>>7800088>tungstenExperiment with other materials. The concept is: understand what an electric light bulb is. If you have that knowledge, actual tungsten isn't necessary. Do you know what minerals are high in tungsten? What contaminants would make that filament burn? Or maybe preserve that filament against burning? What is a carbon arc-light?
Figure out how to make a glass bulb & evacuate it (remove oxygen, or even better replace with something inert like pure nitrogen); there are a variety of filaments that will have some endurance & produce usable light. They may only last a few months, or the light color may be shifted, but you'll have "invented" the light bulb. Then further development can ensue.
Skillzs needed: glass-making, glass blowing, enough metallurgy to make a base & seal it against the glass with a materiel that doesn't ignite, ability to run copper &/or iron electric leads into an evacuated glass bulb, connected by a filament of some sort, how to make basic electricity (spin a magnet inside coils of insulated copper or silver or another conductor wire). None of these skills are beyond someone who graduated high school & passed their basic science classes.
BTW, since you asked, you can use carbonized cotton or linen fiber as a filament. It's very fragile, but if you play around a bit you can get a few good ones installed in a bulb, make sure you isolate it from vibrations & such, and pass as much electricity through it as you can. A carbon fiber or rod of fairly pure carbon will glow with a very bright white when heated enough with a lot of electricity. Yes, it's hot, not very practical by today's standards, fragile, short life, etc. .... but you fucking invented electric light instead of using gas or a candle. Use your credentials as a genius to get other people to do the labor and help refine the prototype into something more useful.
Remember, exciting prototypes generate funding, and patrons, for the potential of what they may become.
