My 21FJ is almost on it's way!
 

I am so excited since I spoke to Scotty at Hawkeye that I dropped all I need to do to yank this tube out to prepare for the carton I will construct to ship it.

I am sure this is the original tube but the usual label was not on it and there was no indication, like glue marks, that it ever had one.

The one big label on the side near the face warns not to touch the black paint on the tube as fingerprint oil could cause arcs in humid settings.
It also warns to have protective covering to avoid X-ray exposure.

Do these CRTs give off radiation even when the set is off? If so, how long does it give off the radiation?
Thanks

What a cool set Bobby! And how cool getting your tube rebuilt while Hawkeye stiill does that type of work. You'll be amazed on the beautiful picture your set has when you get the tube back. And no..... I don't think you need to worry about radiation.

Will the rebuilding process take that label off?

Anybody got a carton to ship this 21FJ for sale or rent?
 

I went to Hom- depot to get supplies and they don't have cardboard panels so I thought I could find a cardboard company but all the running around will add up quick.

I could pay $50.00 or more for a box or rent one or give something in exchange.
Thanks

i thought hawkeye supplies shipping cartons upon request, or is that what the 50 dollar charge is for?

Yes.
They don't have cartons for the 21" round tubes, or at least they didn't when I had mine done. Apparently they have to be bought in huge quantities, and they dont do that many 21" round these days.

I had my carton made at a local shipping company. The toughest part (for me anyway) was figuring out how to do it. A bunch of guys here posted graphics (thanks again), and I printed them and gave them to the packing guy. The pics were all lost in the server crash.

I don't think I still have copies of the pics people posted for me, but I think I do still have the pics of my carton I took while unpacking the tube. They pretty well show what to do. I'll dig for them and post them. The tube did get here in one piece.


John

Thank you John.
 

I said $50. because I was just guessing what someone may want and I do have a budget but it is important enough that I will come up with whatever amount of money to get the job done.
I hate to admit it as those who know me personally would think I am very wrong for doing so but I have about $450.00 in this set so far, not including the $360. to Hawkeye and the box and the shipping both ways, and nothing works properly yet, that includes the stereo and phono as well.

I did get a pic for a while until I burned up the filaments with my B&K 465 trying to get the filament short out. When I got the set it had not been used since 1973 and the green gun would not light. So, I spent alot of time turning the tube upside down and tapping the neck and finally got it too work and then sometime later the red gun filament shorted and I could not get it on or maybe it burned out I suppose. When I got the tube working the filaments would flash brite and immediately go to normal glow whenever power was applied. I checked the voltage going to the tube and it did not seem to go high at first while a 2.2meg resistor too ground was open. I changed the resistor and it seemed to make no difference. So, I think it was the filaments fault for flashing brite as opposed to the chassis giving too much voltage. I guess I will find out when my tube comes back!

Here's how the guy who packed mine did it. I never saw inside while he was doing it, but took lots of pictures when it came back. Here goes.....

(1) Opening the outer box you can see there are just a bunch of strips of foam between the outer and the inner box. There was also peanuts in here on the way down (the packer told me). Notice there is only about an inch between the inner and the outer box. You might need use a bigger box for the outer if you are going to ship on one of the major shippers. This box went on Greyhound, and I think they treat things a little nicer.

(2) Opening the inner box, you see more foam strips holding a wine divider thing.

(3) Which was holding down this thing, similar to what you see in a real picture tube crate

(4) That was holding down all this shredded cardboard stuff.

(5) And underneath that was the box I hauled it down to the packer in. It fits pretty tightly around the tube. I guess you could call this a third box. You can see where they just cut the flaps to fit, and taped it in tightly. This whole thing fit nicely in the inner box.

(6) Inside that box was the piece of urethane foam I put in. It was about an inch thick. Scotty stressed the importance of having something soft in there. Apparently it's a common mistake to scratch the screen, and it's easier to scratch than you might think.

