Thanks Richard

But not only does it smell bad, it is positively dangerous! Believed to be
PCB oil which is carcinogenic. (BTW, they are not electrolytic but oil
filled paper caps). I have received comprehensive advice on disposing of the
leaky capacitors (should I say condensers?) safely and in accordance with
health regulations. They MUST not be just thrown into the gargbage. I will
be removing mine according to that advice. Either I will obtain genuine
replacements or I will have to do with tagstrips and indivdual caps. Ouch! I
know that's sacrilege but its the lesser of the two evils if new 'originals'
can't be found --- and by the way I may have found them!

"Richard Knoppow" wrote in message
m...

"MoiInAust" wrote in message
...

"Firebottle3" wrote in message
...
On Jun 28, 8:07 pm, "MoiInAust" wrote:
Are there any AR88 enthusiasts in Australia on this group?

Anyone (in any country) know anything about the RAF variant (R1156A I
believe)? It appears the same as the normal one except has an earthing
plug
for the mute fitted to the rear (a plque syas fopr the Control Unit type
88). I've just acquired one with leaking bathtub condensers.

Where do the AR88 people hang out please?

Look he http://mailman.qth.net/

Click on directory scroll down to RCA join for free or look at the
archives.

Thanks Tor and Richard

I was aware of both!
The bathtub caps can often be "rebuilt" if you want something original
looking. You need a large soldering iron to get the bottom off. It isn't a
matter of heat but of mass to be able to get the thing off. They were
probably soldered on by dipping in a solder pot. Once the bottom is off
you can melt out the potting compound. Most of this is a wax mixture which
will flow out. Most of it smells pretty bad so do this outside. The
original cap can then be removed and replaced with a modern one. That can
be held in place with a bit of silicon rubber or even some of the original
potting compound melted back in. The bottom can be tacked back with the
soldering iron.
I think this is a lot of work in the interest of appearance but a lot
of people care about that.
If you have one bad electrolytic look our for others of the same type.



--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL