First, support for dialing up the bulb voltage to get the bubbling started. Our (LHS) display layout derrick w/bubbler (no longer in use) started best at 16v. Once bubbling it could be dialed down to 13-14v.
I wonder if anyone has automated this using low-cost electronic component modules off eBay (e.g., timer, relay, voltage regulator). So it would be like automatic vs. manual transmission in a car automatically shifting gears (lowering voltage) once the car (bubbling) gets rolling. Ought to help with bulb-life if you only drive it hard for the first minute of an operating session.
But the silicone grease idea seems the simplest solution. The stuff used to cost a fortune at Radio Shack and come in a messy hard-to-use tube but now I see the computer stores carry 30g easy-to-apply syringes for a couple bucks. Presumably these bulbs don't get too hot whereby the thermal gradient on glass can break them. I remember the hot bulbs used for overhead/slide projectors and even modern halogen lamp bulbs warn not to get even a fingerprint on them for that reason. That is, the thermal grease will pull heat from one side of the bulb and "stretch" the glass.
