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How to open and empty an electric light bulb

The first time you try to open and empty an electric bulb it seems that in any mistake the bulb glass will break and instead of getting an empty bulb we will have to get the broom to sweep the broken pieces of glass. But the truth is that once you get the hang of it, light bulbs are easier to open and empty than they seem to be.

YouTube video

All the DIY tools needed to open a light bulb are a scroll saw, needle nose pliers, a flathead screwdriver and a small metal file.

Tools to open an electric light bulb.

To open a light bulb some people prefer to break the black glass behind the electrical contact, but I find it more easy to cut the metallic cap around the black glass using a scroll saw. The inner part is usually connected to a wire that is easily cut by twisting it. Then it is a matter of prying with the screwdriver to break first the two glass tubes that hold the filament and secondly the glass rim that remains at the junction between the glass bulb and the metal cap of the light bulb.

When the light bulb is already open we only have to empty it and clean it. But first it is convenient to use a file to file the cut I made in the cap and also the inside area between the glass bulb and the cap, where there could be remains of glass. This way we can manipulate the bulb without the risk of cutting ourselves when making crafts with light bulbs that we might have seen on the Internet or that we can think of. It occurred to me to make a mini fish tank with the light bulb, although I confess that it was just to make the video last a little more. But I even got excited taking pictures of it.

In short, opening and emptying a light bulb is not complicated, although it is advisable to wear leather gloves and protective goggles, lest it break. Another problem is to see what to do with an empty bulb, although I suppose that if we decide to empty a bulb it is because we already have some craft idea in mind.

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