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Thanks for that detailed report, Jerome. It gives a clear explanation of why CRT rebuilding has been abandoned as a money-making operation. Lack of demand + lack of raw materials = zero profit.
120 tubes per month seems like more than the collector community would ever demand on an ongoing basis. There simply aren't that many TV collectors in the world, and not every CRT needs rebuilding.
Another barrier to entry is the required skill level. One year's apprenticeship in glassworking is not trivial.
Perhaps the ETF rebuilding project is the only hope long-term. As a non-profit organization, ETF would not have pressure to generate profits for employees or shareholders. The human factors and economics still matter, however. You need people (or at least one!) who can commit to a high level of training. Materials are not free and their cost will only go up, as existing stocks are depleted.
Unless new people are trained now, this art may be lost forever after the few remaining "master rebuilders" are gone. This is not something one can learn by watching a 3-minute Youtube video.
Phil Nelson
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