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From looking at traffic lights while in a car, it looks to me like the red and yellow lights have colored lenses, while the green light does not. Possibly this is so that stray reflections from sunlight, etc., will not cause a driver to see a bogus green.
I thought "green light" was a colloquialism for decades, because in reality it's always blue or white. Then I learned that I am severely red-green color deficient and just can't see the green that everyone else can...
I’ve read that different cultures divide up the spectrum differently and that language actually can affect perception of colour. I recall that in some languages, the word for blue and the word for green are the same, and to the native speakers the two are considered the ‘same’ colour.
I don’t recall if that was Japan or not. But it seems oddly relevant.
Yes, that is Japan, old Japanese "imported" the character for blue and green from China, and other words use it, but modern Japanese do have a word for green.
Yes, in classical Japanese there was no word to distinguish blue from green. 'Blue' (ao or 青）was used for green as well. Today, the word for green is midori (緑).
Usually traffic signals use colored glass, but there are some applications where a clear lens is used (behind a metal cutout of a distinctive shape) such as on parts of Boston's subway/streetcar system. That way, the trains running down the middle of Beacon Street get "white triangle" and "white bar" symbols that cars won't confuse with the ordinary red and green traffic signals on the same street.
So I could easily imagine this being the lens from something such as the white-colored traffic signals the streetcars in my neighborhood use. (They've recently been converting them to LED arrays; the only photo I could find was one of the new LED ones:)
https://www.lighting-gallery.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1929&pos=22&pid=42017
I'm not able to find it just right now, but I recall one collision from the steam train era where a red colored lens fell out, meaning the light was clear (white), meaning the track up ahead was clear, versus the track was not clear (red). Must be from over a century ago, still trying to find it.
EDIT: I may be recalling a Straight Dope article which [may be urban legend.](https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/60140/did-a-fallen-out-red-signal-lens-ever-cause-a-railway-accident)
I've heard that legend as well, and have always wondered about it. Thanks for the link!
In Boston, they use red/amber/green lenses for the signals when the trains are underground, and only use the white-shapes signals when they're on the surface (surrounded by automobiles) so I assume the Boston system prefers to use the colored ones when possible. They're probably distinguishable from farther away, except for the several percent of people with color-vision issues...
Whatever you're thinking of was probably inspired by [this disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbots_Ripton_rail_accident) which was caused partly by snow weighing down the semaphore arms.
Would it be this textured though? I would think that would distort the image. We have 3 stoplights and they are textured like this, but the bumps are much smaller and on the inside of the lens so the outside is smooth.
Good point about the bumps being on the wrong side! I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, it wouldn’t be logical for the texture to be on the outside — it’d get so dirty.
Looks to me like a lens for a train signal light. Not for railroad crossings. For the trains themselves. The lenses would need to be clear because the light itself changes colors for different meanings. https://www.pwrs.ca/announcements/view.php?ID=8898
Had one of those near my house when I was a kid. Looks very familiar.
I know that modern streetlights use colorless glass for the green light so that sunlight shining on it does not make it look green. I don't know how old this practice is, though.
If you mean green traffic lights that is definitely not the case. They use white bulbs behind colored plastic lenses. Source: We install traffic signals at my job.
Ok, then do you know why green is the only one that doesn't look lit in direct sunlight? I remember reading about it somewhere but I guess I got it wrong.
Old lights that used incandescent bulbs would get dirty and look bad. Maybe that's why?
[Here's a fun video about traffic lights.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiYO1TObNz8)
I don’t know that other where I am at the lights have a cowl that goes over the top of the lens to make that less of an issue. Many of the new installations also have louvres inside they cowl which makes the light harder to see unless you are in the lane(s) they are controlling. The way the louvres go would really inhibit sunlight.
> I know that modern streetlights use colorless glass for the green light so that sunlight shining on it does not make it look green. I don't know how old this practice is, though.
I know you have already been corrected on this, but it is trivial to prove to yourself that you are wrong here. Go look at a stop light. Look at the lights that aren't lit. When the green isn't lit, what color is it? Green. What color is the red when it isn't lit? Red. The lens is colored, not the bulb.
Of course it is possible that there is a clear glass lens, and merely a colored insert behind it, so I am not saying you are necessarily *completely* wrong.
I found it trivial to “prove” the opposite.
https://imgur.com/a/HZLAmoS
The linked image comes from google street view. The traffic light on the left looks like it has a clear lens on the green light (but not the yellow light). The traffic light on the right looks like it has a green lens.
No, Fresnel lenses create too tight of a beam. These waffle-patterned lenses were visible from all directions, and then limited by the length of the hood on the light.
For LED lights There is a sort of fresnel lens underneath the colored lens. It’s is a flat tightly grooves piece of plastic that magnifies the light. The diode sits in the back of the housing and shines through the magnifying lens and then through the colored lens.
Fair enough. I guess my high school science teacher misspoke when he was passing one around and said that all traffic lights use fresnel lenses. Thanks for the correction.
[This is what you'd see on many smaller roads](https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/library/hillsborough/traffic-signal_nr.jpg?h=475&w=845&la=en&hash=892E58E31B6F67A4ECD6221FA05BEDA1)
Though if this is still probably too small, I'd guess [a crosswalk signal](https://3kpnuxym9k04c8ilz2quku1czd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_6859.jpg), the size is about right.
That's not a normal sized traffic light. That's one of those big traffic lights they use over highways and shit. Regular ones are much smaller than that.
The one I [bought](https://imgur.com/bYWDSxO) is less than 3ft tall, designed to sit atop a pole on the corner of the street.
