On Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:58:34 +0100, "N_Cook"
wrote:

DVM resistance either way round is 6.2

It's blown. No way was that caused by package leakage or corrosion
which would result in an open circuit. What you have is an amorphous
blob of silicon. It's also a single junction, so my theory about
parallel diodes is all wrong. Sorry(tm).

Ant chance of Beryllium oxide or whatever the serious nasty is , likely to
be inside?

Berylium oxide is white and is used as an insulator. It looks like a
hard ceramic. I looked at the data sheet but no insulator material
was specified. It's a DO-4 case, which methinks is just molded
plastic. If it's white ceramic, don't grind.

Which plane to go in with a dremmel cutting disc?

Circumscribe through the plastic near the metal base. It's a "cup"
which should come off easily. You may need to cut the solder eye off
the anode lead to remove the "cup". Sometimes, the guts is filled
with silicon grease.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558