Irradiated Tubes

[TheNoose]

I want to expand my FB discussion recently posted. Apologies if you are seeing this twice.

Irradiating tubes improves the sound...Russian tube guys say yes...they sure do. For me it was a matter of logic. And no...I haven't heard any as yet. Love to though.

Coincidentally this note from WAVAC explains the effects of the radiation:

The phrase "thoriated tungsten filaments," used to describe their 805 tubes in the WAVAC literature, found me doing a bit of research. "Thorium dioxide is used as a stabilizer in tungsten electrodes in TIG welding, electron tubes, and aircraft engines. As an alloy, thoriated tungsten metal is not easily deformed because the high fusion material thoria augments the high temperature mechanical properties, and thorium helps stimulate the emission of electrons (thermions). It is the most popular oxide additive because of its low cost, but is being phased out in favor of non-radioactive elements such as cerium, lanthanum, rhenium, and zirconium."

Am I right to conclude its the significantly stronger release / emission of electrons that impacts the signal quality and characteristics? Creating more dynamic and responsive - faster signal characteristics?

Seems logical... and the answer I received was another yes. Gloves anyone?

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/08/21/hot-treasures-svecheniye-12ax7-vacuum-tubes/

[TheNoose]

I want to share a very good link posted by another responder to my FB post.
George Rutkay, thanks mate.

https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/...ctrontubes.htm

[Alrainbow]

A few questions.
Can we buy them ? Can they be shipped to USA ?
Is there a recti model like 274b or 5U4G ?
How much for one and where can I buy one to try ?
Sorry I skimmed through the article fast of the answer is there

[GaryB]

Seems like a clear case of satire. A google translation of the Part Time Audiophile author's name (Modest I. Predlozheniye) translates as "Modest Proposal I". I take that to be a nod towards a famous piece of satire from Jonathan Swift - A Modest Proposal, which proposes to solve the problem of poor people in Ireland by selling their children as food for the well to do.
Other signs that this might not be for real - the name of the town in Russia, Opasnost, means Danger in Russian, the workshop of "Dzokhar" looks suspiciously like an outhouse.
Don't know if you're the author or even in on the joke, but to whomever wrote this - nice job.
---Gary

[Rust]

Bogus. Cleverly written though.

As far as thoriated products go, my favorite is the Coleman gas lantern mantle, the thoriation being why it sheds such a brilliant white light. And has a far more efficient fuel usage rate than other fueled lamps/lanterns. The mantles are mildly radioactive but harmless to anyone with half a functional brain, in other words don't eat one or use it as a suppository.

[TheNoose]

Ha ha ha
I can see the light and feel the heat

[MylesBAstor]

The article seems rather far fetched. As a radiation biologist in a previous life, we've done some pretty insane things with radionuclides since the days of Curie and Bequerel. See the radium dial painters story for instance. Or even the story of Bequerel bringing the first glass enclosed vials of radium in the 1920's to Strong Hospital in NYC (the predecessor of MMSK) for the treatment of cancer. He kept the vials of the newly purified Radium in a shirt pocket; later he reported a sunburn like reaction on his chest we now know to be a radiation burn.

Even in Russia, getting ahold of these radionuclides is not like going to your local drugstore and placing an order. They are very closely regulated. It's not even the ionizing radiation but that sipome of these radionuclides are bone seekers (they are all in the same one of the atomic element chart) and will replace calcium in the bone. The danger is to the workers just as much, if not more, than the end user. As a result, they emit short range alpha rays and cause bone cancer (also by a different mechanism, lung cancer). And I can't see how ionizing radiation can do anything.

Now that's not to say that they didn't use radionuclides at some point in history. BTW, every newly made metal today has radioisotopes in it due to above ground nuclear testing. Yes we really polluted the earth with long lived radioisotopes that enter the food chain, etc. I teresting, the first MRI machines had to be put in steel enclosed rooms; because of the presence of radioisotopes in currently produced steel, the had to raise up some old Ww II or earlier battleships for their un contaminated steel.

[TheNoose]

Nice scam piece to test the reading community with some wit.... to flesh out the witless.

Do you mean 'flush out'?

[Bill Hart]

and people thought those polonium brushes were dangerous....

[DedeBarre]

Hi...as per my knowledge these are very closely regulated. It's not even the ionizing radiation but that sipome of these radionuclides are bone seekers and will replace calcium in the bone. The danger is to the workers just as much, if not more, than the end user. As a result, they emit short range alpha rays and cause bone cancer. And I can't see how ionizing radiation can do anything.

turn-key pcb

[TheNoose]

It was a scam...

[Cyclotronguy]

Well, hmmmmm there was a day when I had control over a very potent Cobalt 60 source the resident enologists insisted that red wine suitably exposed was much improved. Good enough that they wouldn't share.

Cyclotronguy

[Rust]

I was re-reading this and would like to point out a misidentification, that of calling alpha radiation a "ray". Of what is considered ionizing radiation, only gamma is a ray, that is very high frequency very high energy electromagnetic energy. Alpha, beta and neutron radiation are particles typically produced by either natural decay or fission. An alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons with a +2 charge. Most terrestrial alpha radiation is low energy and not overly penetrating but is extremely dangerous if an alpha emitter is ingested or inhaled. There are high energy alpha particles, a component of cosmic radiation but fortunately the earths magnetic field provides protection.

[TheNoose]

Seems we have a solid analysis done here...thanks all.

[MylesBAstor]

I was re-reading this and would like to point out a misidentification, that of calling alpha radiation a "ray". Of what is considered ionizing radiation, only gamma is a ray, that is very high frequency very high energy electromagnetic energy. Alpha, beta and neutron radiation are particles typically produced by either natural decay or fission. An alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons with a +2 charge. Most terrestrial alpha radiation is low energy and not overly penetrating but is extremely dangerous if an alpha emitter is ingested or inhaled. There are high energy alpha particles, a component of cosmic radiation but fortunately the earths magnetic field provides protection.

Technically we called them alpha particle, neutron, proton, heavy ion, pi meson, etc beams.