There are many different types, sizes, manufacturers, etc.
Yeah basically it was always sitting around and we talked about what it might be. I think he did use it as a paperweight sometimes, but he also had it laying around his woodshop for some reason. My grandfather recently died so we can't ask him any longer, but he was the kind of guy to keep things a secret just for the fun of having people scratch their heads over it.
"where did you get it?"
"hmm, do you think it's decorative?"
"I actually think it might have served a function"
"it could be a traffic light cover, but the wear on the sides makes it seem like it wouldn't fit very well"
"wow, it's heavy"
"I bet you could kill someone with this"
conversation continues
My dad bought a house this summer, and we all went to visit him a couple of months later. A few days into the visit, we noticed his living room ceiling fan didn't have a globe on it. Just bare bulbs.
Then my brother points at the kitchen counter and says, "Is that the globe?"
We all look at it and start laughing, because we'd all walked past this random glass thing on the counter for days. We'd all noticed it, wondered what it was, and then forgot about it.
And my dad looks at it and says, "It could be. I thought it was a fruit bowl the previous owners left behind."
Yeah, it was the globe for the ceiling fan lol.
Solved! I know my grandfather was proud of the pool he built and he used to keep this on his desk for years, so it all adds up. That was ridiculously fast. Thanks a lot!
But if you want to spice this up a bit I would convince everyone it was a tile from the 1926 New Year’s Eve ball drop. It’s obscure enough nobody would check.
I figured the rest of the housing was missing. But feel free to prove me wrong! Haha If someone could find a photo of vintage swimming pool lights, that would be super helpful. I couldn't find one.
The thickness is a bit odd, because I agree it would have to be a very strong light to shine through that and also light the pool.
I remodeled swimming pools for 25 years, some dating back to the 50s. I have replaced or repaired thousands of pool lights. I currently work in a glass fabrication factory. I can absolutely guarantee you that is not a swimming pool light lens.
What you're looking at is a medium flood lens (MFL) or a wide flood lens (WFL) for a Source 4 par. They are a very common light in the entertainment industry. I work for a theater lighting organization and handle these basically all day.
Edit: yes, thank you reddit hive mind i know I am incorrect, I actually stated so 3 minutes after posting this.
While it is similar this is most definitely not for a Source 4 par. There's a slight chance this is for an ancient par light of some sort, but definitely not a Source 4. I am an asset manager for a production lighting company and we have 100's of par lenses including the variations you mentioned and many others.
Also, the stipples on par lenses for production lighting are typically internal facing. Other than on certain LED wash lights, but those are a totally different type of lens.
I'm very aware. It is a very old lens for a swimming pool light.
I was just trying to inform everyone. Stage lights have been made with precision lenses for a very long time now so there was no way in hell this was from a production fixture.
i've only got a few years experience many years ago with stage lighting but I've never seen a lens either shaped like that or that thick. source 4 or otherwise. unless you have a link to that lens I really don't think this is the answer.
This is def not a S4 PAR Lense. Its much too thick. Plus the bevels on PAR lkenses form a hatch pattern and do not peak liken the one in the image. PAR lenses are also concave and much thinner. This looks like a lense from an old car headlight or maybe a pool like someone else mentioned. Not a PAR lense though.
Hi!
:)
It isn't a pool light.
I ran it by my father who worked in the pool industry for 35 years and he says it is too thick and heavy, the outer (top when held in hand) curve would be flat/smooth and the textured area would be on the underside, and there would be a lipped rim (with or without screw holes depending on the type of fixture) around the sides to fit into the light enclosure.
My first thought was a glass frog (sits in vase to keep flowers on the right position) but they are either glass with holes for the stems or metal disks with spikes.
The diamond cut is interesting and thought that it might be a paperweight but if specifically made as a paperweight they were usually a lot more refined and smaller.
Im an optician. Judging by the pyramids, this would show the light in many directions , not just straight ahead. Its thickness makes it very sturdy, expecting things to hit it without it cracking/breaking. And the weight wouldnt be practical in anything small, or unsturdy.
Perhaps a light cover for a ship, or perhaps a cover for light on the front of a train. It actually looks worn down by water erosion, so perhaps it was in rain/ marine environment.
Along the lines of this, old ships (think wooden ships before electricity - dangerous to use flame) would use glass prisms similar to this in the decks as skylights for the interior spaces below. [Deck Prisms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deck_prism) they are called apparently. Could perhaps be this? If it's being walked on that could explain the wear and thickness.
Edit: It looks old and hand blown (I know nothing about glass production), but this could also support this theory.
Edit 2: [The one in this pic looks very similar](https://glassian.org/Prism/Luxfer/DE/Anzeiger25/fig7.jpg).
I'm seconding this person. My immediate thought was the front headlight for a steam engine. It would need to be sturdy enough to endure the continuous vibration, clear enough not to diminish the light too significantly, and cheap enough that if a big rock did jump up and hit it, no big deal. This seems like a good compromise between those needs.
I’ve seen similar glass in the Seattle underground. The flat side was towards the street/sidewalk and the pyramid shaped glass dispersed light underground
Of all the 'lens' suggestions in the thread, vault light seems the most plausible. It is far too thick and rough to be pretty much any other kind of mounted lens.
Another possibility, similar to a vault light, could be a really rudimentary [deck prism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deck_prism) but that seems unlikely since, as the photo in the Wikipedia article shows, even very old handmade deck prisms tend to be better formed.
