Damn Ampeg caps!

[drewl]

Hmm, this is like the 3rd old B15 where the dynamite stick caps had the leads come off.

Working on one and all of the sudden I get a mysterious hum!
Only to notice the cap wire hanging in the breeze.

Darn 60+ yr old caps!
What are, are the leads just jammed under the screw, or whatever the protrusion is. Could probably weld it back.

Going to change the filters anyway. It's got like 480v on a 450v rated cap.

Both multi caps test great, not bad for 60+ yrs old!

[J M Fahey]

not bad for 60+ yrs old!

Thatīs what the buxom lady told me.










Hey!! Donīt be dirty minded!!!! She was complimenting me on how well I could still ride a bicycle !!!!


As of the caps,you wonīt be able to weld that wire.
Cap cans are pure aluminum, and that bump you see is a built-in rivet.

[xtian]

May we all have such easy-to-diagnose issues!

[drewl]

Rivets, you say?

On the neg. side you can just drill out the rivet, put a spade lug with wire attached over new rivet and you're good to go.

Positive side you'd have to attach rivet or connector wire while to internal cap lead without touching the aluminum end cap somehow.
I wouldn't trust trying to fix the pos. end.

[J M Fahey]

Rivets, you say?

On the neg. side you can just drill out the rivet, put a spade lug with wire attached over new rivet and you're good to go.

Positive side you'd have to attach rivet or connector wire while to internal cap lead without touching the aluminum end cap somehow.
I wouldn't trust trying to fix the pos. end.

Well, you canīt actually drill the rivet out and replace it because the can is bursting with all kinds of nasty fluids, rolled up treated aluminum foil, porous paper, the works, the drill tip will destroy and short foils, etc.

But agree you can still repair it ... just use an adjustable clamp around the case and use it as new negative terminal.

As of the positive one, in theory you can slightly grind it to expose metal and give it a rough surface, but aluminum soldering flux is based on VERY nasty Fluorhydric acid (which happily dissolves protective "glass" self formed on aluminum surface) ... if even a drop touches your skin it will go through it and burn tissue inside, as far as it can go.
Fumes may blind you, or carve holes in your lungs ... ugh!!!

[Chuck H]

but aluminum soldering flux is based on VERY nasty Fluorhydric acid (which happily dissolves protective "glass" self formed on aluminum surface) ... if even a drop touches your skin it will go through it and burn tissue inside, as far as it can go. Fumes may blind you, or carve holes in your lungs ... ugh!!!

CUT!!! One more take. We need something more graphic.

EEeek!

[drewl]

Well I didn't drill far enough to encounter nasty fluids, just far enough to remove the rivet and just for experimentation.

As mentioned, the negative side can be repaired if needed.

[J M Fahey]

CUT!!! One more take. We need something more graphic.

EEeek!

Well, mine is the kidīs level fammily approved description

For a fuller one go to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid

which among other niceties states:

Hydrogen fluoride gas is an acute poison that may immediately and permanently damage lungs and the corneas of the eyes. Aqueous hydrofluoric acid is a contact-poison with the potential for deep, initially painless burns and ensuing tissue death. By interfering with body calcium metabolism, the concentrated acid may also cause systemic toxicity and eventual cardiac arrest and fatality.

thatīs for starters, then navigate down to the "Health and safety" section, including all the nice wound pictures

And yet you look at the "uses and applications" area and see itīs (sadly) indispensable for a lot of useful things ... including cleaning car wheels and ... dental work

It dissolves *everything*, including glass.

I think Alien movie monster creators were thinking this, when they said the Alien spat "molecular acid" at people,which could easily go through spaceship metal.

[Leo_Gnardo]

thatīs for starters, then navigate down to the "Health and safety" section, including all the nice wound pictures

Sunday morning story:

Late 70's when I had a 2 year stint in the local semiconductor factory - yes kids we had 'em inside USA borders back then - we employed HF as an etchant for silicon dioxide. Worked really well! Typical safety warnings, and there was an urban legend in circulation about some errant engineer who tried to show off how harmless the stuff is. He dunked his hand in a tub of it, so goes the story. To show how "safe" it really is, and/or, how "tough" he umm.... was. It was brought to my attention that the only "cure" for a hydroflouric burn on the extremities is amputation. Essentially, the acid soaks its way through flesh, then sets to work dissolving bone, whilst releasing hydrogen bubbles causing severe pain. Never did see a one-handed engineer though. Maybe he changed careers and became an economist.

We also had fun stuff like aqua regia as well as the usual suspects, plenty of hydrochloric acid, boron trifluoride, phosphine gas, silane gas that sets itself on fire, tanks of high pressure hydrogen, 200,000 volt power supplies, machines that constantly leaked isopropyl alcohol on the floor, acetone, etc etc. Heaps of fun! After 2 years I figured I used up all my good luck charms & got the hell out.

[Chuck H]

Jeez! And I thought "I" had it bad in the chemical exposure department just being a painting contractor.

[drewl]

I had a co-op job in school at Sprague Solid State who made IC's.

Cool stuff, clean rooms, etc.

[Tony Bones]

Gone are the days when you could walk down to the corner chemist and pickup a bottle of whatever... along with a bottle of morphine because you might need it.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Gone are the days when you could walk down to the corner chemist and pickup a bottle of whatever... along with a bottle of morphine because you might need it.

I remember those days persisted into the 60's. My local pharmacy, you could get powdered sulfur. And saltpeter. And charcoal. Heh, heh, heh.... Just don't buy all 3 at once, that might raise suspicion. And it might not.

[Justin Thomas]

I worked in a pharmacy where you could get all those off tge shelf... 7 years ago.

Justin

[Tony Bones]

If I walk down to the corner now, all I can buy is a bag of really bad weed.

j/k I have no idea what that guy on the corner is selling, but if he has any acid I would not count on it being the Fluorhydric variety. Statistically speaking, it seems unlikely.