Abstract: A mercury dispenser for electric discharge lamps consists of welding a small metallic member (16) in the form of a "patch", to a portion of the surface of the cathode disintegration shield (10) and trapping a predetermined volume of mercury under the "patch". A dimple (17) may be formed in the shield (10) or in the member (16). The shield (10) may be formed from a continuous strip which is dimpled at a predetermined pitch, the dimples filled with mercury and the "patches" (16) welded over the dimples. The strip can then be cut into discrete "patched" sections to be bent into shields and assembled with the cathode structure. The mercury is liberated from under the "patch" by heating and vaporization, the vapor pressure forcing the "patch" open.

Abstract: In apparatus for and a method of sealing mounts to fluorescent lamp tubes on horizontal sealing machines each sealing head has a mount holding member pivotable between a mount sealing position in which it is coaxial with the lamp tube and a mount loading position which is angularly displaced by about 90.degree. in a plane normal to the direction of travel of the sealing heads from the mount sealing position and in which it can accept mounts from a mount conveyor externally of the sealing machine.

Abstract: A head for a rotary turret machine for making incandescent lamps or fluorescent light tubes is capable of, sequentially, sealing a mount to the lamp envelope, exhausting the interior of the envelope, filling it with a fill gas and tipping-off the exhaust tube of the mount. The head accordingly includes a sealing burner, a tip-off burner disposed coaxially within the sealing burner and around the exhaust tube with the lead-in wires disposed between the sealing and tip-off burners, a coupling connectable to a vacuum pump or to a source of fill gas, and respective fuel pipes for the sealing and tip-off burners.