[ARC5] Sort of OT - Fuzzy VCs

[Jim Falls]

I have a Swan 350, and I have had fits with arcing on the tank VC from Day 1. It’s a 350pF Hammarlund-style straight line C unit and spacing is a tad wider than a BCB VC. 

The consensus on the Swan list was dust. It’d blow it out several times a week, filter the air going thru the Final cage, all to no avail.  Zapped and hissed like a feral cat after a day or two. Got disgusted. Put it away in the garage last year. 

Pulled it out yesterday. Under bright light, it appears to have metallic whiskers all over the place, especially on the stator plates. That thing was clean as a whistle when I put it away. Now it looks like I cleaned it with fine steel wool. 

I recall someone here or on the milsurp list posting a photo like that, but I don’t recall any cure. 

Is this “fixable”, or am I SOL?

Jim K6FWT