CRT vacuum filling - with a hammer!

video CRT vacuum filling - with a hammer!

Making a CRT safe for scrapping and throwing away, by using a hammer!

Warning - not for boring people!

Simply take a hammer and strike the back of the tube until it starts hissing and filling up with air.

Eugbug says: Jun 19, 2012. 1:01 AM

Don't forget to wear a visor and welding gloves when doing this in case the thing shatters and explodes.
I used a bolt cutters to nip off the glass "nipple". If you miss your aim with the hammer, you could shatter the electron gun.

lemonie says: Sep 3, 2011. 2:42 PM

I would strip the things off of it first.

L

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 3, 2011. 7:28 PM

I did, I have salvaged most of the components from the board but the flyback transformer was the main thing I was after.

lemonie says: Sep 4, 2011. 12:19 AM

The board on the back end will just pull off, then you can find the bit of the tube that it was evacuated with - a light and precise tap with a screwdriver and it's done. (You show a clumsy & undignified method in this video).

L

clockdryve says: Sep 22, 2011. 6:54 PM

He looked rather "gifted" here in my opinion :-)

I've seen these popped open much quicker than this. Haha

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 22, 2011. 8:10 PM

Oh yeah, what is your record? ( ;

clockdryve says: Sep 22, 2011. 10:13 PM

Haha....I'm talking about stupid kids (I as one of them a long time ago), you know "2 boys....1 rock" and a BIG BOOM ;-) Hehe.........

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 4, 2011. 6:14 AM

I showed the fun way of doing it, the CRT was being thrown out and I do not really care what will happen to it once the bin men take it away.

lemonie says: Sep 4, 2011. 3:32 PM

You just pull the bit off the back, it's got some useful things on it, don't just "twat-it" with a hammer - there's a wee-bit of tube that is very easily snapped without brute-force cack-handedness.
"Hit something with a hammer" may give you 101 Instructables, but what can anyone learn from this? (we all know how to break things)

L

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 4, 2011. 3:47 PM

Ok calm down, I will remove it if you are so bothered by it.

lemonie says: Sep 4, 2011. 10:56 PM

I am a calm person, don't remove it - just next time pull the end off and be "neater" - you've had a "danger!" comment already...

L

kpataska says: Sep 15, 2011. 9:20 AM

This isn't the way TV shops do it...

WEAR LEATHER WELDING GAUNTLETS!!!

Carefully remove the Anode wire with a pair of pliers.

Run a ground wire from a conduit and touch the anode to discharge the tube.

Take a scratch-awl and hammer - puncture the anode cap, letting air into the tube.

Once the hissing is done, you can safely smash the glass without worrying about an implosion unlike this author's method.

I've used this on hundreds of tubes and never once had a problem. Thanks to my Dad's years working at Sunnyside TV for this knowledge!

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 18, 2011. 4:46 PM

I am not a TV shop.

I have done this several times to many different TV's and CRT monitors that were being thrown out and have never had anything bad happen to me...

kpataska says: Sep 18, 2011. 5:10 PM

That doesn't mean that it couldn't - smashing a vaccuum charged glass envelope is not the smart way to let air rush into the tube before smashing the tube itself! I've seen tubes implode! Shards of glass everywhere!

Not smart...

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 18, 2011. 9:14 PM

If you think the way I smashed it was bad then look at YouTube user Photonicinduction 's videos...

KermEd says: Sep 3, 2011. 5:35 PM

its nice to see some crt recommendations. However i really have to warn youaway from this one. CRTs use vaccum compression. When they explode, the metal casing in the rear explodes out through the front which is what makes it so dangerous. However small fragments of glass can explode out the rear with almost the same velocity as a handgun.

If you puncture the back with a hammer you better hope there is no weak spot in the glass as well or you will be in the hospital with nurses picking shards of glass out of your eyes and face :)

You got lucky this didnt explode on you.

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 3, 2011. 7:26 PM

Actually most CRT's since the 80's are very durable, and CRT's hold vacuum's meaning they would implode if shattered in the right place.

KermEd says: Sep 3, 2011. 9:18 PM

although true they don't just implode and stop moving in the center. The force can continue. A friend of mine had a crt implode while in front of it and the electronics in the back of it sucked into the middle of the unit and kept going. he has some very bad scarring on his face now that they said was caused by the electronics behind the unit and was launched clean into he next room. he was in the jospital a very long time and there was significant damage (small holes and glass particles) all over the wall behind the crt. im just saying, imho, i do not recommend messing with crts. but thats just my opinion!

Alex1M6 (author) says: Sep 4, 2011. 6:16 AM

Fair enough, but I have used this method on a number of occasions and have not been injured.

KermEd says: Sep 3, 2011. 5:38 PM

I looked closer at your crt. Probably wasn't as dangerous your looks of higher quality than a lot of the units produced in the 90s I've seen.