TV Shop on "The Lucy Show"

[old_tv_nut]

That prop set looks like it might have been built for a "Lucy in the TV" gag, which I think I may have seen once

[jshorva65]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

If I owned that shop, I wouldn't leave bare CRTs sitting around where the public could access them. Someone might bust the neck off, and cause an implosion, ...

Typically, a snapped neck would just reduce a potentially-good tube (or at least a rebuildable dud) to junk, but implosions from neck breakage are rare. A nasty cut from the broken edges would be the most likely danger. If the tube were knocked off the shelf so that the faceplate or rim hit the floor or wall, the tube would be VERY likely to implode.

Originally Posted by wa2ise

Favorite quote: "Recapping an entire machine to solve a problem is like carpet bombing an entire city to find one terrorist!" --Fred Longworth.

But all wax caps are evil...

That's ONE reason why I typically troubleshoot a set as-found immediately after adding fuses, then replace all paper capacitors as a preventive measure once I've verified that all the vital components (CRT, power transformer, flyback, yoke, etc.) are serviceable.

[jshorva65]

Originally Posted by Charlie

There's only one thing about that shop that doesn't seem realistic... it's unusually clean and organized. I've been to many shops, and don't think I've seen one that clean! Seems there's always stuff, parts, papers, meters, and chassis laying around... even in the area where the customer would be. Perhaps they were just more organized back in those days.

Exactly! My bench is almost always littered with frequently-used tools, a pile or two of junk wax capacitors, and several clip leads. I try to keep all my new parts and tubes stored neatly away in their bins, boxes, or bags as much as possible. Then, on a slow day, I'll go on a cleaning spree, putting all the tools back in the toolbox, tossing the junked caps in the trash, and hanging up the test leads on wall hooks. In another day or so, it's back to looking like a disorganized mess.

A client picking up his restored '53 Buick radio this week remarked during the final demonstration of the serviced set that the shop looked like something out of a sci-fi flick. Someone else remarked that my shop looked like "Doc Brown's lab" from Back to the Future.