 is still available on eBay from time-to-time. I have collected several of these myself. Good thing about them is that they use a common bulb that is replaceable, a T7.5 bulb fits just fine (that may have been an EXIT lamp or appliance bulb in the 50-60's).
View attachment 354034

Then I went on eBay and sourced a "dresser lamp" as similar to the HM style as I could find. I seem to have found one with the correct glass shade. These are still widely available on eBay as Disneyland used off-the-shelf glass shades. Finding the EXACT fixture Disneyland used may be more challenging. I found a very similar fixture, but I suspect the Disney techs made the HM fixtures from parts cobbled together that they found. My hope is that some day I can find a similar ceiling fixture. The glass is easy to find, it's the fixture that is pretty unique.
View attachment 354036

And to top it all off, I have found a great option for the "unstable gas flow/subtle flickering" effect from a guy named Jerry who makes a product called "Simflame". The P/N is LM015 for a plug-in lamp, and if you get a ceiling fixture you can opt for LM011.

A few things to note:
I wouldn't suggest LED style mantle. LEDs, whilst theoretically a good idea are not ideal for reproduction of lighting effects, primarily because they are not 100CRI. Yeah, it'll "work", but the Angelo 70180 is either 25 or 35 watts, and with a Simflame dimmer is much less than that. You'd NEVER see a savings on electric rates going LED for a lamp you'd rarely use (or even if you used it frequently), and the poor CRI of LED would seem "off" for the authentic effect from Haunted Mansion.

Set the "Simflame" to the "subtle flicker" and "dim mode" for most authentic HM operation.

The parts are not "unobtanium" to my surprise, eBay has lots of the things we need (not Jerry's Simflame device, though) like glass shades, Angelo 70180 bulbs and if you get lucky, an entire ceiling fixture.

Hope y'all find this helpful, if you are as weird as me and "need" a Haunted Mansion authentic lamp! You can always justify it as a good Halloween decoration....

wow! fair play to you. Top work

 

[Michaelson]

These posts made me smile, as I grew UP in an old Victorian house that HAD these type original gas lights that were just converted over to electric for later use in the 20's. The old gas line was still in each lamp, but disconnected above the ceiling.

I don't pay a bit of attention to the HM lights, as that's what I'm already familiar with. It's interesting others find them so fascinating, but then, if you weren't around them for years, I guess they would be interesting indeed!

Regards! Michaelson

 

[charles1989uk]

Is anyone aware of the actual manufacturer of the WDW Mansion’s load area chandeliers? I’ve been trying to find something close with no luck. May have to resort to piecing parts together. Would love to have an authentic look for my HM themed office. Thanks!

Photo I took of the chandelier in the vestibule of Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, Orlando, FL. and pictures of the light bulbs in the chandeliers, what they really are is incandescent pygmy bulbs (15 watt Exit light bulbs) with what appears to be ‘Fiberglass screen door/window mesh', over them to replicate a gas mantle type light source. this mesh is cut diagonally to give the ribbed look of the material on the light in the ride. Last edited August 22nd 2020View attachment 177162View attachment 177163View attachment 177164View attachment 177165View attachment 177166View attachment 239000View attachment 279140

Please see attached images below for light close ups them selves.