M2 to M3 bulb adapters

[Cholentpot]

I have a handful of M2 bulbs but a bag of M3 bulbs. I saw digging around there's a way to adapt a flashgun to different bulbs. I have a working Argus C3 flashgun but it's for M2 and when those run out I'd like to shoot out the rest of my M3 collection of bulbs. Can someone point me in the right direction? And before I'm given advice to get another flash gun, first off this one works. Getting another one doesn't guarantee that it'll work. Second this item uses commonly available C cell batteries and I don't have to get some obscure batter and capacitor.

Thanks.

 

[Hunter_Compton]

Both M2 and M3 flashbulbs use the same miniature base, with M2 putting out half the light of M3.

Most Argus flash holders I've seen for the C3 are setup for bayonet base #5 or #25 bulbs. I have not seen Bayonet to Miniature base adapters, but they may exist. More common are adapters from bayonet base to baseless like AG-1.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I've seen adapters from screw base to bayonet base, and from bayonet to miniature, but the latter are relatively scarce.

 

[Cholentpot]

Both M2 and M3 flashbulbs use the same miniature base, with M2 putting out half the light of M3.

Most Argus flash holders I've seen for the C3 are setup for bayonet base #5 or #25 bulbs. I have not seen Bayonet to Miniature base adapters, but they may exist. More common are adapters from bayonet base to baseless like AG-1.

Ok, so I have a #5 sized flashgun. I have about a dozen of #5 bulbs and about 50 M3 sized bulbs. I guess #5 to M3 might not be a thing.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I guess #5 to M3 might not be a thing.

I'm pretty sure I have one, somewhere, but it's in one of the boxes of camera stuff that hasn't been unpacked since I moved ten years ago, mounted in a screw-base flash along with the screw-to-bayonet adapter.

 

[Cholentpot]

I'm pretty sure I have one, somewhere, but it's in one of the boxes of camera stuff that hasn't been unpacked since I moved ten years ago, mounted in a screw-base flash along with the screw-to-bayonet adapter.

What would I even look for online? #5 to M3 adapter? What's the M3 style bulb technically called?

 

[gordrob]

I think this is what you are looking for.

 

[Cholentpot]

I think this is what you are looking for.

I believe so, what's it called in a search engine?

 

[Donald Qualls]

#5 to Miniature (M2 and M3 are "miniature #2" and "miniature #3") or #5 to M2 or bayonet to miniature/M2.

 

[gordrob]

This one is picture I took of one of the adapters I have. You could try to search for
Flash Bulb to m3 Type Adapter
and this should get you some information.

 

[hsandler]

The adaptor you want often comes with flashguns that have the larger bayonet base for #5 bulbs. You can tell it's a removeable adaptor from the long metal tab for ejecting the miniature bulb. I have one that came with a folding Walz flash gun. It may be cheaper to buy an old "parts" flashgun than to buy the adaptor by itself. Some flashguns like the Tilt-a-mite have a 3-way base socket that accepts #5, miniature as well as the all-glass AG-1 bulbs.

 

[Cholentpot]

The adaptor you want often comes with flashguns that have the larger bayonet base for #5 bulbs. You can tell it's a removeable adaptor from the long metal tab for ejecting the miniature bulb. I have one that came with a folding Walz flash gun. It may be cheaper to buy an old "parts" flashgun than to buy the adaptor by itself. Some flashguns like the Tilt-a-mite have a 3-way base socket that accepts #5, miniature as well as the all-glass AG-1 bulbs.

I had a tilt-a-mite. Just got rid of it as it took hard to find batteries and a compacter. Which is why I'm sticking with the Argus. 2 C batteries can't be beat.