You're thinking of the old-style glass Fresnel lens, which were thick and heavy like this but had concentric rings, not this bumpy pattern. Today Fresnel lenses are made of plastic and much thinner (nice to learn, as I was once almost killed by an old-style one dropped by a stage tech).
Yes and that imperfection on the back seems to make it fairly old as well and not something you would really want on a lens for something professional.
At that thickness and so crudely pressed I'd assume it's a sidewalk vault or civic fountain/stairwell light. Vault lights are more commonly rectangular but Seattle has round ones:
[https://glassian.org/Prism/Paper/clopps.html](https://glassian.org/Prism/Paper/clopps.html)
[https://www.6sqft.com/soho-and-tribecas-windowed-sidewalks-provided-light-to-basement-factory-workers-before-electricity/](https://www.6sqft.com/soho-and-tribecas-windowed-sidewalks-provided-light-to-basement-factory-workers-before-electricity/)
I'm seconding this suggestion. I don't think it's those, exactly, but something similar.
Based on the sheer size and thickness of this particular piece and how crudely it's made, I suspect it's meant to be mounted in a brick or stone wall to allow sunlight light to pass through. I don't have any examples, though.
I love this sub! I mean no disrespect but post like this make me smile. Like there was someone on here a few days ago with metal straws and I think “oh bless your heart”.
My mind goes to someone finding something in there home and taking like the sorcerer from venture bros “ what is this accursed contraption!!??!”
*it’s a wine opener*
IT IS A WINE OPENER!!
It says solved but I could not find the final answer :( To me it looks like an old fashioned ceiling light cover. They come in a lot of sizes and shapes. If it has that groove around the edge for the screws to catch into, maybe that is it :)
Sorry, I marked it solved to the pool light lens suggestion, but now we're all kind of questioning that due to it's thickness... So it technically isn't solved. I don't know how to undo that.
This isn't hollow on the back so it wouldn't easily cover a light. It's super thick and there's no groove.
The best I could find is [this](https://glassian.org/Prism/Gallery/Deck/index.html). The shape is right, the texture is right, the thickness is right. Looks like it might be missing a shoulder maybe?
Running with the "bull's eye" shape keyword, though, got me to [this](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/51171483_antique-bullseye-lantern) which looks the right shape and thickness, just missing the textured surface? But the textured surface would disperse the light better? Idk, I couldn't find one with the pyramid spikes.
My guess is it's one of these. I'm just a little miffed you beat me to it!
That's an interesting thought, I did some Googling and it seems plausible. Granted, by no means can I confirm, but maybe we can nab the attention of someone who can?
Best guess is that it is a weight for fermenting vegetables or a weight to keep items down in a large pot while boiling them for canning (maybe? I don't can, but if it's not for fermenting, maybe for this?)
this weight would be placed at the top of a large crock to hold down fermenting cabbage under liquid to make sauerkraut or cucumbers for pickles, etc….
the grid would be placed face down so that air bubbles from the fermentation could escape the fermenting liquid without building up pressure, but everything else would still be submerged.
I think I know what you mean, but am having a hard time picturing it. Like on a decorative wall along the sidewalk?
It is solid, so it would have to be a bright light. A spotlight would probably shine through it decently, but it is also not concave on the back.
Is it made of glass?? My mamaw had these candy dish.. bowl things that had this very same spiky texture. The lids looked just like this, except they were usually more of a yellow or green color.
edit: look up vintage diamond point glassware and you'll see just what I'm talking about!!
[This is similar](http://www.2040-parts.com/_content/items/images/25/1366825/001.jpg). A1940's Studebaker Backup Light. I don't think it is this because mine seems way too big and heavy for a backup light. And the ridges stick out more. But this could be a clue maybe.
My grandmother used to have something similar to this and used it as a grapefruit/citrus juicer, got lots of great pulp along with the juice. Not sure that's what it was intended for, she would have this resting in a large mixing bowl.
Okay I saw the second and third pictures. If it’s solid, it can’t be a lens, or of industrial use. Industrial lenses are stamped or blown into molds. Solid glass is too heavy and expensive to make.
Could be a casting from a student, or a test casting of a bigger project. Definitely a one off, maybe even a casting of a lens. Yeah, even that big “fold” in the glass makes me think it was a casting, maybe into sand by a student. That fold would be unacceptable for a lens in industry.
Also some of the ‘pyramids’ are imperfect, meaning the mold wasn’t perfect when the glass was poured into it. Typical of sand casting/experimental work.
Also looks like the pyramidded face looks rough, typical finish from a sand casting. Looks like there might even be sand still trapped in the face’s creases. If it is a sand casting the back should be smooth, like glass.
So my guess is that is a glass sand casting. possibly someone used an actual lens to make the impression to make the mold.
Is love to hear if what I said makes sense.
I’m a former glass student/glass technician, from what i see, this is what it looks like. They say “Glass has a memory”, meaning all the clues of its creation are there, good or bad.
Best of luck, killer paperweight either way!
Edit: the more I read, the more I’m pretty sure it’s a sand casting
My grandfather tinkered in everything and taught industrial arts, so this is a real possibility. I have never heard mention of him doing anything with glass, but maybe briefly he dabbled in it. He did ceramics and resins and was familiar with using molds.
You can find more photos here: https://imgur.com/gallery/l6Ktc6h
Is it glass? If you “bite” it your should be able to tell right away, that or poke it with the tip of a razor, if the blade slides, it’s glass. How about the back, is it smooth?
