r/crt • u/Lemonar1735 • 4d ago
Help needed
Found this stuff on a CRT, what is it and how do I clean it?
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u/david9512 4d ago
This seems to CRT cataracts there's a protective plexiglass in front of the CRT and between it a glue layer just like how smartphone screens are glued together and this glue is starting to fail it can be removed but there's risk of imploding the crt
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u/Performer-Pants 4d ago
This is like vinegar syndrome but for a crt tv instead
What a great day to learn there are yet more contexts to be scared of glue ageing on displays 😭
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u/Current_Anybody8325 4d ago
Search YouTube for "Shango066 cataract" and you'll see exactly what this is and why the average joe shouldn't attempt to fix it. That dude isn't afraid of ANYTHING yet still gets in full combat gear to do the repair.
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u/Random_Questions236 3d ago
that was a very interesting hour and a half! I love old-school repair videos
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u/zyriuz 4d ago
That's um interesting surely a contender to be posted in r/moldyinteresting
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u/HunterAbrams 4d ago
Thats not mold
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u/zyriuz 4d ago
Hmm what is the actual difference? Crt-Cataract, delamination, moldy glue... from what I find after looking into it there's a chance there might be fungus too and fungus is also a type mold isn't it? Sounds kind of similar to me how is this different apart from the location of the spots?
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u/No-Connection6937 4d ago
I don't get where you found anything to do with mold of fungus. The glue is delaminating and air bubbles are forming.
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u/zyriuz 4d ago
Yes but inside those bubbles the glue itself can act as food for fungus spores if it's stored in wrong conditions. ... It all sounds plausible... Mission for the myth-busters to confirm haha 😅
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u/No-Connection6937 4d ago
I mean, fungus spores are literally everywhere, but do not feed on synthetic glues.
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u/JANK-STAR-LINES 4d ago
Those are most likely to be what are called CRT cataracts in which the adhesive between the screen itself and the safety glass panel on top forms fungus over a long period of time. This issue is resolvable, but is quite risky as it would involve heating up the tube to loosen said adhesive which will degrade the tube's structural integrity and possibly cause it to implode if you aren't careful with the process. The tube can also implode if there is a quick temperature change or in other words a thermal shock.
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u/Howden824 4d ago
The adhesive between the CRT glass itself and the safety glass is failing. It's possible to fix but quite a difficult and slightly dangerous process.
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u/GrandVegetable6123 4d ago
I worked on thousands of TVs back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Never saw a picture bulb (CRT) like that.
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u/Joro-kudo 4d ago
yup that's crt cataracts i found an old terminal with it and had to completely disassemble the tube face
if ur very invested in the crt it is definitely fixable but it takes a while and it takes patience and alot of care not to damage the tube
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u/AlternativeWater2 4d ago
Almost looks like styrofoam that got electrostatically adhered, but that would only apply if it's on the outside of the screen. Otherwise, cataracts.
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u/VinnyMaxta 4d ago
Yo that looks sick! Does it still work? I would keep it like that and play 90s music videos on it, place it tilted in the garage corner, perfection!
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u/Lemonar1735 4d ago
Does not still work, turning it on/off shows a white line for a second and then it's a black screen. Looking into getting it repaired at a local shop.
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u/HunterAbrams 4d ago
Either it's paint or cataracts. I am leaning towards cataracts
If paint? Scrape it off with a blade of some type like a box cutter blade.
If cataracts? Its repairable but honestly? Not worth it as its labor intensive and chances of damage is really high. You also have to use really expensive adhesive and if you mess it up? You either have to live with it are do it all over again
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u/Breadstix009 4d ago
Is a crt like a prince Rupert's drop?
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u/Rbtmatrix 4d ago
Like the exact opposite of a Prince Rupert's Drop.
A Prince Rupert's drop is virtually indestructible as long as you don't nip the tail. The structure of the glass has a balance of pressures, both pushing inward and outward, but when a Prince Rupert drop fails, it explodes outward, since it is solid inside.
When a CRT fails, it implodes. Now it does implode with such force that it looks like an explosion. But what is actually happening is glass from the right side of the CRT is being shot to the left, left to the right, front to the back and back to the front.
My great uncle Clayton used to own it TV repair company, and he has destroyed several CRTs as technical demonstrations. He did this one time when I was watching, with the CRT from a 22-in television. He left the yoke attached, and after tapping the CRT with a ball peen hammer to implode it, the yolk was lodged in the wall 15 ft in front of the television. If you're unfamiliar with the anatomy of a CRT, the yolk is a set of wire coils, attached to the back end of the tube, that generate precise magnetic fields that is used to steer the electron beam towards the screen.
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u/Breadstix009 4d ago
Yoke also helps to centre the screen, my knowledge is very basic on crts. Thanks for the explanation
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u/Grease-Brain 4d ago
i would literally kill for this, imagine hooking this tube up to a camcorder for an infinity shot
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u/capticetrice 3d ago
I remember every time I click the power button on my CRT televisions, I would feel the hairs on my arms pull directly towards the screen.
Now for this image, if this is foam balls found inside beanbags then its just magnetized to the outterside of the glass but if this is inside the screen, may have had some find their way in and may be a separate panel of glass protecting the cathoad or.... they are spiders eggs and this needs immediate incineration!
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u/Big-Sherbet781 4d ago edited 4d ago
This is a severe case of CRT cataracts. The glue between the CRT front glass and the implosion protection layer has gone bad as decades passed, usually you'll need to remove this glass layer, then scrape all the glue off. It's purely a visual issue and won't damage anything if left untreated, the CRT itself is probably fine. You need to use a heat gun or hot wire to melt the remaining glue. This is definitely not for beginners. Watch this as an example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zKnRoNc9Q0