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Posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.9.37] on Thursday, December 06, 2012 at 12:59:43 :
In Reply to: Re: Strange fuse failure posted by Kenaigary [65.74.50.99] on Wednesday, December 05, 2012 at 23:18:28 :
I'm pretty sure this was an original 1967 fuse. "Buss" brand, and the red paint around the end of the glass is not something I see these days. A couple others in the fuse block that have never blown also have the red paint.
I believe the fusible element is zinc or a zinc alloy. I've noticed that old zinc castings, especially in the tuning mechanisms of old radios, sometimes gradually swell and crack until they've crumbled to pieces. It's a very strange phenomenon. Perhaps there's an aging or corrosion process that affects fuse elements the same way.