Will CRT rebuilders disappear in near future?

[bgadow]

I get the impression that the couple companies left doing it (well, I only know of a couple) are being kept in business by industrial/commerical uses. Stuff like specialized monitors, arcade games, etc. Some of that will continue for a short while because some equipment would be too impractical to switch over to LCD or whatever. But we will live to see the day when nobody is doing it as a full-time business. As far as I've seen only Hawkeye is left doing color roundies-correct? It would be great if, should he look at leaving the business, advance notice could be given. That way some stashed-away duds could get rebuilt before he does. I have a couple up in the attic & I really don't want to spend the money on them right yet.

[kx250rider]

There are still A LOT of CRT applications in military, air traffic control, and other fields. In fact, another AK'er said that the updated version of the 21FJP22 is still in the current Navy parts catalog. I remember being told within the past 15 years that 10BP4s are still in use in some applications too.

HOWEVER, as Tom and Bryan said, somebody with an interest in TV history better get on the stick and buy some equipment, get as many guns as can be found, and learn the procedure.

Charles

[fsjonsey]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

There are still A LOT of CRT applications in military, air traffic control, and other fields. In fact, another AK'er said that the updated version of the 21FJP22 is still in the current Navy parts catalog. I remember being told within the past 15 years that 10BP4s are still in use in some applications too.

HOWEVER, as Tom and Bryan said, somebody with an interest in TV history better get on the stick and buy some equipment, get as many guns as can be found, and learn the procedure.

Charles

Theres a 21FJP22 still in production? $5 says its made in china now.

[wiseguy]

I have seen those tubes go up for auction from our government,I have purchased many things here,they usually have a lot of tube testors,I have purchased expensive test equipment and other things here,you just have to keep doing a "search" every few weeks for "crt bulbs,electron tubes"I dont think they really know where to place crts,tubes in a correct area,sometimes you will see electron tubes come in a package with tire tubes.but from time to time you can find round vintage picture tubes,one time they had a bunch of those round zenith black matrix color picture tubes,.below is their link.
http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auctio...&convertTo=USD

[RVonse]

I agree with another poster that the guns themselves will be the determining factor just how long the rebuilding process can continue into the future.

There are many throw away items in life we take for granted that can only be produced with highly specialized and extremely expensive equipment. Razor blades are a perfect example.

You are just not going to be able to produce a color tv gun out of your garage without spending $millions of dollars in equipment.

[andy]

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[Steve McVoy]

New guns can be made relatively easily. We had some made for a batch of replacements 12AP4s. The problem is that the people with the expertise to rebuild tubes are leaving the business because they can't make money. Unless someone comes along with the intention of rebuilding tubes for the collector community (and probably at a loss), the rebuilding of CRTs will end within the next few years.

[kbmuri]

Harry Poster mentioned in another thread:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...ng#post1442836

that he has run across CRT rebuilding stations in the past. I made the offer to take the next one off his hands. Does anybody out there have one for sale?

[Steve McVoy]

One has been offered on Ebay periodically. Maybe someone has the last listing saved and can tell us who the seller was?

[fsjonsey]

As far as guns go, I'm sure a factory in China would make them, if you bought a few pallets worth.

[ChrisW6ATV]

That's an interesting idea to think about, Andy. I think we could get up to speed relatively quickly on most of the basics like 2x4s for wooden buildings and so on. The real problem is that the sheer size and density of modern human civilizations are fundamentally linked to all the mechanized advances of the last few centuries. The only way such a "back to the Stone Age" re-creation of modern infrastructure could happen is if it was with a relatively small group of people, about the same number as were on Earth at that time originally. Also, differences of opinion and beliefs that are part of human nature mean that a whole new set of wars would still be fought, likely.

Regarding possible sources of new CRT guns, isn't it likely that we could get them made by one or more of the companies in Eastern Europe that still make vacuum tubes for audio and other uses? Also, if these parts deteriorate when exposed to free air, wouldn't sealing them in airtight bags of some kind eliminate most of that problem? I have a friend locally, another amateur radio operator, who is from the Czech Republic and still talks to friends and family there; maybe I should ask him if he can find any contacts in the tube business?