Where to find broken/faulty flash tube bulbs

Hello,

I am looking for as many broken/faulty xenon flash tube bulbs as possible (for a sculpture) - but am struggling where to source them.

I saw there's a factory in France, but was wondering if anyone had any ideas of where to find them closer to home?

I saw an advert on eBay for 10 or so for £150 - this seems a lot to me for something that isnt functioning....is this usual?

I can get them very cheap on Alibaba but feels silly to buy something that works not to turn them on...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks so much,

Ellie

Hi Ellie and welcome to TP

Your request for help is possibly the most unusual I have seen on any photography forum.

However, I would make an observation in respect of 'blown' flash tubes. As I see it if you are seeking them in quantity then a repair establishment that would be replacing them on a regular basis might be a source.
However, the removed tubes would be seen by the company as industrial waste and likely disposed of accordingly on a regular(?) basis.

Also, possibly considered as hazardous waste and not permitted for passing on to a 'member of the public'.

One member here may have an industry insight and I will tag him in when I can remember his username

Edit

@Garry Edwards any thoughts on this unusual request for help?

Sorry, but no idea.

The problem is probably that very nearly all flash heads have tubes that people can just plug in when a replacement is needed - which is very rare anyway - so the flash head doesn't need to be sent anywhere for repair, so even the very few people who repair them are very unlikely to be able to help.

Thank you both for your help! I have been messaging flash head repair centres and have managed to get my hands on a few, enough to start with!

It'd be nice if you could report back on your progress and maybe even show us your sculpture.

Good luck with all this.