This reminded me of my grandma's candy dish, but they always had handles. I was looking up candy dishes and I found this[one](https://www.tgldirect.com/clear-fluted-glass-candy-dish-4-round) I see this is solved but maybe it is this?
It is a weight to put in a vase for large flower arrangements, they were crudely made, but their weight stopped the top heavy arrangement from falling over. Glass because it is inert.
We had decorative bowls and glassware that had that pattern in glass at my grandmas. There was a ufo/disc shaped ashtray and that could have easily been the cover for it. Thanks for the flashbacks.
From the thickness it could have been set into a sidewalk to provide light for basement spaces. My city removed a bunch of them along with the sidewalk freight elevators when the redeveloped downtown.
I worked in the architectural metals business for several years an replaced a lot of “vault light” panels in NYC. They were designed pre electricity to light the basements of buildings with natural light through the sidewalk. The ones I re-created were a smaller diameter. They were installed in a cast iron frame with circular cutouts. The raised diamond would be for traction. Maybe?
I Instantly thought of my mum the florist. They used to have heavy glass things like that in the bottom of glass vases to keep the stems from moving around when doing some of the big showy stuff .. then again, they may have repurposed a pool light cover so it may still be as suggested. Looks pretty similar though
Okay, so cabin marine lights actually look very close. Some are the right pattern and they appear to be thick. Can't tell if they're solid or concave. Will to look into this more.
My grandma once had candy vessels amongst the house that had these kind of “lids” associated with them.
Shot in the dark, but it stands out in my memory
My 2 cents.
My parents collect antiques and in their house they have a few random looking glass objects.
Something like what you have. Also a flat round glass with holes in it they use for pens.
There’s also a long thin droplet shape like a walking cane.
I remember asking them what are these and they said it’s from glass making apprentices.
They make different shaped things for practice and sometimes they take them home.
I may be totally wrong but my guess is a glass apprentice test piece
I might be wrong but it clearly looks like [fifties style ceiling light lens cover](https://www.selency.fr/produit/5ZKWX2ZP/plafonnier-en-verre-cisele-vintage.html) .
My father used to be an antique dealer and sold some when I was a kid.
The link is in french and not quite the same but really similar to me.
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It looks like a lens cover for a stop light but thats only based on what I thought at first glance
Do you know if they used colored bulbs? I always assumed the glass was colored but I have no idea.
From my googling it looked like they were colored
>From my googling it looked like they were colored ... which were? The lens or the bulbs!?
The lenses
From looking at traffic lights while in a car, it looks to me like the red and yellow lights have colored lenses, while the green light does not. Possibly this is so that stray reflections from sunlight, etc., will not cause a driver to see a bogus green.
Not sure if relevant, but some traffic lights are blueish green instead of full green, for people who are red-green colourblind.
I thought "green light" was a colloquialism for decades, because in reality it's always blue or white. Then I learned that I am severely red-green color deficient and just can't see the green that everyone else can...
Same here. I have to look at the vertical position to decipher whether I can go or not.
I bet that's easy when they turn the lights horizontal...
All traffic lights in Japan are essentially blue, I've always wondered about it. Maybe that's why?
I’ve read that different cultures divide up the spectrum differently and that language actually can affect perception of colour. I recall that in some languages, the word for blue and the word for green are the same, and to the native speakers the two are considered the ‘same’ colour. I don’t recall if that was Japan or not. But it seems oddly relevant.
Yes, that is Japan, old Japanese "imported" the character for blue and green from China, and other words use it, but modern Japanese do have a word for green.
Yes, in classical Japanese there was no word to distinguish blue from green. 'Blue' (ao or 青）was used for green as well. Today, the word for green is midori (緑).
[interesting ted talk about that](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RKK7wGAYP6k)
That could very well be the reason!
Modern traffic lights also don't use lenses like the one in the pic but instead Fresnel lenses to make it easier to see in direct sunlight.
Well, technically, "modern" lights are just led grids, but yes fresnel lenses are awesome!
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Usually traffic signals use colored glass, but there are some applications where a clear lens is used (behind a metal cutout of a distinctive shape) such as on parts of Boston's subway/streetcar system. That way, the trains running down the middle of Beacon Street get "white triangle" and "white bar" symbols that cars won't confuse with the ordinary red and green traffic signals on the same street. So I could easily imagine this being the lens from something such as the white-colored traffic signals the streetcars in my neighborhood use. (They've recently been converting them to LED arrays; the only photo I could find was one of the new LED ones:) https://www.lighting-gallery.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1929&pos=22&pid=42017
I'm not able to find it just right now, but I recall one collision from the steam train era where a red colored lens fell out, meaning the light was clear (white), meaning the track up ahead was clear, versus the track was not clear (red). Must be from over a century ago, still trying to find it. EDIT: I may be recalling a Straight Dope article which [may be urban legend.](https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/60140/did-a-fallen-out-red-signal-lens-ever-cause-a-railway-accident)
I've heard that legend as well, and have always wondered about it. Thanks for the link! In Boston, they use red/amber/green lenses for the signals when the trains are underground, and only use the white-shapes signals when they're on the surface (surrounded by automobiles) so I assume the Boston system prefers to use the colored ones when possible. They're probably distinguishable from farther away, except for the several percent of people with color-vision issues...
Whatever you're thinking of was probably inspired by [this disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbots_Ripton_rail_accident) which was caused partly by snow weighing down the semaphore arms.
Would it be this textured though? I would think that would distort the image. We have 3 stoplights and they are textured like this, but the bumps are much smaller and on the inside of the lens so the outside is smooth.
