using unused socket lugs

[Randall]

I am replacing the power cord on an old Bronson guitar amp. I want to run the hot side fuse to switch to primary, and the neutral straight to the other side of primary. Right now it has the switch and fuse on opposite sides of the primary. Problem is, I have nowhere to tie the neutral down, except pin 6 of one of the 6V6s that is going unused. Is there any harm or risk in this? I don't want to use a wire nut.

[Jazz P Bass]

I would not run an ac mains wire to any socket.

Instead of a wire nut, go out and get some 'butt splice' connectors.

[The Dude]

......or solder and shrink tubing.

[Enzo]

No, PLEASE do not do that.

As suggested above, a simple butt splice, whether a crimped connection or soldered with heat shrink or tape.

Or mount a small terminal strip under a transformer bolt or other screw to provide a solder terminal.

[Randall]

OK, thanks for saving me from myself! A butt splice it shall be.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Or mount a small terminal strip under a transformer bolt or other screw to provide a solder terminal.

Although I occasionally see a factory built amp that uses a "spare" tube socket lug, usually one on a rectifier (!!!), as a convenient jump point, I don't much like the idea. Especially on a Bronson, that would be a death wish wouldn't it? When I have to go neutral line to transformer primary, I agree with Enzo, terminal strip is the way to go. Maybe it's because I don't much trust butt splice or any other crimp connectors for that matter.

[Randall]

Enlighten me on the particulars of a Bronson amp? It's my first.

[Mick Bailey]

I use crimp-on closed end connectors for this kind of job. I twist the wires and solder them first, then crimp on the connector. Really useful for terminating unwanted PT connections (especially 'universal' transformers) or re-strapping primaries from parallel to series.

[Enzo]

We call that a pigtail splice. Both wires come in the same end. The butt splice is the one where the wires come in opposite ends. Other than convenience in a particular case, I consider them equivalent. The pigtail requires one crimp, while the butt splice requires two, but really, that is a matter of a couple seconds. The pigtail does have the advantage you can combine the wires and solder as Mick describes and use the crimp as merely an insulated cover. Also with the proper size splice chosen you can splice more than two wires in one thing. Butt splices are pretty much one wire to one wire. If you have one extra wire, you can crimp a splicer on the end to insulate it, and lash it to other wires.

[SoulFetish]

I find I get a better and more secure crimp connection when crimping non soldered wires. But, The closed end connectors are a great suggestion.
If I’m updating an older amp wirh a polarity switch, Ill use one side of the switch as a conveniet terminal to join the wires.
Since the cap gets removed, the switch serves no fuction in the amp other than maintaining the original aesthetic.

[Dave H]

I find I get a better and more secure crimp connection when crimping non soldered wires.

I don't think the wires are supposed to be soldered (or tinned) when using crimp connectors. The solder can 'flow' over time and the crimp become loose.

[eschertron]

Enlighten me on the particulars of a Bronson amp? It's my first.

Old-timer's movie reference...I think?

[Dave H]

[Leo_Gnardo]

Enlighten me on the particulars of a Bronson amp? It's my first.

I've only run across one. But I have seen other amps that look near identical with different brand names on them. Bronson was a sheet music dealer in the Detroit area. Early 1950's they must have decided to expand their offerings to include guitar amps and who knows what else. I'm guessing there was a job shop that made the one I saw and simply affixed the name requested by the buyer. It was a simple 2x 6V6 circuit that powered a field coil 10 inch speaker. The field coil knocked the B+ down to about 280V so it only turned out about 6 watts or so, and had a sweet tone whether played quietly or pushed into the crunch zone. I expect you will need to attend to all the usual suspects, replace electrolytic and wax capacitors, drifty resistors, put on a grounded AC cable, clean jacks & tube sockets, replace tubes as necessary.

Thanx Dave H for the Death Wish film poster JPEG. Crikeys that was nearly 50 years ago, seems like yesterday!

[Mick Bailey]

I don't think the wires are supposed to be soldered (or tinned) when using crimp connectors. The solder can 'flow' over time and the crimp become loose.

How I do it is to loop the wire over after twisting so that when it's soldered it forms a ball-end. The crimp then only needs to hold enough to keep the insulated cover in place and doesn't rely on this as mechanical security. The forces are different with an insulated termination, but I get your point about soldering crimp connectors - I did some pull testing of automotive connectors a few years ago and got a higher failure rate where stranded wire was twisted and tinned. The fact is the crimp is holding onto solder, which has a relatively low shear strength. I use pretty decent tools, too that have a calibrated crimp force. No soldering now also applies screw connectors in mains plugs. Tinned ends are no longer acceptable and you have to use a crimped ferrule.