The whole thing, when boxed up was pretty tight so it couldn't move around in there.

Good luck. It is possible. This one made it without getting broken.

John

Thanks John
 

I will put up pics of what I ship it in and when I am done anybody can have it.
I plan to make it at least as secure/clever as yours.

A U-HAUL shippers store will have a double walled box that fits these tubes perfectly,well they did last year for $9.95..you can go to their website and click on packing supplies
terry

Thanks Terry!
 

Once again I am surprised at how stupid I seem for not thinking of something so obvious. I have been to U-haul stores, seen the boxes, thought about them and yet I have not thought of that at all.

Bobby, regarding your radiation question, that is just with the set on and then only very minor. I wouldn't spend the night sleeping in front of an operating color roundie 2" away, but I wouldn't worry about it otherwise.

Thanks for that info Bryan. I wonder about that for myself but also to recommend
 

I usually am about 3' away from a 1997 Sony 27" and I have been wondering if that is too close because my eyes seem to get a slight feeling sometimes.

Is that safe?

Thank you very much.

Re the ongoing non-ionizing radiation question...
 

No one can be certain how much radiation is benign in humans, IMO.

But, I dont see a lot of lawyers trying to sue TV manufacturers for cancer victims.

I stay away from operating HV regulators in vintage sets and operating microwave ovens as much as possible, keeping in mind the square law.

Also watch the high voltage level. It's a good idea to have a good meter to check it. When I fire up a vintage color set for the first time it's the first thing I check.
And to add to what Pete said it's a good idea to have all high voltage covers inplace as much as possible. Use 6BK4C it has better shielding then the early 6BK4's did on any set that uses them for HV regulation.

Thanks for the advice
 

I was going to order an original 6BK4 to be completely original but it makes alot of sense to get the 6BK4C.

Clearly I have to watch myself to not go to far with this "original" theme!

Thanks!

As long as the HV holds at 25kv and you're not hugging the CRT, radiation isn't an issue.

Seriously, does anyone know ANYBODY who got cancer from a TV set? Heck, if it were that dangerous, TV repairment would be dropping left and right.

The currents/voltages used are at the low low end of the X ray scale - IIRC, they can barely get through the faceplate or out of the cabinet.

Along with better X-ray protection the later HV tubes also had modifications for better performance and even physical improvements, such as the 6ME6 (6MJ6?) replacement for 6JE6C horizontal output tube having a plate cap molded into the glass like a 6BK4 so it can't twist off. I would only use 6BK4C/6EL4A and 3A3C.
Some older types of HV rectifier tubes also had problems like sagging filaments causing shorts which were corrected in later versions.

Some older types of HV rectifier tubes also had problems like sagging filaments causing shorts which were corrected in later versions.

This was the reason Magnavox went to the 3CU3, it had a supported filiment structure to prevent sagging.

Thanks for the info. I finished inside of box today.
 

It took me way too long so I guess I am right on schedule.
The box measures: 24" X 24" X 33". I will show outside in other pics later.

Hey Bobby,

There's nothing wrong with investing some cash into a fine vintage set. I have about $700 into a very nice CTC-7 console that has not been powered up as yet. I don't worry about whether the set works or not, or what others might think. If I like the set and enjoy having it, it is worth it to me. The enjoyment in owning it far supersedes the costs involved. More power to you, keep going until this set works. Keep us posted on your progress.

Gilbert

Thanks Gilbert,
 

It's good to be reminded.

When I see the photos here of working roundies it reminds me of how great it will be when my works good!

Finally, the box is ready to go and I hope UPS picks it up tomorrow.

Very nicely done! :thmbsp:

John

agreed, shipped so even the monkeys at UPS might not be able to break it

If I could afford to
 

I would have driven the tube to Iowa myself and stop along the way to meet some of the great guys here.

I asked Scotty at Hawk-Eye which shipper he likes and he said UPS. So, I got my fingers and toes crossed.

I am so excited about getting this tube back!

I can hardly stand it!