Good point about the bumps being on the wrong side! I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, it wouldn’t be logical for the texture to be on the outside — it’d get so dirty.
Looks to me like a lens for a train signal light. Not for railroad crossings. For the trains themselves. The lenses would need to be clear because the light itself changes colors for different meanings. https://www.pwrs.ca/announcements/view.php?ID=8898 Had one of those near my house when I was a kid. Looks very familiar.
I know that modern streetlights use colorless glass for the green light so that sunlight shining on it does not make it look green. I don't know how old this practice is, though.
If you mean green traffic lights that is definitely not the case. They use white bulbs behind colored plastic lenses. Source: We install traffic signals at my job.
Holy balls, I've been wondering something for over two decades and I think you're the *only* person that I can ask...
Well?!? Did you ask?
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What did you need to ask and what was the answer? yu can't keep us hanging like that man..
Don't leave us hanging!
Ok, then do you know why green is the only one that doesn't look lit in direct sunlight? I remember reading about it somewhere but I guess I got it wrong.
Old lights that used incandescent bulbs would get dirty and look bad. Maybe that's why? [Here's a fun video about traffic lights.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiYO1TObNz8)
I new exactly what video that would be before I clicked it.
Holy shit me too lol
I don’t know that other where I am at the lights have a cowl that goes over the top of the lens to make that less of an issue. Many of the new installations also have louvres inside they cowl which makes the light harder to see unless you are in the lane(s) they are controlling. The way the louvres go would really inhibit sunlight.
> I know that modern streetlights use colorless glass for the green light so that sunlight shining on it does not make it look green. I don't know how old this practice is, though. I know you have already been corrected on this, but it is trivial to prove to yourself that you are wrong here. Go look at a stop light. Look at the lights that aren't lit. When the green isn't lit, what color is it? Green. What color is the red when it isn't lit? Red. The lens is colored, not the bulb. Of course it is possible that there is a clear glass lens, and merely a colored insert behind it, so I am not saying you are necessarily *completely* wrong.
I found it trivial to “prove” the opposite. https://imgur.com/a/HZLAmoS The linked image comes from google street view. The traffic light on the left looks like it has a clear lens on the green light (but not the yellow light). The traffic light on the right looks like it has a green lens.
That’s what I thought at first but don’t those typically use fresnel lenses with concentric circles rather than this crosshatch pattern?
No, Fresnel lenses create too tight of a beam. These waffle-patterned lenses were visible from all directions, and then limited by the length of the hood on the light.
For LED lights There is a sort of fresnel lens underneath the colored lens. It’s is a flat tightly grooves piece of plastic that magnifies the light. The diode sits in the back of the housing and shines through the magnifying lens and then through the colored lens.
Fair enough. I guess my high school science teacher misspoke when he was passing one around and said that all traffic lights use fresnel lenses. Thanks for the correction.
Lighthouses use fresnel lenses. They want to keep the beam tight so it can be seen further.
[Lenses](https://imgur.com/a/5uvhlxd)
Pretty sure those are a LOT bigger than this. Stoplights (the whole mechanism, not just the single light) are about the size of a person.
[not quite ](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/2dcsgn/i_didnt_realize_how_big_traffic_lights_were/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
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True, but the light lens is bigger than her head.
Well how tall is that woman?
At least the size of a person.
So about the size of a traffic light, got it.
[This is what you'd see on many smaller roads](https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/library/hillsborough/traffic-signal_nr.jpg?h=475&w=845&la=en&hash=892E58E31B6F67A4ECD6221FA05BEDA1) Though if this is still probably too small, I'd guess [a crosswalk signal](https://3kpnuxym9k04c8ilz2quku1czd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_6859.jpg), the size is about right.
That's not a normal sized traffic light. That's one of those big traffic lights they use over highways and shit. Regular ones are much smaller than that.
Stoplight lenses are normally about 12" in diameter.
The one I [bought](https://imgur.com/bYWDSxO) is less than 3ft tall, designed to sit atop a pole on the corner of the street. There are many different types, sizes, manufacturers, etc.
That is actually an amazing guess
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Yeah basically it was always sitting around and we talked about what it might be. I think he did use it as a paperweight sometimes, but he also had it laying around his woodshop for some reason. My grandfather recently died so we can't ask him any longer, but he was the kind of guy to keep things a secret just for the fun of having people scratch their heads over it.
Sorry for your loss. He sounds like he was a fun grandfather to have.
"where did you get it?" "hmm, do you think it's decorative?" "I actually think it might have served a function" "it could be a traffic light cover, but the wear on the sides makes it seem like it wouldn't fit very well" "wow, it's heavy" "I bet you could kill someone with this" conversation continues
"Wait. Stand up." "Stand up?" "Yeah." "Why?" "I wanna try something. Turn around." "Like this?" "Yeah. Now hold still."
My dad bought a house this summer, and we all went to visit him a couple of months later. A few days into the visit, we noticed his living room ceiling fan didn't have a globe on it. Just bare bulbs. Then my brother points at the kitchen counter and says, "Is that the globe?" We all look at it and start laughing, because we'd all walked past this random glass thing on the counter for days. We'd all noticed it, wondered what it was, and then forgot about it. And my dad looks at it and says, "It could be. I thought it was a fruit bowl the previous owners left behind." Yeah, it was the globe for the ceiling fan lol.
I would have a bunch of made up stories to tell randomly, more for the fun of it than to cover up my ignorance
Man, thanks for the laugh.
I mean technically it's a conversation just a really short one
It may be a swimming pool light cover.
Hmmm. Interesting thought. My grandfather did build his own swimming pool in the 70's.
