CRT implosion experience?

[bgadow]

I'm glad that link was posted, I somehow missed it this spring. Scary stuff!

The most impressive crt implosion I've seen: when I was a teenager my favorite way to dipose of junk sets was to set them on fire. I had this GE console from about '80, typical-no signs of life, beyond my limited ability. So, I drug it outside and threw some gasoline in the back. Poof! Now, when the heat is really getting to that crt the phosphors will start to darken, and that's a good time to stand back! With this particular set, just as this happened my highschool sweetheart walked around the corner. There wasn't time to tell her what to expect....WHOOMP! Glass went everywhere, proof that the safety of a modern tension band crt has its limits.

[wa2ise]

Back in the 70s, when I was in college, I had to dispose of a 20 or so inch B&W CRT in the TV cabinet. The town trash collectors wanted us to let the vacuum out of CRTs by breaking off the little evac seal at the socket. We put it at the curb. Well, this CRT had a bakelite base and the glass seal was not accessible. So I decided to stand back about 25 feet and toss rocks at the CRT neck to snap it off, and be at a safe distance. I missed the neck, but nailed the big part (like where the high voltage connects to). Kaboom! flying glass all over the street and front yard lawn. Good thing I was 25 feet away. I wonder if the CRT phosphors helped fertilize the grass any. Don't remember any brown grass afterwards.