The reason I was asking about photographing VFDs is that I've recently been playing with re-coating tubes whose original coating is in poor condition or is not the wanted colour.
John Smout, as always, was a fount of knowledge on these matters and suggested FEV (French Enamel Varnish) - much used in the stage & screen industries - essentially this is French Polish with a ready- mixed in stain. The solvent for FEV (and French Polish) is methylated spirits. I therefore ordered 250ml of Mauve from http://www.goldleafsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/V_French_Enamel_Varnish.html. The subject tube was cleaned with methylated spirits and the tube held upside-down in a suitable socket. I then dipped the tube into the FEV up to the desired line, then withdrew it and hung it up to dry (about 30 minutes). The coat was blemish-free and completely even with a uniform colour depth. Granted, the tube I was testing this on had a nipple which acts as a focus for drips draining off, but I see no reason why this wouldn't work with smooth-topped tubes. After a few hours the coating is tough and stands a reasonable amount of man-handling - the colour can be deepened by applying multiple coats - the whole new coating can of course be removed with the FEV solvent - methylated spirits again. FEV is available in a very wide range of colours - it is expensive, but you don't need much. I had a whole bunch of rather rare VFDs with damaged coatings - now they are like new. HTH Nick -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/neonixie-l?hl=en-GB.
