PC Comm's Vintage McDermott Light, and other Break-Down lights

PC Comms

PC Comms

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fireball3 said:
the origin, or source of this light?...
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand what information you are looking for, but it was made by the William McDermott company in New York and I picked it up on Ebay.
 
Nice to see something different :)


If I remember correctly I have seen an ad for that or a similar light a long time ago,


and I believe it was sold as some kind of emergency flasher for public use, like if your


car broke down or you have to change a tire on the roadside.


Maybe a good idea before hazard flashers became standard.


I have another type of old light that was used the same way,


looks like something you would put on a stove:


[Broken External Image]:http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn228/fyrik/news-paulco.jpg
 
Fyrik said:
Nice to see something different :)
If I remember correctly I have seen an ad for that or a similar light a long time ago,


and I believe it was sold as some kind of emergency flasher for public use, like if your


car broke down or you have to change a tire on the roadside.


Maybe a good idea before hazard flashers became standard.


I have another type of old light that was used the same way,


looks like something you would put on a stove:


[Broken External Image]:http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn228/fyrik/news-paulco.jpg
Click to expand...

Now I understand better with the explanation of Fyrik because they are light I never saw one.


These lights are astonishing :eek: and very nice to see! :inlove:


Thanks Fyrik!
 
OH MAN!!!! ME LIKEY!!!!! What make and model is that???
 
fireball3 said:
Thanks Fyrik!
Click to expand...

Glad to help :)

PC Comms said:
OH MAN!!!! ME LIKEY!!!!! What make and model is that???
Click to expand...

All I know is that it´s stamped PAULCO at the bottom, no idea of model number etc...


Can upload a video of it later.
 
ABSOLUTELY!! I would love to see it working. Thanks!
 
Odd but interesting little beacon.
 
That is freaking AWESOME!!! Noisy little bugger though. Does it run on 12 volt or 110? The reason I am asking is because of the heavy duty power cord I see going up to it, but I thought that it may be for a 12 volt power supply. If you ever decide to part with it, i would like first dibs on it. Thanks.


Chuck
 
Holy crap, does that thing have TIR oprics?! lol
 
I've been looking at lights and collecting them for over 40 years, and I never saw one of these. Very cool, indeed. The base looks so large it seems it could hold a 6vdc lantern battery. It does look like it is for a stove, or for Robbie the Robot!
 
PC Comms said:
It is a NY CP 6V Anyone have any information on it?
Click to expand...
The company is still in business and they still make speciality lighting although not much for the "blinky" market.


Why not contact them and see what they know about it? http://www.mcdermottlight.com/
 
PC Comms said:
That is freaking AWESOME!!! Noisy little bugger though. Does it run on 12 volt or 110? The reason I am asking is because of the heavy duty power cord I see going up to it, but I thought that it may be for a 12 volt power supply. If you ever decide to part with it, i would like first dibs on it. Thanks.

Chuck
Click to expand...

It runs on 12 volt, if you check close in the picture you can see the lighter plug behind it,


but it can also be driven by batteries, that´s why the base is so large :)


It sounds more in the video than it actually does, but yes a little noisy.


Have no idea what type of lightbulb it is, but it has some kind of bullseye lens on it,


and the base is made of copper.


No plans of selling it now, but will let you know if I change my mind!


(and sorry for hijacking your thread, didn´t know there was such an interest for this type of lights).
 
Steve0625 said:
The company is still in business and they still make speciality lighting although not much for the "blinky" market.

Why not contact them and see what they know about it? http://www.mcdermottlight.com/
Click to expand...

That was the first thing that I did and someone was supposed to get back to me, but never did. :-(
 
PC Comms said:
That was the first thing that I did and someone was supposed to get back to me, but never did. :-(
Click to expand...

That´s sad, but it looks like the company isn´t very active today,


judging by the homepage (Copyright 1998).


However, it almost seems that they have some products still using the same dome,


or at least a very similar one:


http://www.mcdermottlight.com/catalog/dredge_lights_dredge_plat.htm
 
:hijack:


To further hijack this thread into a "break-down light" thread......


Here are my "break-down" lights....


The wonderlite, held to your car by electro-magnetic power...


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_wonderlite2.jpg


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_wonderlite1.jpg


And the no name "made of a tail light lens" light.... which has a surprisingly sturdy rotator inside..... I can remember if I have seen this type of rotator assembly in something else....


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_tailflash1.jpg


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_tailflash2.jpg
 
Looks like Federal Fireball internals! :thumbsup:


And the no name "made of a tail light lens" light.... which has a surprisingly sturdy rotator inside..... I can remember if I have seen this type of rotator assembly in something else....


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_tailflash1.jpg


ai57.photobucket.com_albums_g205_elightbars_tailflash2.jpg
 
Lt.214 said:
Looks like Federal Fireball internals! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thanks... I forgot about that style of fireball.... all mine have the direct friction drive. It's probably worth more for the guts than the whole light ever sold for!


It's not uncommon for companies to buy "guts" from other companies... but the marriage of a fireball into a cheap tail light assembly with suction cups and and alligator clip cord made me think this was home brew. About a month after I bought it I saw another one for sale on ebay with the box..... It was actually produced by someone, I forget the company name, but it was generic sounding.
 
The taillight lens on that light is actually two of them mounted back to back.


They sure look familiar, as my ex's parents had a car with those, and it was a 1959 Ford Fairlane. Damn, I keep showing my age.
 
03crownvic said:
The taillight lens on that light is actually two of them mounted back to back.
They sure look familiar, as my ex's parents had a car with those, and it was a 1959 Ford Fairlane. Damn, I keep showing my age.
Click to expand...


The 2 tail light lenses aren't identical. The bottom one is the version that doesn't have a point in the center.
 
JohnMarcson said:
The wonderlite, held to your car by electro-magnetic power...


And the no name "made of a tail light lens" light.... which has a surprisingly sturdy rotator inside..... I can remember if I have seen this type of rotator assembly in something else....
Click to expand...

Nice to see! The wonderlite, is it flashing or steady burn?


I´m sure that taillight thing is looking slick on the roof, and with the fireball inside it´s


as good for responding as for breakdowns :)
 
Fyrik said:
Nice to see! The wonderlite, is it flashing or steady burn?
I´m sure that taillight thing is looking slick on the roof, and with the fireball inside it´s


as good for responding as for breakdowns :)
Click to expand...


The wonderlite is steady burn. I guess back when it was made it would have been decently bright by those standards....


The tail light lens light wouldn't hold on while a vehicle was even in a driveway. It's only got 2 suction cups.
 
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