source for dead 9pin and 8pin tubes.

[mikepukmel]

Does anyone know where I could find a couple of 9 pin and a couple of 8pin dead (non functioning) vacuum tubes? Im in Eastern Massachusetts. I want to try out the sockets in a build without risking ruining a good tube, in case something is wrong with the socket, i.e. bit of solder, or not pressed square into the socket frame.

Thanks,
Mike

[g1]

I'd suggest you use the proper type tubes the circuit is designed for, as different pinouts (of other tube types) could cause damage to other circuit components.
If you are going to have them shipped anyway, just buy the cheapest available on ebay. If you are going to get them from a local supplier, try asking them if they have any bad ones.

[mikepukmel]

I'd suggest you use the proper type tubes the circuit is designed for, as different pinouts (of other tube types) could cause damage to other circuit components.
If you are going to have them shipped anyway, just buy the cheapest available on ebay. If you are going to get them from a local supplier, try asking them if they have any bad ones.

Thanks! THis is just for a mechanical check. A blurb on the Hoffman parts site got me scared, it said "You should solder the leads to the tube sockets with the tubes installed, otherwise it might lead to bending pins or damaging tubes ..." something like that. I just wanted to get some dead tubes that I could push into the sockets, and possibly re-flow the solder if need be, to make sure the tubes slide in and out OK. The only pin I coudl see being a problem is 4-5 connection on the 9 pin preamp sockets or the two that are jumpered on the phase inverter (3 and 7? Can't remember). Looking for someone to sell and mail a couple of dead tubes that won't work electrically, but are not, say, broken or the pins all bent up. Lost all my guitar amp contacts years ago.

[mikepukmel]

I'd suggest you use the proper type tubes the circuit is designed for, as different pinouts (of other tube types) could cause damage to other circuit components.
If you are going to have them shipped anyway, just buy the cheapest available on ebay. If you are going to get them from a local supplier, try asking them if they have any bad ones.

Ohh, maybe GuitarCenter repairs has some!

[nickb]

How about checking the connections by looking at the voltage on each pin before you install any tubes? That should give you a high degree of confidence without costing a penny

PS: I see the simulpost has struck. I see your concern was mechanical not electrical.

[g1]

Yes, that makes sense now. I suppose you could use toothpick bits.

[J M Fahey]

Does anyone know where I could find a couple of 9 pin and a couple of 8pin dead (non functioning) vacuum tubes? Im in Eastern Massachusetts. I want to try out the sockets in a build without risking ruining a good tube, in case something is wrong with the socket, i.e. bit of solder, or not pressed square into the socket frame.

Thanks,
Mike

Don´t overthink it, just plug the proper tubes in.

If your building skills were so bad as to filling tube sockets with solder and not noticing it then you simply shouldn´t be building amps, period.
I guess that´s not the case

[Tom Phillips]

... A blurb on the Hoffman parts site got me scared, it said "You should solder the leads to the tube sockets with the tubes installed, otherwise it might lead to bending pins or damaging tubes ..." something like that...

Wow! Interesting!
In my opinion that is truly goofy advice. I would guess that the origin of that advice was due to people using inferior tube sockets or people having really poor soldering and wiring skills. Either way it is not a solution to the perceived problem. The solution would be to use good parts and develop acceptable soldering skills. All manor of traditional tube equipment, both commercial builds and home built kits, were constructed without tubes installed in the tube sockets. That is the normal practice. There are even some who believe that octal tubes should be removed from the sockets before any soldering is done on the tube socket contacts. That is because the octal tube pins are actually soldered contacts (tube pin in the base to lead wire exiting the glass envelope) and too much heat could compromise the tube pin solder joint. However, that would require a lot of excess heat. Personally, I don't think it is necessary to remove an octal tune from the socket if you need to replace a wire or component connected to the socket pin IF you have proper soldering skills.

[Randall]

Add me to the "why would you need to do this" list. It's just a tube socket.

[Enzo]

It strikes me as advice from someone of limited experience trying to think what good advice ought to look like.

Have I sweated some solder up into a socket pin at some point? yes I have. In my 60 some years of soldering I have made most any mistake you can make. Does it happen often? No. Frankly you need to be a total hack to do that, at least more than once. yes, on that occasion I was soldering like a total hack.

Don't overthink it, don't be overly concerned. This is just a guitar amp, and soldering is not that hard.

[Mick Bailey]

I've never installed a tube when wiring sockets in a new build. Mainly if I'm doing a repair I won't remove the tube, though.

[mikepukmel]

Add me to the "why would you need to do this" list. It's just a tube socket.

I had just read that blurb on the Hoffman web site (where I bought the sockets). This is the actual text:



Doug is awesome, so probably being over cautious since many people buy parts and really butcher them when soldering. My guess is that some customer at some point heated the pins so much that the pin melted the socket casing and the pin tilted slightly, so that it was not square with the tube. Anyway, its my first amp build, and while I don't think my work is terrible, my skills couldn't hold a candle to you guys. So on my part, probably being over cautious as well, but ...

[mikepukmel]

It strikes me as advice from someone of limited experience trying to think what good advice ought to look like.

Have I sweated some solder up into a socket pin at some point? yes I have. In my 60 some years of soldering I have made most any mistake you can make. Does it happen often? No. Frankly you need to be a total hack to do that, at least more than once. yes, on that occasion I was soldering like a total hack.

Don't overthink it, don't be overly concerned. This is just a guitar amp, and soldering is not that hard.

Yeah, that's me, thanks Enzo! I have soldered lots of "stuff" over the years, but haven't built many kit things. Way back when, I did build a couple of Heathkit tube projects (a vacuum tube volt meter, wish I still had it, and a small amp). It was so long ago, I don't even remember what they looked like.

[mikepukmel]

I've never installed a tube when wiring sockets in a new build. Mainly if I'm doing a repair I won't remove the tube, though.

Thanks Mick.

[mikepukmel]

Wow! Interesting!
In my opinion that is truly goofy advice. I would guess that the origin of that advice was due to people using inferior tube sockets or people having really poor soldering and wiring skills. Either way it is not a solution to the perceived problem. The solution would be to use good parts and develop acceptable soldering skills. All manor of traditional tube equipment, both commercial builds and home built kits, were constructed without tubes installed in the tube sockets. That is the normal practice. There are even some who believe that octal tubes should be removed from the sockets before any soldering is done on the tube socket contacts. That is because the octal tube pins are actually soldered contacts (tube pin in the base to lead wire exiting the glass envelope) and too much heat could compromise the tube pin solder joint. However, that would require a lot of excess heat. Personally, I don't think it is necessary to remove an octal tune from the socket if you need to replace a wire or component connected to the socket pin IF you have proper soldering skills.

Thanks for the info, Tom, didn't know that!

Its not a smooth segue, but I had searched a long time on the web, and found mostly complaints about all brands of tube sockets these days. I got the best ones I could find, by comments and reviews, which are Belton's. The 8 pin sockets have very thick tabs, and the sockets look to be made OK (not fantastic). The 9 pin sockets feel really cheap, and when I shake them in my hand, the pins rattle a bit, and the pins and solder tabs feel really cheap and flimsy. But, I couldn't find better ones. Antique Electronic Supply, Tube Depot, Hoffman, etc. all seem to sell the same ones. Any suggestions