Actually if it is a copper Mershon cap yes you can solder to it. Also for future reference you can apparently remove the top cap and remove the old guts through the top, and place the cap back on afterward. The original chemical inside was a borax or a boric acid solution so the remnants can be washed out with soap and water. You could leave the plastic mesh inside, that was just a insulator to prevent the negative plates from touching the inside of the can, but it doesn't do anything now of course.
Regards
Arran
Actually, I thought a good Mershon look-alike could be made from a piece of a copper pipe and a copper cap, soldered together. No, seriouslhy, when I look at them, I think more and more it could be done
There was somebody offering that very thing on the other forum last year, or maybe the year before? Repro "Mershons" using copper pipe and a copper cap. I think for the bottom, he used another copper cap. Not sure what he did for an insulator?
Yup, it could be done. Now, if you could devise a way to turn the bottom end so it would hold a plastic insulator (much like an original Mershon) through which you could pass a bolt to use as a positive terminal, using the copper shell as negative, and allow the top cap to be removed for restuffing...now that would be something nice!
Well, if you use a nylon bolt of a large diameter (and I am sure you can find one in black) you could use it as the insulator.
Now, you could simply drill a hole through that nylon bolt and insert a metal smaller bolt (the one that is the terminal), and then when all is assembled, simply glue the plastic bolt inside the copper tube.
I am sure given the proper instruments that can be done.
Then there is that groove at the bottom that a pipe needs to look a bit more authentic but that can be simply turned. And if it is deep inside the chassis - simply disregarded.
The top though has nothing special about it - it does simply look like a pipe and a cap.
I have already figured out how to make a replica condenser can out of copper pipe, the trick is that copper plumbing parts come in standard dimensions and and the Mershon condensers fall somewhere between those standards. Pipe usually goes by inner diameter and the caps, couplings, and nipples are made to match the outer diameter. So the Mershon can may end up being 1-3/16 inner diameter and the standard pipe may be 1-1/8 or 1-1/4 inner diameter. The thickness of the wall of a water pipe is also thicker then a Mershon since it has to bear a certain pressure, so the pipe caps are thicker walled as well, if you look closley at the cap on a Mershon it also has a series of small holes around the perimeter. For the bottom you can use a copper or bronze threaded nipple and then fit an insulator inside of it. So the bottom line is that you can make an acceptable substitute for a Mershon can but not an exact replica out of plumbing parts.
Regards
Arran
(This post was last modified: 05-27-2013, 10:57 PM by Arran.)
A smaller inner diameter pipe can be turned and the excess marterial removed making it thinner wall larger opening tube.
Exact copies are rarely made of off-the-shelf parts.
If the cap does not face you (like in Philco 70 or 90 where it is up front) small discrepancies will not be noticed unless looked at closely.
If someone were to set out to produce an exact replica, he could possibly use the stock parts but then he'd need some specialized equipment to do some more work than simply cut a piece of pipe annd slap a cap on it.
The thickness of the inner wall of the copper pipe is negligible and won't affect whatever you put in there in terms of electrolytic capacitors. I was just pointing out that copper pipe is sized by standard inner diameter and the parts, like caps and nipples, that fit it are made to fit the exact outer diameter. The Mershon condensers were likely drawn out using custom made dies with a press so they did not use off the shelf pipe dimensions, inner or outer diameter, or wall thickness, the same is true with any aluminum can condensers.
I had to join a pair of aluminum condenser cans back together that someone had crudely cut in half, they were originally made by Solar I believe. With the first one I ended up using a PVC plastic coupling for 3/4 in inner diameter plastic pipe, it fit the two pieces together on the inside, it wasn't an exact fit, but some hot glue made up the small difference. For the second I will also use a fitting, a larger barbed plastic fitting used for sprinkler pipe, but in this case I will have to get it turned down to fit inside the second can.
There does not appear to have been any rhyme or reason for the dimensions used on electrolytic cans, the first can originally had a single cap inside, the second had two caps inside so it was larger. So it was just luck that I could use a PVC coupling meant for the outside of a pipe
to couple a 10 MF can on the inside without much work. So as far as I'm concerned you may as well make a fake Mershon and stick it in your set, while the dimensions may be different I'm sure that the Sprague, Tobe, Aerovox, Mallory, Solar, or Cornell Dubilier all differed from one another as well.
Regards
Arran
Back North, a buddy of mine had copper piping in his basement from the 50's or '60's which was Canadian made and had odd ball sizes, as compared to normal standards. (He polished them to a beautiful shine). Perhaps that may be something to explore.
No problem Ron, I know where your coming from with projects, I am in the same situation and would like to get to my 15x but have several that are apart right now that need fixing. The 201 is an interesting set, when you do start on it would you be able to post a thread on the forum, I would like to follow it.
Morzh, thanks for the links showing how you re-stuff those electrolytics, I am just as meticulous when it comes to re-stuffing as well, the visuals really helped out, thanks.
Ok guys, here is how I ended up re-stuffing the electrolytic and it turned out great, the cardboard collar will hide everything. I was able to dig up some good vintage era cloth wire to use for the negative lead coming out of the bottom. I have also re-stuffed several more Bakelite blocks, only 4 more to go and I am about finished with this restoration.
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