“Campbell” Tube

Ref. B17

Made by Campbell Brothers, Lynn, Mass., this tube is 16” (40 cm) long, with a 5” (12.5 cm) bulb, and dates back to the first years of the 20th Century. Under their name marked on the cathode side of the glass, a somewhat smudged stamp bears the initials “M. & W., Boston” with a serial number, and standing probably for Macalaster & Wiggin.

A thin shiny platinum surface covers the target side of the anti-cathode.  The strongly discoloured aluminium cathode and the aluminium anode are of similar shapes but of different sizes.

Regeneration is by the whitish fibrous material, probably asbestos, stuffed into a lateral glass extension on the anode side of the tube. The opposite extension with a black tip is the vacuum nozzle.

In their catalog, Campbell Brothers describe this tube, priced at $14, as “…..especially designed for work with High Frequency Currents, and does not turn black after severe use”. And “If cash ($200) accompanies an order for an outfit, including case containing X-ray tube, Rheostat, Fluoroscope and small stand, a second tube will be sent free.”