I built the circuit as shown and when i use a 6v 60mA bulb it lights to full brightness instantly, when i change the bulb to a 6v 160mA it glows faintly and takes almost 30 seconds to reach full brightness....can someone shine some light on this for me please (pun intended) lol

 

Just a wild guess, but perhaps the supply can't provide the current needed until the bulb reaches a much higher resistance as it slowly warms up.

 

If that supply is a standard 9 volt battery then ElectricSpidey is correct.
Try a supply that's rated for more current then 160ma.
BTW was is that transistor, a Triac?

 

An AC12

BTW was is that transistor, a Triac?

An AC128, a germanium audio transistor from the distant past.

 

Try a lower value base resistor, say 1k.

 

Try a lower value base resistor, say 1k.

I lowered the value of the base resistor to 5K and that fixed it....thank you very much Sarah

 

An AC128, a germanium audio transistor from the distant past.

Yes i first came across them in the early 1980s but they may have been around longer than that.

 

With a gain of around 100, the 10k resistor is limiting current to about half that needed for the 160mA bulb, so the slow rise in brightness may be due to the increasing conductivity as the transistor heats up.