Hi All;
Can anyone tell me, I have a 10BP4 with a Calvideo sticker on it, dated 9-49, is this a new tube or is Calvideo a rebuilder, even back in 1949..
THANK YOU Marty

I have a Calvideo 12LP4, I can tell the CRT has been rebuilt so Calvideo must have been a rebuilder.

The sticker on mine says something like "BEST IN THE WEST!"

I have an 8-TS-30 with a Calvideo rebuilt in it, it checks like new.
Seeing as how StellarTV and I are both in California I would guess the name means California Video.
It may have an address on the sticker I'll have to check mine when I get home.
What State are you in Geist?

It's amazing how many rebuilders there were once upon a time.

Hi All;
Thanks, the box is out in the shed burried, and holding the origional 10BP4 that came with my 8T244 TV set.. So, I can't look at the box for any clues at the present..
THANK YOU Marty

Here's a shot of the label from the 12LP4. Tests great, unfortunately has a hint of burnin from a vertical collapse. Saved this from a Philco 50T-1402 who was destined to become a fishtank. I heard it at the yard sale where someone had just bought this TV before I got there "Oh we can just smash that glass out of there."

DON'T UNBOLT IT CAREFULLY OR ANYTHING!

http://www.stellar-tv.com/images/calvideo.jpg

I think they started rebuilding CRT's on a large scale in the mid-50's.
They probably realized that the glass envelope was still reusable and didn't wear out. Brand new CRT's were a lot more expensive and many set owners opted to upgrade to a new set, instead of spending a lot of money to replace the CRT.

Hi All;
I live in the "Peoples Republic of" Boulder, Colorado.. I don't know exactly where the Tube came from, I one day was at my local Electronics Supply store, and out front in their ""FREE" section, there was this Box, which I knew immediately was a Picture Tube, and when I looked at the number it had 10BP4 printed on the Box.. I even went inside and asked just in case,, and yes, they were more than glad for me to take it.. So, I have NO history on it or where it came from, or how long they had, had it.. They were in the process of cleaning out the back getting ready to move to a new location.. So it could have been a drop off, or it could have been there for years..
THANK YOU Marty

Wow, I would love to find some free NIB 10BP4's!

Pretty sure mine says Los Angeles on it also, wonder how yours made it to Colorado?

Hi All;
Well, as you can tell I have no idea.. Just like my TV, which was made before they had TV here.. Since we got TV in 1952, and the 8T244 is a 1948 set and the tube is 1949.. Go figure ??
THANK YOU Marty

Wow, I would love to find some free NIB 10BP4's!

Pretty sure mine says Los Angeles on it also, wonder how yours made it to Colorado?

I just bought a 7JP4, new in the box. A National Union. The box is all nasty looking, but the tube is new, AFAIK. :yes:

Hi All;
My best guess, is back in the mid fifties, people would need a tube replacement and a rebuilt would be alot cheaper than a new tube.. But, I still have no idea of "why" the 10BP4, I can understand larger sizes.. Maybe If you ordered a certain amout of the larger tubes, they threw in a 10BP4.. The Supplier was way over stocked, and wanted to clear some much needed room.. And it never got used, or someone ordered a 10BP4 and later backed out, or the service man ordered one too many.. Since by the mid 50s 10 inch tubes (I would think) would not be needed, and as I said before, I can't imagine much call for anything pre 1952/1953.. And even by 1952/1953, 10 inch tubes were not used, that I know of, everything would have been much larger, 16 to 21 inch picture tubes.. I can't say for sure, but the picture tube and my TV could have come from the same repair shop, only by different routes..
THANK YOU Marty

My best guess, is back in the mid fifties, people would need a tube replacement and a rebuilt would be alot cheaper than a new tube.. But, I still have no idea of "why" the 10BP4, I can understand larger sizes..

Yup! You have the reason correct!

OK, a little history lesson for any youngsters here.

Back in 1957 or 8, the shop where I interned in west Tennessee took up an offer from a rebuilder in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Back then Federal Express had not been invented and picture tubes usually traveled by Freight (slow trucks), so any shop not in a big city with a local dealer, would have to stock rebuilt tubes, as the customer would not wait. The deal was: We would store the tubes free, and only pay for them one-at-a-time when we sold them.

Fast forward about one year. The rebuilding company went belly-up and all tubes were abandoned in place, because it was determined that their value was less than the cost of shipping. Once that matter was cleared up, you bet we continued to sell the remaining rebuilt tubes whenever a need arose. Sometimes, we sold them for almost give-away prices simply to get them out of our way.

The brand name of those rebuilt tubes was Chickasaw. A good company while they lasted!

Anyone have one of these tubes? I don't remember any of them failing in warranty, and the only reject we had was one tube which was supposed to be aluminized and it was not. We did not notice this until it was installed in the TV. This happened while Chickasaw was still in business and they replaced it. The shop had to eat the labor and it took about a month to get the replacement tube to us.

James