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Re: Masonlite Electrodes

Posted By: SVP Neon Equipment
Date: Thursday, 14 December 2006, at 1:14 a.m.

In Response To: Re: Masonlite Electrodes (Sean S)


I'll try and keep my comments short too, but no promises...

> I have 2 electrodes
> that i welded together and pumped. We put a
> spindel in a drill, rotated it smacking the
> electrode against hard rubber strips to get
> the collar to bang against the glass. 40,000
> hits on each trode and the ceramic was
> breaking apart but nothing to the glass.

I suggest doing some in-depth research on how and why glass breaks. I have a close friend who is an expert glass fracture analyst. Your test method is not a good test. In the meantime, here is something to ponder: When you accidentally drop a glass jar or bottle on a hard floor, why doesn't it usually break the instant it hits the floor, but rather on the second or third time some part of the vessel hits the floor?

> We still make the 8C and 9C trodes without
> the collar and put the mica sleeve in side.
> It was stopped because the collar keeps the
> shell off the glass

I was referring to why Masonlite stopped using the mica band. It was a cost factor for them, and considering the price of American made electrodes I would find it hard to believe that it isn't a cost factor for the U.S. mfgs. as well.

> If they are to tight the collar can crack
> during bombarding
> The JA's

Agreed. As with any electrode, it is a quality control issue. And all of the mfgs. (at least in my short time in the biz) have had problems at one time or another - some more than others. But IMO one of the worst things a mfg. can do when there is a problem is tell their customers there is not a problem and to give them a line of BS as a smoke screen in an attempt to cover up the problem. All this does is confuse the issue more by making the customers think they are the ones doing something wrong, when in fact it is the mfg. doing something wrong.

> This is because the lead wires have to hold
> the shell in place.

The wire only holds the closed end. No mfgs. electrodes have a strong enough wire to keep the open end from moving around. It would have to be a 1/16" thick tungsten wire to do that (sic).

> With the larger trodes,
> they can bend the wires from weight during
> shipping and bombarding.

...which was my point about the mica disc.

> Ours still have the
> mica sleeve in the 19CM and 19CL. Mason
> could've had to use a disc because the lead
> wires were not strong enough to hold the
> weight.

It has been a lot of years since I was a rep for Masonlite, but the last I knew Masonlite was using a larger diameter wire for the weld to the shell than EGL. Not that it matters at this point where Masonlite is concerned, but are you saying that the last electrodes Masonlite made had a thinner wire than what EGL uses?

> in Europe they pump differntly than
> here. We try and get the tube bombarded in
> about 120 seconds where they use a longer
> pumping method. We bring the trodes up to
> temperature fast and furious.

I am actually surprised to hear you make that statement. Please specify what you mean by "we". I completely disagree with the "fast and furious" approach of heating the glass and electrodes. One only needs to look at a time vs. temperature vs. volume of gases released graph to understand why. Without question a slow "cook time" releases more contaminants than a fast one and is therefore better. Specifically concerning the electrodes, according to a booklet written in 1985 by Sefli, a French company, the metal of an electrode shell is only about 90% degassed after 6 minutes at a temperature of 950C. I concur with this analysis. Although with today's emission coatings and a finishing temperature of closer to 1,100C to 1,200C the electrodes are degassed better, But they are still nowhere near 100% degassed. Using a shorter heating time only reduces the percentage that the metal is degassed, not improve it.

Mark


SVP Neon Equipment

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