Are halogen bulbs safe to hollow out?

[djdelarosa25]

I'm doing a DIY gift for Valentine's (quite a bit late for it) and it involves hollowing out a light bulb. The only clear bulb that I could find was a Philips halogen bulb. I've heard that CFL's (compact fluorescent lamps) aren't safe since they contain mercury inside. Are halogens safe to open up?

[W-L]

17 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

I'm doing a DIY gift for Valentine's (quite a bit late for it) and it involves hollowing out a light bulb. The only clear bulb that I could find was a Philips halogen bulb. I've heard that CFL's (compact fluorescent lamps) aren't safe since they contain mercury inside. Are halogens safe to open up?

Umm not really, most are pressurized so they aren't like your regular tungsten filament and potentially can explode if you were to shatter it by accident. 

[xentropa]

While halogens contain no toxic materials, you probably shouldn't open them.

[djdelarosa25]

9 hours ago, xentropa said:

While halogens contain no toxic materials, you probably shouldn't open them.

 

Are they really gonna explode? lol

[djdelarosa25]

bump

[SCHISCHKA]

from wikipedia on halogen lamps

"A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that has a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine added. "

from wikipedia on bromine

"Elemental bromine is toxic and causes chemical burns on human flesh. Inhaling bromine gas results in similar irritation of the respiratory tract, causing coughing, choking, and shortness of breath, and death if inhaled in large enough amounts. "

I dont think the amount of gas in it will make you sick. Just break it outdoors & wash it

[Lachy Davis]

Hey,

Coming from an Electrician, You're safe to do so, I'm more intrigued on how you will do so without damaging the glass. 

Best of luck.

[djdelarosa25]

There are lots of guides online ? I was just curious since they all say to use incandescent lamps only and never CFL

[dalekphalm]

14 hours ago, djdelarosa25 said:

 

Are they really gonna explode? lol

I assume you're misunderstanding the term explode. It's not going to explode in a giant fireball like a bomb would. But it could explode the internal contents in a pressure wave, throwing debris and chemicals in all directions (particularly, at you). Additionally, the contents of the bulb can cause chemical burns.

 

It's possible it won't explode, but even if you were to take that chance, you'd have to ensure a lot of safety precautions to ensure you don't hurt yourself.

I would suggest not doing this, unless you're trained on how to handle chemicals safely and what to do in an emergency, in case, for example, you got a chemical burn in your eyes.