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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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16th Sep 2016, 4:54 pm | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Mercury Arc Rectifier
Did anyone see todays antique roadshow on BBC1 ? there was a mercury arc rectifier on one of the antique shops in Melrose no one bought it what a shame
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16th Sep 2016, 7:48 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Do you mean the Antiques Roadtrip? The Antiques Roadshow is the one where people bring their possessions simply for a valuation - with no buying or selling.
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16th Sep 2016, 9:16 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Hi Bob, I missed the MAR, but the shop at Old Craighall (?) near Dunbar seemed to have a range of interesting items.,
Ed |
16th Sep 2016, 10:20 pm | #4 |
Heptode
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Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK.
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Hi David my mistake it was the Antiques Roadtrip hi Ed it was only on screen of a matter of seconds as James Braxton walked past it would like to have one but i think her indoors would draw the line
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17th Sep 2016, 12:34 am | #5 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Willerby, East Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Ash here ... In the early 90's I went to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to look at the feasibility of automating some of the scenery drops. We never took on the job but we got a fascinating tour of the place. The stage was rotated I think by an ex-U boat DC motor (well that's what their technical guy told me it was). He showed us the rectifier room, which had massive mercury arc rectifiers and they were still in use. In there it was like a replica of igors den from the horror movies.
The rectifier used is shown here in the attached pic. Last edited by cathy_vintage; 17th Sep 2016 at 12:41 am. |
17th Sep 2016, 3:59 am | #6 |
Nonode
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worcestershire, UK.
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
"Stage call for Mr Lucien Nunes ... you're up - !"
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17th Sep 2016, 7:24 am | #7 |
Dekatron
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
I found it rather frustrating in the shop with the big coils and other interesting-looking items - as one got the briefest of glimpses as the camera panned past. Maybe I'll have to take a look on iPlayer where I can pause the picture for a longer look - and check out the MAR, as I too missed it.
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17th Sep 2016, 7:42 am | #8 |
Heptode
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Location: West London, UK.
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Cathy Vintage:
The Merury arc rectifiers which were at the Royal opera House, Convent Garden are now on display (and working) at the Kempton Steam Museum. http://www.kemptonsteam.org/history/arc-rectifiers/ John |
17th Sep 2016, 8:12 am | #9 |
Pentode
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Ash here .. Thanks for that link John, So it was correct about the U -boat motor! It's weird because prior to that it was powered I believe by 750 PSI water hydraulics pressure from London Bridge & I work 3 days now for a company called 'The Water Hydraulics Company. Those mercury arc rectifiers arcing and glowing at the Royal Opera House certainly were an eerie sight.
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17th Sep 2016, 9:11 am | #10 |
Moderator
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
I remember reading about, I think it was called the London Hydraulic Power company who had steam powered pumping stations providing high pressure water to customers. The bascules at tower bridge used it and the revolving stage at the palladium. The attraction for theatres was said to be its silence.
David
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17th Sep 2016, 9:54 am | #11 |
Retired Dormant Member
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Yes, Some of London Underground's lifts were powered by London Hydraulics. Their disused ducts were, I believe, taken over by Mercury Telecom, allowing them to lay their cables with minimal disruption.
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17th Sep 2016, 12:49 pm | #12 |
Octode
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
My first boss way back in the early seventies had been a cinema projectionist during the golden days of the thirties, he turned up unexpectedly one evening and took me to see the equipment at a cinema he worked at, it still had the original cabinets with huge mercury vapour rectifiers supplying the huge projectors and the huge fader pots for the house lighting, I think the place was in the process of being dismantled but he wanted me to see it as it was because it was something I would never see again.
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17th Sep 2016, 2:18 pm | #13 |
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Old Craighall is a tiny village and a very large roundabout on the A720/A1 Edinburgh bypass (at the top of the A68) It is on the way to Dunbar, but is pretty much a shop-free zone. I'm not aware of anything interesting there.
Melrose? Mercury arc rectifier in a shop? Lucien must be on the road North! I'm currently beside the A68 just South of Jedburgh so he might be coming past any time. David
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17th Sep 2016, 2:20 pm | #14 | |
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Quote:
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17th Sep 2016, 2:38 pm | #15 |
Nonode
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
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17th Sep 2016, 4:21 pm | #16 | |
Dekatron
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Quote:
I've never been lucky enough to have uses a MAR - I have seen them removed from service and that's the nearest I've got! I've worked with a Westinghouse rectifier set from 1936 for carbon arc lamps, and by Sod's law it had to use fan-cooled copper oxide rectifiers... |
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17th Sep 2016, 4:24 pm | #17 |
Moderator
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
There used to be a MAR demo in the science museum which I saw in about 1964. I then understood the blue glow from the sandstone building that powered the trolley busses to our village.
David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
17th Sep 2016, 4:31 pm | #18 |
Dekatron
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Now there's an interesting coincidence!
Michael Bennett-Levy lived (or possibly still lives in) Monkton House, Old Craighall before he sold off his collection and moved to France for reasons of ill health. Perhaps Bonhams didn't sell all of his collection and he has returned to Scotland. Peter http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/40...ance-1-1206513 http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/17616/ |
17th Sep 2016, 5:17 pm | #19 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Apart from seeing the ones at the Kempton Steam museum I have worked in a job with mercury arc rectifiers in use.
For a few years from 1961 I was showing films at the Odeon Cinema, Richmond. We had 4 mercury arc rectifiers. 2 supplied the power for the 2 carbon arc lamps on the projectors. A spare "stand by" and another under the stage to power the lift for the organ console. The projector rectifiers had their own room!. John |
17th Sep 2016, 9:09 pm | #20 |
Dekatron
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Re: Mercury Arc Rectifier
Hi Gents, I was lucky enough to get to play with them as part or the labs on my degree course in the 60's.
The Melbourne museum is trying to get a demo going in one of their galleries. Ed |