Just saw this thread and before I got to the part about Video Display moving rebuilding to their other facility a bad feeling set in.....in my heart of hearts I knew this was at the very least the beginning of the end of rebuilding roundies. Usually consolidation of production facilities is done as the first step of discontinuance of a company, or it's move to another country. Often due to either diminishing demand or excessive overhead, both of which apply here.

http://www.hawkeyepicturetube.com/antiquetvtubes.html

Don't know what the situation with Hawkeye is, but rest assured that they'll probably raise their prices on color tubes as there'll no longer be any competition. It's now just a matter of time that all CRT rebuilding will cease (at least in the continental US).

Anthony

I looked at the site that jstout66 listed a few posts up. According to what's on the site, Hawkeye does do color tubes as well. I will be calling him later in the week to get details.

IIRC, someone here on AK had a 21AXP22 rebuilt by him this past year.

Boys, gettem done while you can! :yes:

Video display still stocks many rectangular picture tubes. I needed a 25VCXP22 for a Maggie that I did. They had a brand new tube for $140. I also had to trade my old still under vacuum CRT to them. $140 seems like alot of money for a CRT but it was worth it to me. It took 6 to 10 weeks for delivery.

It is a shame that they will not do a roundie. I was going to have 3 tubes rebuilt myself.


polaraman

Hawkeye does do color. $$$ though :(
I've heard good results, though. He's involved with the 15GP22 rebuild effort, too. Last I talked to him, the big thing about doing early color stuff had to do less with the physical tubes and more with the glass on them and a few other things. I forget exactly what, it was long ago I asked him.

They tend to specialize in antique/obsolete types, I think. So he might do color for a long time still.

Sigh. I hate planned obscelecence :(

Isn't Hawkeye the one who is trying to rebuild a 15GP22? If Video Display still has guns it might be good to make sure they are preserved...I seem to remember reading the supply was somewhat limited.

Among the postings I've read (somewhere) was one noting how Kodak, not long ago at all, had thrown out a large number of NOS 15GP22's. I also recall seeing a listing in an old catalog somebody posted; I checked a '63 Allied catalog I have but it lists only 21" color tubes.

What I remember about that story is, It seems like the batch of 15GP22's discarded was used in a flying spot film scanner or other such specialized piece of equipment that was still in use for a while even after the 15GP22 tv receivers quit being made. When the device using the 15GP22's stopped being used, the tubes were discarded.

Also I read a story about someone who was using a CT-100 up through the late 70's with an RCA service contract, and RCA was continuing to replace the 15GP22's in the set.

Seems I remember hearing that story here on AK... a woman on the west coast I think??? In fact... now that I ponder over it some more, seems like it was an Ebay item from a year or two ago and we were following the auction.

A few minutes later... Yes... here is the thread that covered it...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10657

That reminds me of the pickle that SAAB got themselves in.....back in 1967 they introduced "their" new V4 engine (actually a Ford engine) and offered a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser. They ended up replacing these engines clear into the 80's when they finally would attempt to buy the car back from the owner to get out of having to deal with a obsolete item. Silly wabbit.

My Snap-On dealer hates me, I have some really old tools and I force him to replace them with the exact same version....what they won't tell you is that the company has a limited supply of old stock just for pain in the asses like me.

Anthony

few years ago guy shows up at our body shop with an 86 f150, all rusted out. he lives, essentially, in the middle of a 10,000 acre saltmarsh. when new he got some sort of rusty jones or something with a lifetime warranty against rust-through. the dealer got off on some technicality but i think he did get a heck of a deal on a new truck.