12QP4 base repair

[bandersen]

I took a gamble on this 12QP4 on eBay. The base had come off and the seller was unable to do more that a basic filament test. I ended up the only bidder at $40.

I appeared to be very well packed (or so I thought)


Christmas in May


Uh-oh. What the heck happened to the pins


This is how they appeared in the eBay listing. The seller must have mashed and twisted them while packing it up!
Why go to so much trouble carefully doubled boxing it just to smash the base


So I set out to carefully unmangle them just enough to test on the off change it might still be good.
Much to my amazement, it didn't just test good, it tested like brand new!
I later noticed a telltale weld on the neck indicating it's been rebuilt.


I didn't dare try to completely straighten the leads out and stress the glass any more. Instead, I spread some epoxy around the leads and bend them up at a different point in the lead. Then I attached some extension wires and carefully threaded the base back. Before it was on all the way, I smeared around a little Permatex silicone adhesive.




After all that, it's still good