[Boatanchors] Racor Blade Rectification

Fri, 23 Jan 2004 02:11:18 +0000

My question: Where do you find new blue blades to make a WW2
foxhole set?

They are just not around anymore.

>From: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF" <[email protected]>
>To: "Al Klase" <[email protected]>
>CC: <[email protected]>
>Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Racor Blade Rectification
>Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 20:42:56 -0500
>
>Hi Al,
>
>It seems that both Marlin and Gillette had so called blue blades at the 
>same
>time. Apparently this was prior to Gillette trademarking the name.
>
>You may be correct that the blue coating contained a selenium compound that
>reacted with the graphite in the lead pencil cat whisker to cause 
>rectification.
>However, I am told by those who were there and used them, and you would 
>qualify
>here too, that you still had to tune around the blade for the sweet spot.
>
>Any other thoughts or memories Al?
>
>Fascinating stuff!
>
>Duane W8DBF
>
>
>----------
>From: Al Klase <[email protected]>
>To: Duane Fischer, W8DBF <[email protected]>
>Cc: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Racor Blade Rectification
>Date: Thursday, January 22, 2004 8:10 PM
>
>Hi Duane,
>
>I started a minor foxhole radio craze at Cahm Ran Bay in
>1970 to keep the tradition alive. 10KW AFRTS station about a
>mile away made this easy.
>
>As far as I know, blue blades work best.  Scarpe a spot part
>way through the coating and use a pencil lead lashed to a
>saftey pin for a catswisker.
>
>One theory is that the bluing contained a selenium compound
>that might account for the rectifier action.
>
>Al
>
>Duane Fischer, W8DBF wrote:
> > Question: exactly what made the Marlin or the Gillette razor blade work 
>as a
> > diode for rectification? Some say it was the special electric printing 
>of the
> > product name on the blade and others claim it was what the blade was 
>made of.
>
>
>
>--
>Al Klase - N3FRQ
>[email protected]
>Flemington, NJ 08822
>Web Page:  http://www.webex.net/~skywaves/home.htm
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