1963 RCA CTC-12 Ainsworth (Australian)

[Fairlane500skyliner]

Good morning all,

I was extremely lucky recently to cross something (for $450!) off the very top of my "wanted list", and subsequently something I thought I'd never see in the flesh - a 1960s colour roundie. More specifically, this set is a 1963 RCA 213G18 EX, imported from Canada and converted to the Australian ~240v 50Hz & PAL systems.

The cataract on this set put bidders off, which was quite lucky. However, that creates a minor challenge for me, worsened by the fact that this is probably the only "Roundie" in Australia, and also the vast expense if I were to import a replacement CRT. No matter how strong or weak the CRT is, I'd still like to repair the cataract so it's displayable (as it will probably be a while before I could afford to purchase and import a replacement tube if this one were to be weak, gassy or otherwise faulty).

I know that there are various methods using heat, but I've also heard of a method where you place the CRT face-down in a shallow pan of water, which I assume saturates the PVA to the point that it breaks down or loses adhesion on the safety glass? Does anyone have any experience with that method, or any other methods that don't include using a heat gun, heat lamps or hot wire on what is essentially a fragile glass bomb?

I'm definitely thinking it's a CTC-12, and possibly called an RCA "Ainsworth", according to the webpage below. I'm curious though, if the "EX" in the model number (213G18 EX) indicates that it's for EXport?

http://rec.antiques.radio-phono.nark...ervice-manuals

A friend of mine has picked this set up from the seller, as I'm about a 40 hour round trip away. I will be picking it soon though, and will post some more information and photos when I do so. I'll also try and scan a copy of the diagrams detailing the conversions, which I'll post on here and Facebook.

Thank you in advance,

Chris