Stardust Lites - Heat Tapes Inc. Lamps

[Hopper Golightly]

Anyone know anything about these beautiful lamps. I've seen one online and I want it. 

Hopper

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Aside from them being based in Chicago, not really. I've found a list of legal cases listing one between Heat Tapes and Lava-Simplex; I suspect they were sued over their Bubble Lites.

The Heat Tapes lamp box mimics later 70s boxes Lava-Simplex used for models that came in Lava or Gem-Lite - it has the "Stardust Lite" on one side and the "Bubble Lite" on the other. Heat Tapes lamps use Consort bottles & caps which I'd guess they just purchased from whoever supplied Lava-Simplex.There are also two bases, wherein the faux wood pedestal differs: it's flat on top with straight sides in some, and taller with a flared look in others. Both Stardust and Bubble came in four colors, which were red, blue, green, gold liquid for Stardust and the same lava colors in clear liquid (yep, first company to make blue lava; any guess who first made purple?) The Bubble Lites are indeed a knock-off formula; Bryin and Frank Chillino have them. Check Frank's photos for more Heat Tapes lamps.

The Stardust uses a formula patented by Mastercrafters Clock & Radio Co., also of Chicago, for use in two lamp-clocks: the one-light Magic Lite and two-light Action Starlight. Other lamps using this formula were all in Chicago, though no concrete link has been found. The "Pagoda Lamp Co." made a model with a conical base and globe and a unique plastic finial cap, in six colors. Another model, possibly Heat Tapes, possibly not, uses a faux wood flared pedestal, and a brass-finished base and metal cap on a cylindrical bottle. The same formula was used by Lava in their 1969 Glitterlites, though with finer glitter. Its biggest use was in an extensive line of "Astro Lite" glitters made by the also-mysterious Florence Art Co. which made, among other things, double and triple lamps and a wall sconce.

To add to the confusion is the name. A "heat tape" is an electric heating element within a flexible ribbon; they're usually wrapped around water pipes to prevent freezing.

[Hopper Golightly]

Good job Jonas. Thanks for the info. I'm stalking an Ebay auction on one of these beautiful lamps, but it's gone crazy expensive. I do like them though, quite beautiful.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

They do that. There are a handful of collectors who specifically collect Florence Arts, Heat Tapes, Pagodas, etc. and will bid accordingly.