When the Turks first shot their guns they broke their noses. When E M decats....

[Electronic M]

Well today I tried to remove a cateract on an RCA tube. Here is the gruesome story in photos and words.

I started by gouging out some of the PVA so I could pry the glass up, but because I could not locate any usable wood at first I tried prying with a screw driver and ruined the safety glass. This was yesterday. I made some progress, but the sun went down and I decided to put it in a tray of water over night.


The next day I made good progress, but between the chip from yesterday and the uneven pesssure of the small shims cracks started to develop.


Eventually it got to the point that I could only chip the lense off with a screwdriver...


But even with the googles I was wearing the glass chips were too unpleasent to tolerate. The next thing I did was VERY STUPID (understand that my brain does not work much if at all in 97 degree heat). I took the sizzleing hot tube and put it back in the cool water! As I walked away I heard a ping and hissing/gurgleing sound, this is the result.



The bell and face cracked and I could not be sadder and madder at my self than I was was when I snapped that series photos, despite the small reilef that I was not injured in what could have been a violent implosion.
I think I learned a valueable lesson about thermodynamics from this tragety if nothing else.

The less disasterous less sucessful Zenith process is to come in my next post.

Tom C.

PS: what should I do with the RCA tube now?