How do you clean tube pins and amps?

It's about time I pulled all the tubes out of my components, gave the pins a good cleaning, and reseated them. I'm gonna dust off the components, too.

What's a good way to clean off the tube pins? A q-tip and rubbing alcohol?

I'd love to hear about other people's cleaning routines. I've got 22 tubes to pull and clean, so I want to do it right .

 

The tube sockets can also be tweeked for better connections. IMHO, it's the sockets that can get bent out of shape. The tube pins are usually solid, in my experience....


Nice, Steve. Never knew that one!

 

How often do you recommend cleaning the pins and/or sockets?

 

Tweakin' tube sockets?

Do tell, Sckott -- how do I tweak tube sockets?

 

Make sure they're all satisfactorilly tight, if you can. Tube sockets can sometimes be tricky to get around. Especially 9 pin ones. I had a 9 pin that was loose on one side. Puzzled me for days what the *&^% was going on. "Where IS the short?!?"

But tube sockets are replaceable, and in many cases, very easilly.

Cleaning them, to be honest, you can try like crazy, but if you can't, (or can't reach bending them back together) unsolder the bugger and replace it. A lot less time for me.

 

I use a Dremel tool with one of their pointy buffer tips and some Flitz--it's a lot faster than using steel wool.

 

I think all my poor little tubes run so hot that they keep their pins clean automatically, just like a self-cleaning oven.

But seriously, cleaning the pins with steel wool or a dremel tool would seem to make good sense, so long as it's done _gently_, right?


FFF

 

I do have a few little problems with my valve sockets. They are made by Yamamoto Onkyo Kogei from Japan. They are very highly regarded and in construction, you could not fault them. They are hewn out of a block of solid Teflon, and have either gold or silver-plated phosphoured bronze contacts. They are anti-vibration and are easy to wire up. Here are the gold ones, but mine are silver plated. These are around $40 each!

What does happen over time though, is the little contacts lose tension and fail to grip the pins correctly. I have to reset them. This is a reasonably well-known problem with the Yamamoto sockets. I am not aware if the gold-plated contacts are better in this regard.

I went to a tobacconist bought a very narrow nylon brush and some pipe cleaners (not the highly absorbant ones as they are prone to shedding). I use Caig Deoxit to clean the contacts, and then apply a little high temperature ProGold. I then use a jeweler's screwdriver to bend the contacts towards each other so they grip the pins better. I use a number of correctly sized drill bits (I have measured these with vernier calipers and found ones the same size as the various tube pins). I use the drill bit as a guide, and bend the contacts carefully until they make good contact.

I just clean the tube pins with Deoxit and add a drop of ProGold. One has to be careful of using abrasives (steel wool, Flitz) on plated metals. If the pins were solid metal, I imagine it would be fine; but I think most tube pins are plated metals.

If you read what Caig have to say, you might not use an abrasive. That includes a pencil eraser - some have recommended that an eraser is OK. Here are two quotes from Caig.

"Do not use an eraser - ANY TYPE OF ERASER - to clean contacts. Erasers are highly abrasive and will remove the precious metal plating. Further, the glue in erasers leave behind a film that is extremely difficult to remove and can later cause intermittents. Also, rubbing an eraser back and forth across contacts can be a potential static generator which could ultimately short out the system."

Question:
How do I clean tubes that go into the pre-amp?

Answer:
If the plated surface has oxidized, apply DeoxIT initially. Remove the contaminants that have been lifted by the DeoxIT with a lint-free swab, if feasible. Once you're satisfied the surface is clean, apply ProGold GxL, which has been specifically formulated for high temperatures. Maintain thereafter with ProGold GxL.

I've definitely thought about getting a Dremel as that seems like fun - and it's a very cool tool. I requested a sample of Flitz ($5) and they sent me a tube and a couple of sachets - I plan to clean the blades on the power cord plugs, not the tube pins.

Regards,
Geoff

 

I haven't tried it on tube sockets or anything, but an industrial-grade contact cleaner may help too. (This stuff is approved for aircraft use.) Goes beyond those old "TV tuner cleaner" sprays of years ago.

The cleaner I got was from LPS Labs ( http://www.lpslabs.com ), and I believe I have the "No Flash Electro Contact Cleaner". I've used it in a couple of noisy controls in a boom box, and while they feel a bit rough now (a little oil-free lube will help that), they no longer make noise. I have also used it when working on one of the cars, when reassembling wiring harnesses. Can't hurt!

Got this as a sample from the rep when I worked for an industrial distributor, BTW.

The Dremel idea seems like a good one too...and as Geoff says, if the pins or sockets are plated, be careful of using *any* type of abrasive.

 

They sell you a $50 _tube_socket_ with weak pins that don't hold the tube, and you forgive them?

Am I missing something here?


FFF

 

Not really.

But they do sound good and have excellent vibration control. I have a mate from AA with the same amps as me (the Laurel IIx Ultimate Upgrade from Welborne Labs) and he got so sick of the same problem with the Yamamotos that he replaced them with ceramic sockets isolated from the chassis with rubber O-rings.

The normal Laurels have different sockets and part of the Ultimate Upgrade is to replace these with the Teflon jobbies. Probably not a good move. They are impressive to look at and have much snob appeal.

My take is that the phosphor bronze material is not very stiff and does not hold its tension well. It's a good conductor though. I just have to do some regular housekeeping on them. It keeps me on my toes.

Regards,
Geoff