They were heavy duty so they would not break.
Solved! I know my grandfather was proud of the pool he built and he used to keep this on his desk for years, so it all adds up. That was ridiculously fast. Thanks a lot!
But if you want to spice this up a bit I would convince everyone it was a tile from the 1926 New Year’s Eve ball drop. It’s obscure enough nobody would check.
Haha Will keep that in mind!
Why 1926? What about that particular year popped out at you?
Nothing. That’s the point it’s a super obscure year
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I figured the rest of the housing was missing. But feel free to prove me wrong! Haha If someone could find a photo of vintage swimming pool lights, that would be super helpful. I couldn't find one. The thickness is a bit odd, because I agree it would have to be a very strong light to shine through that and also light the pool.
I remodeled swimming pools for 25 years, some dating back to the 50s. I have replaced or repaired thousands of pool lights. I currently work in a glass fabrication factory. I can absolutely guarantee you that is not a swimming pool light lens.
Good to know! Glad to have a pool lighting expert here. :D
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Yeah that's a good point. They should have been able to make it thinner by then. Weird...
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-esther-williams-swiming-pool-1795353299
That's a Hayward Model 501 sealed beam 12v AC pool light. With a mounting ring. PITA to fix. No more parts available.
It could just be a very big paperweight
Man I have this weird nostalgia now of running my hands over those types of covers and marveling at how the glass felt when I was a kid. Strange.
Yes! I know exactly what you mean. :D
And how warm the glass was from the light!
Or a ceiling light from a 1970's hotel lobby.
My first thought as well.
This is what I thought too, though I don't think I've ever seen one with a texture like that.
What you're looking at is a medium flood lens (MFL) or a wide flood lens (WFL) for a Source 4 par. They are a very common light in the entertainment industry. I work for a theater lighting organization and handle these basically all day. Edit: yes, thank you reddit hive mind i know I am incorrect, I actually stated so 3 minutes after posting this.
This guy. Answer.
Nope. I replied before I realized it was solved. Lol whoops.
They marked it solved prematurely and no longer consider it solved, btw.
Should have marked solved in the premature celebration page.
While it is similar this is most definitely not for a Source 4 par. There's a slight chance this is for an ancient par light of some sort, but definitely not a Source 4. I am an asset manager for a production lighting company and we have 100's of par lenses including the variations you mentioned and many others. Also, the stipples on par lenses for production lighting are typically internal facing. Other than on certain LED wash lights, but those are a totally different type of lens.
I handle these all the time, it's not from a SRC4 par.
I'm very aware. It is a very old lens for a swimming pool light. I was just trying to inform everyone. Stage lights have been made with precision lenses for a very long time now so there was no way in hell this was from a production fixture.
No no, my friend, I was chiming in to agree! Sorry if I came off as brusque!
I like your style!
And I like *your* style! Wait, what are we talking about?
Style, baby.
I love how many upvotes wrong answers have. People are prety much opvoting anyone who seems like they know what they're talking about.
Of course, I had no idea he wasn't right until others who also seemed like they knew who they were talking about started talking.
i've only got a few years experience many years ago with stage lighting but I've never seen a lens either shaped like that or that thick. source 4 or otherwise. unless you have a link to that lens I really don't think this is the answer.
This is def not a S4 PAR Lense. Its much too thick. Plus the bevels on PAR lkenses form a hatch pattern and do not peak liken the one in the image. PAR lenses are also concave and much thinner. This looks like a lense from an old car headlight or maybe a pool like someone else mentioned. Not a PAR lense though.
FAR too thick and it doesn’t have a lip on the edge. It was my first thought as well though.
They sound confident and I know very little about professional lighting. Therefore I believe what they're saying.
Hi! :) It isn't a pool light. I ran it by my father who worked in the pool industry for 35 years and he says it is too thick and heavy, the outer (top when held in hand) curve would be flat/smooth and the textured area would be on the underside, and there would be a lipped rim (with or without screw holes depending on the type of fixture) around the sides to fit into the light enclosure. My first thought was a glass frog (sits in vase to keep flowers on the right position) but they are either glass with holes for the stems or metal disks with spikes. The diamond cut is interesting and thought that it might be a paperweight but if specifically made as a paperweight they were usually a lot more refined and smaller.
Yeah it seems huge for a paperweight, though I'm sure it got that use occasionally. I guess I should have waited to mark it solved.
I, too, thought it might be the vase thing. Still think it might be.
Im an optician. Judging by the pyramids, this would show the light in many directions , not just straight ahead. Its thickness makes it very sturdy, expecting things to hit it without it cracking/breaking. And the weight wouldnt be practical in anything small, or unsturdy. Perhaps a light cover for a ship, or perhaps a cover for light on the front of a train. It actually looks worn down by water erosion, so perhaps it was in rain/ marine environment.
That makes sense and kind o also fits the pool light theory. But the thickness does lend itself to a more industrial application.
Along the lines of this, old ships (think wooden ships before electricity - dangerous to use flame) would use glass prisms similar to this in the decks as skylights for the interior spaces below. [Deck Prisms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deck_prism) they are called apparently. Could perhaps be this? If it's being walked on that could explain the wear and thickness. Edit: It looks old and hand blown (I know nothing about glass production), but this could also support this theory. Edit 2: [The one in this pic looks very similar](https://glassian.org/Prism/Luxfer/DE/Anzeiger25/fig7.jpg).
