# I touched my strobe bulb



## kkamin (Aug 28, 2009)

I know touching halogen bulbs can result in them exploding.

I just touched my strobe bulb by mistake.  I did my best to clean it with some lens cleaner on a q-tip, but can it explode?  Does finger oils effect them the same way or will the bulb ever get hot enough for an explosion to happen?


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## Derrel (Aug 28, 2009)

Chances are that what you touched is actually the outer shroud that protects that actual flash tube. I've touched the outer, clear Pyrex shield on quite a few Speedotron flash tubes and have never had any problems. Finger oils are not,in my opinion,nearly as critical as they are on halogen bulbs.


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## Garbz (Aug 29, 2009)

It depends on what you do. These things get very hot if you fire them one after the other in rapid succession. But if you take a photo every 10 seconds or so you'll be fine.


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## JerryPH (Aug 29, 2009)

Finger oils and contaminants  still can cause a flash tube to explode.  Using a lens cleaner on a clean microfiber cloth or lint free paper towel is the suggested way to make sure it is clean.  Q-tips can leave fibers on the head.

On my Photogenic studio head, they have a very prominent warning to not touch it either.  Since it is in the open it happens from time to time, so I make sure the bulb is cold and the head disconnected and I thoroughly clean it.

The bulbs are not free, so it is wise to make sure that they stay as clean as possible.


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## jdevarie (Aug 29, 2009)

kkamin said:


> I know touching halogen bulbs can result in them exploding.
> 
> I just touched my strobe bulb by mistake.  I did my best to clean it with some lens cleaner on a q-tip, but can it explode?  Does finger oils effect them the same way or will the bulb ever get hot enough for an explosion to happen?



I know some say halogen lights have a problem when touched but it has never happened in my experiments (myth buster?)

anyways, I have touched the bulbs on my strobes (JTL 600WS) many many times and have yet to have one fail (knock on wood)

anyways, you should be fine if you clean them. 

good luck


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## RyanLilly (Aug 31, 2009)

I'm not really sure what is in lens cleaner, though its probably fine, But Isopropyl alcohol is usually the recommended solvent for cleaning pretty much any type of lamp.(that seems to be the recommendation for short-arc, strobe(stage lighting), HMI, and Halogen Lamps, from most manufacturers). 

And yes usually the outer part of a flash tube is just a protective cover, depending on the make and model, but cleaning wont hurt.


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## RyanLilly (Aug 31, 2009)

jdevarie said:


> I know some say halogen lights have a problem when touched but it has never happened in my experiments (myth buster?)




Halogen lamps need a constant temp across the quarts glass in order for the halogen gas to redeposit tungsten onto the filament. Oils from your skin can cause uneven temperature and inhibit the the gas from doing its job. Usually a lamp will not explode, but it can shorten its life. 

It seems like most halogens now come wrapped in paper so you don't have to touch the glass while installing the lamp, if not I find that a paper towel works well. :thumbup:


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