looking for a good 21fjp22 in Cali
 

Hi everyone, I picked up a super clean 1964 roundie Curtis Mathes console, I'm thinking I might want to get this puppy back in service but the picture tube has a horrible discolorization ring around the screen and the neck plug is cracked so I'm thinking the picture tube is done, I also will have to re-cap the audio amplifier due to the famous 60 cycle hum, I have not messed with this stuff in years and I'm thinking it might be a cool winter project but as we are all on a budget I don't have to much $ to spend on this, if it becomes to much I have to make the terrible decision "to keep or not to keep"

BTY, I'm in Barstow Ca so I don't mind to much of a travel but with our lovely fuel costs ...... we'll see

Thanks !

Eric..

are you saying the plastic part of the plug is cracked?, that is pretty common.
The discoloration ring can be fixed by removing the lens. Its pretty well covered here, but basicly if its a green ring, the adhesive is soft and can be cut with a thin wire, if its not green then the ring will be hard, the fix there is to soak the crt in a tub of water (face down about 4" of water does the trick) for about 2 months after which the adheasive is softened, and then with care and some heat from the sun the lens will pop off. do a search and you will see. Don't do the heat gun approach, that has resulted in some implosions. I would recommend checking the CRT on a tester, if its ok go ahead with the the work on the set to see if you can get it going, if so then you can concetrate on getting the discoloration out (FYI its refered to as a cataract on these forums).

The discoloration ring is called a "cataract" and it's very common.Many people have successfully removed them and it's been discussed many,many times here if you do a search.I wouldn't condemn that tube yet. My own Zenith 29JC20 has a crack in the base plug and has an excellent tube.

Unless the glass is cracked that tube may be still good.If you don't have a tester a continuity test might help determine if the tube is worth trying to save.If the filament is open it's probably gone to air since the filament burns out quickly in air. If it's good there's a slight chance it might be good but applying filament voltage or testing would help to further determine if the tube is worth saving.

In Barstow its no problem to fix the lens. Put it upside down outside in a padded trashcan. Let it bake in the summer sun for an hour and then start working some wood wedges between the crt and safety glass. It should pop off fairly quick and easy. I have how to videos showing how to remove and re attach it.

(it runs 115 out in Barstow the intensity of the sun out there makes a heat gun look cool)

Dont condemn the crt because of this, almost any crt you get will have it. If you can test it first it will help you make an educated decision before you go further.

If you want to read some of the previous discussions about the CRT lens issue and removal, search for the misspelled version of the word, "catEract". At least one discussion spelled it that way.

I agree with the others-neither the cataract problem nor the cracked base are deal-killers, but you should get or borrow a CRT tester to see if it is good otherwise.

Hi, first let me offer my condolences to you for living in Barstow, I was born there and lived there for 27 years before I escaped. :yes:

My Neighbors had a 1964ish CM Roundie back in the 70's, my Sister and I would go over to watch the Six Million Dollar Man in Color with my future Bro in law.
The set had an excellent picture.

Wonder if this could be the same set? Probably not. :scratch2:

Thanks for the wisdom and hope my tube is still good, I sold off my larger tube tester and now I am regretting it ! Yea, Barstow is the pitts but yeck I love the room ( 4ea. 4 car garages) I have and lack of traffic so I must point out a couple good things :banana: I'll test the tube out and then do the seperation deal if it is good. I've read that Curtis used better caps in their sets so I'll see if it was just advertising bull or the real deal ?? I do have some cap replacing in the audio amp right off. I have not tried to fire the TV up yet, I wanted read up and do it correctly instead of a Rambo approach. The chassis sure looks like a RCA so I'm thinking they had a deal with them. I'll post some pictures when it drops below 100 outside. I have not played with one of these sets since the 80's, I do remember they had a nice picture. The big deal is talking my wife into me bringing this monster into the house, she does like the cabinet, I think it would be cool to watch the good ole TV shows on it.

Eric..