Re: Neon life (and death)

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Neon life (and death)
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 14:36:53 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	KRAMPF[SMTP:KRAMPF-at-aol-dot-com]
Sent: 	Saturday, November 01, 1997 7:59 AM
To: 	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: 	Re:  Re: Neon life (and death)

In a message dated 11/1/97 2:27:13 AM, you wrote:

<<I returned a neon from the grave by depotting it but the heating method
didn't work for me. Some of the tar was the consistency of Bakelite . Very
brittle and heating did nothing to help removal it. I ended up chipping the
tar, carefully, off the transformer. I finally soaked the whole thing in
solvent to remove most of the remaining crud. It now has a home in oil. I
will see if it lives for very long this way.
Dave Huffman>>

When the tar is brittle, it is fairly easy to chip away.  You can put it in
the freezer for a few hours and make it even easier.  Once you have most of
the tar off, soak it in mineral spirits to soften the rest of the tar.  Brush
the tar away with a stiff brush (a VERY messy job) and take the transformer
apart.  You can reinsulate the secondaries with corona dope from a television
repair shop and some mica plates.  I have been using rebuilt neons for years
and they are wonderful!  

Robert Krampf
Science Education Company
http://members.aol-dot-com/krampf/home.html