Spamtastic TSC48

[beery]

Hi All,

Here is a story that got a little too involved, but was all sorted out over a can of spam.
The pictures help explain the story, starting with a picture of the original lopty...

Whilst trying to sell my TSC48 I was asked if the CRT was any good.
However, when I went to try the chassis the lopty failed.
I was offered a replacement from another forum member, so I removed my dud lopty with its can and donated it to be rewound for Mikey's pre-war TA201.
The problem was that the replacement lopty did not have a can.

I found that a small tin of Spam was almost exactly the right size, being a tiny bit wider and a bit longer.
The can was opened, the spam removed, cleaned and turned upside down. Being a pull top, it left a really clean opening which became the bottom of the can.
Holes were cut out for the wires by supporting it with blocks of wood on the inside and by using 6mm and 8mm wood drills (butterfly drills). The holes were carefully deburred with a needle file (the metal is very thin and using a larger drill to deburr would cause a tear). A central hole was added for the mounting bracket, but was not used in the end, instead the central part of the top ridge on each side was cut and folded over to locate the bracket.

The bracket was made from 1mm thick galvanized steel.
The can was then painted with Aluminium paint.

The transformer was then fitted with 6mm foam rubber above it, 0.8mm paxolin sheet at each side (as per the original arrangement) and a paxolin sheet below (cardbord was used originally). The ends of the can were packed with more foam rubber.

The chassis now displays a really bright picture For once a fantastic Mazda airbag.

The Spam was also nice, with some salad!

Cheers
Andy

[FERNSEH]

Hi Andy,
I reckon that looks OK. With time and a little dust settled on it the transformer can will look as if it was the original.

DFWB.

There are loads of things 'domestic' just waiting to be used. Super job.

[Heatercathodeshort]

Well done Andy. It looks great. I would have been tempted to use it without painting it...
Imagine a guy in years to come opening it up to find that blue tin. Ha1 ha!
Regards, John.

[Focus Diode]

Fantastic job. Love this type of work.
Cheers
Brian

[G6Tanuki]

Cunning, and effective! Give that man a 'Blue Peter' Badge!

[line sync]

I love this sort of thing.
Very imaginative to use a spam tin andy and it looks the part.

Robin

[Phil G4SPZ]

Brilliant work! And a good programme to watch on it afterwards would have been a certain Monty Python sketch involving Vikings...

[Jim - G4MEZ]

Best use for spam yet!

[Baggrus]

Excellent use for Spam..

I have come across similar uses of obviously recycled tin plate in some wartime equipment, notably the microphone transformer shielding can of a Vortexion 40/60 made in 1944 which had been made from some tin of foot powder and still had the upside down label on it ..

I remember when my daughter was very young I used a pile of baby food tins to replace missing valve shields in amplifiers. These days the nearest size, because she's now a parent herself and I tend not to look down the baby products parts of shops,, would be tomato puree tins, which are a little on the short side.. great for coils though. I tend to leave the paint on them, as earlier mentioned, to amaze the generations of the future, as no doubt somebody did in 1944.

[Tazman1966]

What a great solution!

Spam fritters are nice too

[beery]

Hi all,

Thanks for the encouragement.
The slight underscan and the lack of focus uniformity is because the tube gantry needs to be almost vertical for the tube to locate itself properly as it is a mirror lid set.

I used to have a Sobel T107 from 1947/48 which had a small paint tin as the lopty can and it was original! I've included a photo of the set and the lopty.

Regarding ways of eating spam...
I could have spam, spam eggs and spam, without the eggs. But that would be spam spam spam spam (cue the Vikings)...
Now of course that sketch made perfect sense, but I never did get why the two customers were lowered into the cafe on wires

Cheers
Andy

[Heatercathodeshort]

'The Metal Box Company' produced millions of tins and containers for items before the plastic era. They were produced in standard sizes and were often painted to the customers requirements. Everything from a gramophone needle tin [or much smaller] to a huge tank!

[I'm glad you enjoyed the Spam.Takes me back to my childhood when it was considered a rare treat. Who remembers fried Spam fritters? How things have changed. I still enjoy an odd tin today.
It will probably have a revival now we are informed that high fat foods [plus exercise and WORK] will not kill us.]

The tubes in the Ekco TSC48 appear to survive well. All the examples I have seen have been 100%. I can't help thinking that it may be that they are mounted vertically but cannot see why? Maybe just a coincidence. Regards, John.

[Radio Wrangler]

There is one radio amateur in America whose family business happens to be a cannery. They earn their living canning food of various sorts.

He branched out after seeing some articles on QRP transmitter or receiver kits built using tuna tins as chassis. He started selling kits packed in suitable cans, with a handy ring-pull. He also sells ringpull-canned spare underwear! I have a canned soldering bit cleaner.

Heathkit also sold something called the cantenna which was a gallon paint can filled with transformer oil and a 50 Ohm dummy load resistor for transmitter tuning and testing.

I don't like Spam, I'll have eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, bacon and Spam.

David