Removing badly damaged Aquadag ...

[jshorva65]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a cleaning agent that will remove the badly-damaged original outer Aquadag coating from a 10BP4?

This tube was packed for shipping to my customer by an eBay seller using adhesive-backed bubble wrap. I had unwrapped just the neck at first to allow a CRT tester to be connected. After verifying that the tube had good emission, I re-covered the neck and closed the box. Once I had confirming that the set would produce a good picture with my 5AXP4 test CRT, I was ready to test the set's recapped chassis with the original 10BP4. Unwrapping the rest of the tube revealed that about half the Aquadag was gone, and the bubble wrap was coated with the Aquadag that had once been on the tube. Upon letting my customer know that the Aquadag was in bad shape, he said that he had unwrapped the tube before shipping it to me and had noticed that the Aquadag was peeling. A can of conductive spray paint suitable for use as an Aquadag replacement costs almost $40. Although I have seen it advertised by one supplier for about $28, the shipping and handling added about $10 to the cost. I chose to order a can from a supplier whose price was around $36 and whose shipping and handling quote was lower, and to order some other materials from them that I needed which were not available from the seller with the $28 price on the Dag spray. One order, one shipping charge, which was a good compromise.

While adhesive-backed bubble wrap is fine for wrapping picture tubes and does a nice job of holding itself in place, the adhesive side of the bubble wrap should NOT be placed directly against the Aquadag-coated surfaces of the tube. It is far better to use soft 1/16" sheet foam or non-adhesive bubble wrap for the first layer, using the adhesive-backed stuff only for outer layers which do not directly touch the tube.

I've had good results in removing remnants of rotted rubber cushion rings from tubes such as 10BP4's using ordinary dishwashing soap in warm (90 to 100 degrees Faherenheit) water. The soap and warm water soften the rubber and allow it to be gently peeled away from the glass. I place a folded towel in the bottom of an 18" diameter plastic wash tub and fill the wash tub to a depth of about 4" with warm water and add soap. Folded towels are also draped over the rim of the tub to cushion it. Next, the CRT to be cleaned is gently lowered into the tub and stood on its faceplate and left to soak for a few minutes.

Maybe I should just get more of that self-stick bubble wrap, re-wrap the tube and peel the rest of the old Dag off that way. The adhesive on the bubble wrap sure did a great job of peeling the Dag the first time around.

[Eric H]

I would think washing it in water would lift the rest of the dag off but if not perhaps some Citri-Strip paint stripper would do it.

Possibly Alcohol or Lacquer thinner would do it also.