[AMRadio] Old Iron

[Kim Elmore]

I think it depends a bit. Was the thing left out essentially under 
water? Are the transformers so rusty that they're barely identifiable?

HV transformers and some larger modulation transformers are usually 
well-permeated with a varnish-like substance  and/or potted with a 
tar-like stuff. If so, they are probably OK after careful and thorough drying.

To insure they are dry, someone suggested they be left in the attic 
over the Summer -- an excellent idea. Then, find someone with a 
hi-pot tester and test the transformer for any obvious problems. If 
it passes that, put it on a variac and bring up the voltage. If there 
are no shorted turns, you're about as good to go as you can be.

N5OP

At 08:56 PM 2/2/2012, you wrote:
>Seems the best place to ask, I hope.
>
>I've got an old 32v that is a wreck, and clearly had been stored someplace
>where there was lots of humidty.
>
>I figure the poor old girl had something seriously wrong to have been left
>the way she was, and she's clearly not restorable.
>
>But the question is about the old iron.  Other than what may have been  her
>original demise are the odds reasonable that if I go to the hassle of
>recovering the transformers that they will be ok, or is protracted 
>unfortunate,
>storage more likely than not to render that stuff unuseable?
>
>And is there any process you go through under these circumstances to
>condition the hardware before you start to test it under load?
>
>Thanks for your thoughts.
>
>Scott
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