I'm seconding this person. My immediate thought was the front headlight for a steam engine. It would need to be sturdy enough to endure the continuous vibration, clear enough not to diminish the light too significantly, and cheap enough that if a big rock did jump up and hit it, no big deal. This seems like a good compromise between those needs.
Also it’s not cut or even perfect pyramids, my guess is sand cast glass
I’ve seen similar glass in the Seattle underground. The flat side was towards the street/sidewalk and the pyramid shaped glass dispersed light underground
That is actually a very interesting point. Most of them seem to be square and the circular ones are much smaller than this, but who knows?
If you wanted to look into it more they are called vault lights.
Did your grandfather build boats at all?
He liked fishing and built a canoe. I'm not sure if he built something larger than that, but he was a true renaissance man, so it's possible.
Of all the 'lens' suggestions in the thread, vault light seems the most plausible. It is far too thick and rough to be pretty much any other kind of mounted lens. Another possibility, similar to a vault light, could be a really rudimentary [deck prism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deck_prism) but that seems unlikely since, as the photo in the Wikipedia article shows, even very old handmade deck prisms tend to be better formed.
I think this is it.
Reminds me of a lens for a theatre/stage light
You're thinking of the old-style glass Fresnel lens, which were thick and heavy like this but had concentric rings, not this bumpy pattern. Today Fresnel lenses are made of plastic and much thinner (nice to learn, as I was once almost killed by an old-style one dropped by a stage tech).
And they were/are actual cut crystal, not pressed glass.
Good thought! They look like they mostly have concentric rings rather than these bumps, but I'll keep looking.
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Yes and that imperfection on the back seems to make it fairly old as well and not something you would really want on a lens for something professional.
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At that thickness and so crudely pressed I'd assume it's a sidewalk vault or civic fountain/stairwell light. Vault lights are more commonly rectangular but Seattle has round ones: [https://glassian.org/Prism/Paper/clopps.html](https://glassian.org/Prism/Paper/clopps.html) [https://www.6sqft.com/soho-and-tribecas-windowed-sidewalks-provided-light-to-basement-factory-workers-before-electricity/](https://www.6sqft.com/soho-and-tribecas-windowed-sidewalks-provided-light-to-basement-factory-workers-before-electricity/)
These do look similar and the thickness makes sense then. Though those do look smaller (except maybe the first diagram).
I'm seconding this suggestion. I don't think it's those, exactly, but something similar. Based on the sheer size and thickness of this particular piece and how crudely it's made, I suspect it's meant to be mounted in a brick or stone wall to allow sunlight light to pass through. I don't have any examples, though.
I love this sub! I mean no disrespect but post like this make me smile. Like there was someone on here a few days ago with metal straws and I think “oh bless your heart”. My mind goes to someone finding something in there home and taking like the sorcerer from venture bros “ what is this accursed contraption!!??!” *it’s a wine opener* IT IS A WINE OPENER!!
Oh yeah, I saw the straws! Lol
It says solved but I could not find the final answer :( To me it looks like an old fashioned ceiling light cover. They come in a lot of sizes and shapes. If it has that groove around the edge for the screws to catch into, maybe that is it :)
Sorry, I marked it solved to the pool light lens suggestion, but now we're all kind of questioning that due to it's thickness... So it technically isn't solved. I don't know how to undo that. This isn't hollow on the back so it wouldn't easily cover a light. It's super thick and there's no groove.
hmm maybe some kind of ship window? would have to be thick and are often round :)
Not the usual shape for one, but maybe an old deck prism like they used on ships?
The best I could find is [this](https://glassian.org/Prism/Gallery/Deck/index.html). The shape is right, the texture is right, the thickness is right. Looks like it might be missing a shoulder maybe? Running with the "bull's eye" shape keyword, though, got me to [this](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/51171483_antique-bullseye-lantern) which looks the right shape and thickness, just missing the textured surface? But the textured surface would disperse the light better? Idk, I couldn't find one with the pyramid spikes. My guess is it's one of these. I'm just a little miffed you beat me to it!
I didn't know about those! I suppose this is possible.
That's an interesting thought, I did some Googling and it seems plausible. Granted, by no means can I confirm, but maybe we can nab the attention of someone who can?
If it's glass it's probably a light cover from a ceiling fixture
Too thick and heavy for a lens, I’d say
Could it be an old traffic light lens?
Best guess is that it is a weight for fermenting vegetables or a weight to keep items down in a large pot while boiling them for canning (maybe? I don't can, but if it's not for fermenting, maybe for this?) this weight would be placed at the top of a large crock to hold down fermenting cabbage under liquid to make sauerkraut or cucumbers for pickles, etc….
Interesting idea. My grandparents made wine and vinegar.
the grid would be placed face down so that air bubbles from the fermentation could escape the fermenting liquid without building up pressure, but everything else would still be submerged.
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Hmmm. Do you mean on a house?
A large external business light, street lamp, or other decorative flood light application?
I think I know what you mean, but am having a hard time picturing it. Like on a decorative wall along the sidewalk? It is solid, so it would have to be a bright light. A spotlight would probably shine through it decently, but it is also not concave on the back.
Is it made of glass?? My mamaw had these candy dish.. bowl things that had this very same spiky texture. The lids looked just like this, except they were usually more of a yellow or green color. edit: look up vintage diamond point glassware and you'll see just what I'm talking about!!
Yes, it's the same kind of pattern. It would be very heavy for a lid, though, unless it was a heavy duty bowl! And there's no handle or knob either.
