How to keep the vintage look of your radio or amplifier chassis by restuffing the electrolytic or paper/foil capacitors. Also, a fun and in-depth look at dissecting and testing these types of capacitors.
Restuffing cans is the best option. I restored a 1951 Andrea 16" TV that had nine (9!) cans. Imagine putting terminals and external caps for nine cans inside that already crowded chassis. 30 years after I'm gone, some guy will be thanking me for not turning that chassis into a train wreck. Other than the plastic caps replacing the paper ones, it looks like it did when it left the factory and still matches the picture in the SAMs.
She's a Beauty!👍 Great job re-stuffing that & good idea of what the hose clamp! I read somewhere that the capacitors with the (M) were made by Panasonic. Probably a sister company to the name you said? Very good capacitors!
Thanks for the comment. I would put all your test eq. on one grounded circuit and only connect your device under test to the isolation transformer. Yes, Uncle Doug is a great teacher and he's the guy who really inspired me to do my own videos and build my own guitar amps.
This thing is more like a grenade than a capacitor! It's a bit crazy to see a capacitor that large yet without any of the stress grooves in it that give away to let it explode more safely out of the top.
These types almost always vent out the bottom around the phenolic. Sometimes you'll even see a small hole or thin spot where the electrolyte or gasses can vent.
On that paper cap some people save their old wax from their old caps and use it to fill in the ends. I started a collection of old wax but threw it away as my hot glue gun works really quick.
Put a suitable sized Jubilee clip (hose clamp) round the top of the capacitor and tighten to protect the aluminium from the side cutters. It will also help keep the top round as unlike the sheet metal held by hand there will be no gaps and it won't slip. Ah! see you saw that idea later in the video. One other thing you mentioned you have a polishing wheel. If you can substitute that wheel for a plain steel wheel or if you have a lathe you can set up a support bar to help hold the can tight against it while pressing and turning against the wheel to press the peeled metal back smoothly. I have stuffed several this way with good results.
Good effort. I cut the can above the phenolic using a pipe cutter so as not to disturb the terminal lugs or the can crimp. I then use a heat gun to heat the can until the guts come out. The heat will not transfer to the base because its been cut from the can. The guts can then easily be removed from the base, base drilled for cap leads. When i reassemble ill use silicon on the inside and a strip of heat-resistant aluminum tape on the outside. It results in a much cleaner base, tabs, and lugs.
I take my Dremel with a high grit stone and grind down the bottom of the can until I expose the steel ring. I then pull that out and remove the guts reusing the phenolic base. I reassemble by putting some two part black epoxy on the inner lip and placing the phenolic and steel ring back in place.
Good tutorial! I found that placing my MLCCs in warm water (just over what is comfortable to touch) helps with freeing the glue at the bottom. The glue I've seen used all the time also dissolves quite easily with 99% IPA, so injecting some in the can can be used as a last resort..
Thanks for your Video! I'm presently restuffing the electrolytic capacitor on my "All American Five" Zenith, your video was affirmation I'm doing it right. I was questioning myself because after I reconnected the e-cap back into the radio it shorted out, killed the rectifier tube and the 220 om. resistor. Now I can focus elsewhere for the short.
My method is to destroy the phenolic brown disk on the bottom that has the terminals on it. I pick out all the phenolic bits and remove the old capacitor guts. This leaves me a hollow aluminum can. The steel ring is then removed by slightly folding in half an pulling it out (it can be flattened easily later if you don't go crazy and fold it completely in half). By using a smooth metal rod (screwdriver shaft) I can slowly un-roll the crimp on the aluminum shell from the inside. After stuffing new caps in the shell I make a new phenolic disk with circuit board material (I can recycle old circuit boards by cleaning off the resist and completely etching or scraping off the circuit traces). I then drill and shape new holes for the solder lugs and solder the new caps, install the new circuit board, add in the steel ring, and use the same round and smooth metal rod from the outside to re-roll the crimp (a little hammering helps). I also like to solder the common cap wires somewhere to the steel ring for a solid connection to the chassis.
What does voltage loss indicate? And should there be none? Very interesting video. I am trying to learn how to stuff a capacitor and also learn about capacitors. Thank you
@@DVRproductions52Would it be easier to cut a hole big enough on the bottom to remove the "guts" and then just drill the holes for the capacitor leads? Or would that be more difficult to do?
I am trying to fix a bang and Olufsen tuner amp, and I need to replace some of the capacitors they are really old, there is one big one which is. Wicon Electrolytic cap 3000uf 70 v. DCW red positive type Kl 2404x2. And two Wicon Electrolytic cap 3000uf 25v. DCW Type Kpl 242x1 Plain negative is there alternatives I can use would you know which ones they are. I would appreciate your help.
I like everything except the use of foam which off gasses over time and creates it’s own set of nightmare problem (see all Hammond organs made after ‘64) I’d try a more durable filler, felt being a perfect replacement.
That's my preferred method also but some restoration "purists" like to keep everything as "stock" as possible so I made the video for those who would like to keep the caps wired in as new. Also, there are times (like restoring the Zenith 7G605 Bomber) that there is just no room for one more component under the chassis.
Hi, this is not the way to restuff old capacitors: this is the way to destroy them,I have no channel on youtube, but if you want I can send to you images where I can show the way I usually restuff old capacitors on vintage electronics. Actually I am recapping a old Mcintosh MX110 (the Medium Version, without 6D10 Tube 1962/1963) and i'm not destryng the can.
