Discarding Mercury Tubes?
 

Does anyone have a good procedure for discarding 'blown'
mercury-filled tubes?
I have a few 811, 817, and 807s (some good, some not), and an un-id
(think 807-size) unit that has a pool of mercury in it as well as a
nice splatter pattern inside the glass. The glass and the base are in
decent shape (no cracks) so it makes an interesting conversation piece
("hey, hook it up on a tester and lets see what happens!" are,
unfortunatley, common...) but I am concerned about safe disposal of
the sucker.

Find a toxic dump, a local ham who collects them?? (I won't ship the
blown tube).

Thanks,

-arg

Greg Argendeli wrote:
Does anyone have a good procedure for discarding 'blown'
mercury-filled tubes?
I have a few 811, 817, and 807s (some good, some not), and an un-id
(think 807-size) unit that has a pool of mercury in it as well as a
nice splatter pattern inside the glass. The glass and the base are in
decent shape (no cracks) so it makes an interesting conversation piece
("hey, hook it up on a tester and lets see what happens!" are,
unfortunatley, common...) but I am concerned about safe disposal of
the sucker.

Sell them on Ebay! Folks will buy them to make lamps and christmas
ornaments out of them. Ebay is the finest way to get rid of hazardous
waste I know of.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I had no idea that 811's and 807's had mercury in them!! 866's yes.. but
807's???

Greg Argendeli wrote:
Does anyone have a good procedure for discarding 'blown'
mercury-filled tubes?
I have a few 811, 817, and 807s (some good, some not), and an un-id
(think 807-size) unit that has a pool of mercury in it as well as a
nice splatter pattern inside the glass. The glass and the base are in
decent shape (no cracks) so it makes an interesting conversation piece
("hey, hook it up on a tester and lets see what happens!" are,
unfortunatley, common...) but I am concerned about safe disposal of
the sucker.

Find a toxic dump, a local ham who collects them?? (I won't ship the
blown tube).

Thanks,

-arg

Scott Dorsey wrote:

Greg Argendeli wrote:

Does anyone have a good procedure for discarding 'blown'
mercury-filled tubes?
I have a few 811, 817, and 807s (some good, some not), and an un-id
(think 807-size) unit that has a pool of mercury in it as well as a
nice splatter pattern inside the glass. The glass and the base are in
decent shape (no cracks) so it makes an interesting conversation piece
("hey, hook it up on a tester and lets see what happens!" are,
unfortunatley, common...) but I am concerned about safe disposal of
the sucker.


Sell them on Ebay! Folks will buy them to make lamps and christmas
ornaments out of them. Ebay is the finest way to get rid of hazardous
waste I know of.

HOWL! Good one Scott! Should be able to get some mileage out of this one...

- Mike KB3EIA -

Not sure if this was posted, so here's the retry....

The tube I though was perhaps an 807 is really an 872-A, VT-42-A. One
is clean (might evrn work) and one is blown (mercury pool). I suppose
I could extract the mercury and sell IT on ebay... Nahhh, looks too
nice. :)

Maybe I'll just break 'em in a dumpster.

-arg

A mercury pool does not mean the tube is no good. Check the filament with
an ohmmeter. If the vacuum has not been lost and the filament is good, the
tube may be good and would be uesful to someone who uses 872A tubes.

Remember that one mans trash is also trash to the wife of the man who wants
it.


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If the filament is good and glass isn't cracked, the fact that the
mercury has condensed does not mean the tube is bad. What it does mean
is that the tube hasn't been operated in a long time. In this case the
filament should be operated for half an hour or an hour before applying
high voltage in order to vaporize all the mercury inside. Applying high
voltage to a mercury rectifier with liquid mercury on the tube elements
can result in a spectacular sound and light show...

Bob
WB4TGG



none wrote:
Not sure if this was posted, so here's the retry....

The tube I though was perhaps an 807 is really an 872-A, VT-42-A. One
is clean (might evrn work) and one is blown (mercury pool). I suppose
I could extract the mercury and sell IT on ebay... Nahhh, looks too
nice. :)

Maybe I'll just break 'em in a dumpster.

-arg

rrkrr wrote in message ink.net...
If the filament is good and glass isn't cracked, the fact that the
mercury has condensed does not mean the tube is bad.

Absolutely true. In fact, the presence of shiny silver mercury is one
indication the tube is still good!

What it does mean
is that the tube hasn't been operated in a long time. In this case the
filament should be operated for half an hour or an hour before applying
high voltage in order to vaporize all the mercury inside.

This should be done with the tube vertical, base down *ONLY*.

Applying high
voltage to a mercury rectifier with liquid mercury on the tube elements
can result in a spectacular sound and light show...

And then it *will* be bad.

If it is bad, don't break in a dumpster!

73 de Jim, N2EY

"Edmund H. Ramm" wrote in message
...
In uKednZqdsIaxGXHdRVn
Are you sure 866s are mercury vapour rectifiers? I have here two
Haltron 866A valves (s/n C8059 & C3926) which look absolutely clean
and dry inside. Lacking data sheets I until now assumed they were
gas-filled rectifiers.

73, Eddi ._._.

3B28 subs are gas equivalents.. 866 are mercury vapor.

Pete

Um,

These tubes should not have any mercury in them to begin with. I think that
you might be looking at the "getter" material splattered on the sides of the
tube.

--
"Greg Argendeli" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone have a good procedure for discarding 'blown'
mercury-filled tubes?
I have a few 811, 817, and 807s (some good, some not), and an un-id
(think 807-size) unit that has a pool of mercury in it as well as a
nice splatter pattern inside the glass. The glass and the base are in
decent shape (no cracks) so it makes an interesting conversation piece
("hey, hook it up on a tester and lets see what happens!" are,
unfortunatley, common...) but I am concerned about safe disposal of
the sucker.

Find a toxic dump, a local ham who collects them?? (I won't ship the
blown tube).

Thanks,

-arg