[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Mica for bombing

 >>  I grabbed the heat gun that I keep handy for shrinking heat
 shrink tubing and thought I could heat the bend up <<

 THAT must be some heat gun!

 >> On closed examination it looked like there was a hole between the two
 pieces of glass. <<

 Obviously if you bombarded the unit there wasn't a hole but just looked like
one with the two walls fused together.

 >>  Could this unit bombard with two pieces in contact with each other?  In my
experience, a nice round hole would blow through if this situation was not
corrected with a piece of mica. <<

 It would probably not blow through in a letter like that unless it was a
rather large letter. The potential has to be high enough between the two bends
like on a large border frame that has both trodes double backing together. If
it is not a long path that the arc has to take to get around back to the other
bend (relative to the other bend in question) then you wouldn't need the mica.
Always a good idea to put in a piece if you are not sure though. Certainly
can't hurt.


 >>  Has this ever happened in your experience?  Could it have been fused
 when the unit was made originally?  <<

 It certainly could have been fused when it was made. I HATE when that happens.
If I do that I just let the glass cool a bit and yank it apart. I then have to
heat the wounds to alleviate the stress that resulted. Try not to do that too
much. One of the things that can happen when you bomb a piece like that is
that the expansion of the glass from the heat can pull that fused section
apart. That is why I didn't think it was a large letter. I see tubes move
almost a foot and then come back on cooling. Probably not so much on the lead
free though.

 Amazing what you can get away with, huh?

 BTW, welcome the new members of the list. Nice to have another electrical
opinion on this group. Good critique of the block out, John. Let us know if
you get the nerve to try it in the field. We can all learn from others
mistakes <g>. Be good if it works for the fume aspects I suppose.

  E-mail from: Tom Biebel, 28-Dec-1995