CRT Gasket for Motorola 1948 VT-71 TSJ Television

thingiverse

The Motorola "Goldenview" model VT-71 was a 7-inch diameter screen, very lightweight and portable television produced from around 1947 to 1949. It was popular and inexpensive, and they sold lots of them. They have endured better than most antique TVs because they are light in weight and easy to store in the back of an attic or closet. And they are very popular with collectors today for similar reasons - lightweight and easy to store. I am currently in the process of restoring one back to life. One big problem with the Model VT-71 was that they included a "gasket" to support the front of the picture tube. The gasket was made out of an early synthetic rubber that melts very easily with heat, and basically has not survived well over the years. I have included front and back photos of the set as I received it (electronics and front panel removed) - the melted gasket is obvious. At one time a replica was available, but not currently - and it was expensive. People have resorted to various clever mechanisms to support the CRT, but I thought it would be fun to 3D-print a replacement gasket. I used white TPU (with supports) at 0.3 mm layer resolution and 20% fill. It pushed my Ender-3 "clone" (JG Magic) printer to the absolute limit of the bed size, but I got it to work. Even at that low resolution, it took almost 10 hours to print. The gasket is almost entirely hidden when the set is assembled, so its mostly a question of finding a solution that does the job mechanically. Nevertheless, if I had it to do over again, I would use brown TPU rather than white. This one installed easily and fits the front of the tube very well - snug and firm. I have included photos of the 3D printed gasket both separate and installed in the set, with and without the front cover on.