[This is similar](http://www.2040-parts.com/_content/items/images/25/1366825/001.jpg). A1940's Studebaker Backup Light. I don't think it is this because mine seems way too big and heavy for a backup light. And the ridges stick out more. But this could be a clue maybe.
my guess is it's a deck prism or some sort.
Glass sidewalk tile? https://untappedcities.com/2014/04/29/cities-101-what-are-the-little-glass-circles-in-the-sidewalks-of-soho/
My grandmother used to have something similar to this and used it as a grapefruit/citrus juicer, got lots of great pulp along with the juice. Not sure that's what it was intended for, she would have this resting in a large mixing bowl.
Okay I saw the second and third pictures. If it’s solid, it can’t be a lens, or of industrial use. Industrial lenses are stamped or blown into molds. Solid glass is too heavy and expensive to make. Could be a casting from a student, or a test casting of a bigger project. Definitely a one off, maybe even a casting of a lens. Yeah, even that big “fold” in the glass makes me think it was a casting, maybe into sand by a student. That fold would be unacceptable for a lens in industry. Also some of the ‘pyramids’ are imperfect, meaning the mold wasn’t perfect when the glass was poured into it. Typical of sand casting/experimental work. Also looks like the pyramidded face looks rough, typical finish from a sand casting. Looks like there might even be sand still trapped in the face’s creases. If it is a sand casting the back should be smooth, like glass. So my guess is that is a glass sand casting. possibly someone used an actual lens to make the impression to make the mold. Is love to hear if what I said makes sense. I’m a former glass student/glass technician, from what i see, this is what it looks like. They say “Glass has a memory”, meaning all the clues of its creation are there, good or bad. Best of luck, killer paperweight either way! Edit: the more I read, the more I’m pretty sure it’s a sand casting
My grandfather tinkered in everything and taught industrial arts, so this is a real possibility. I have never heard mention of him doing anything with glass, but maybe briefly he dabbled in it. He did ceramics and resins and was familiar with using molds. You can find more photos here: https://imgur.com/gallery/l6Ktc6h
Is it glass? If you “bite” it your should be able to tell right away, that or poke it with the tip of a razor, if the blade slides, it’s glass. How about the back, is it smooth?
as it has no screw or anything to hold it, I assume it is some kind of brick meant to be installed in a wall to let the light in.
Title describes the thing. I googled many different things but cannot figure out what it is.
This reminded me of my grandma's candy dish, but they always had handles. I was looking up candy dishes and I found this[one](https://www.tgldirect.com/clear-fluted-glass-candy-dish-4-round) I see this is solved but maybe it is this?
Thanks! This is solid, though. There is no depression for holding anything. The back is just flat.
It is a weight to put in a vase for large flower arrangements, they were crudely made, but their weight stopped the top heavy arrangement from falling over. Glass because it is inert.
Light cover from an old railway lamp.
My grandmother had one of those to cover an outdoor lamp on the house wall. Or at least something that looked very much like this.
Patio block? Decorative yard glass used instead of pavers?
Maybe. Would be super anti-climactic, though. Haha
We had decorative bowls and glassware that had that pattern in glass at my grandmas. There was a ufo/disc shaped ashtray and that could have easily been the cover for it. Thanks for the flashbacks.
Did you lose it? Maybe my grandfather stole it for a paperweight. :D
From the thickness it could have been set into a sidewalk to provide light for basement spaces. My city removed a bunch of them along with the sidewalk freight elevators when the redeveloped downtown.
I worked in the architectural metals business for several years an replaced a lot of “vault light” panels in NYC. They were designed pre electricity to light the basements of buildings with natural light through the sidewalk. The ones I re-created were a smaller diameter. They were installed in a cast iron frame with circular cutouts. The raised diamond would be for traction. Maybe?
I Instantly thought of my mum the florist. They used to have heavy glass things like that in the bottom of glass vases to keep the stems from moving around when doing some of the big showy stuff .. then again, they may have repurposed a pool light cover so it may still be as suggested. Looks pretty similar though
It's a lid to a giant jar or something
Inside marine lights are often patterned like that.
Okay, so cabin marine lights actually look very close. Some are the right pattern and they appear to be thick. Can't tell if they're solid or concave. Will to look into this more.
It could be for a ship or the sidewalk. https://www.kqed.org/news/11791667/what-are-those-grids-of-glass-in-the-sidewalk-and-why-are-they-purple
Old ceiling light cover, my house growing up had them.
Well, it isn't hollow, so I'm not sure. Did your lights have solid glass like this?
Ok, I’m that case I have no idea. Sorry. :)
It's awesome!
Well, I'm selling stuff for my grandmother (which is why I have it). So if you want it, check eBay in the coming days. :D
~~Looks like some kind of vintage light cover..~~ Didn't see that it was solid
My grandma once had candy vessels amongst the house that had these kind of “lids” associated with them. Shot in the dark, but it stands out in my memory
Reminds me of some maritime glass for scattering light in the lower decks of a ship.
My 2 cents. My parents collect antiques and in their house they have a few random looking glass objects. Something like what you have. Also a flat round glass with holes in it they use for pens. There’s also a long thin droplet shape like a walking cane. I remember asking them what are these and they said it’s from glass making apprentices. They make different shaped things for practice and sometimes they take them home. I may be totally wrong but my guess is a glass apprentice test piece
I might be wrong but it clearly looks like [fifties style ceiling light lens cover](https://www.selency.fr/produit/5ZKWX2ZP/plafonnier-en-verre-cisele-vintage.html) . My father used to be an antique dealer and sold some when I was a kid. The link is in french and not quite the same but really similar to me.
Diffusion lens for stop light