Tube rattle?

[tubedood]

Just when you think I cant ask another newbie question here is yet another!
I have an old GE rectifier 5Y3GT ...I have had it for a long time. Bought years ago as testing NOS and I never have plugged it into anything. Now that I am well into this lil Princeton amp build I was getting the final parts together and I noticed it has a rattle when I roll it around like something is in the base. It isn't in the upper part of the tube where I can see it it is in the black plastic base. Is this typical? Leftover stuff from the build process?

I dont have a tube tester that is definitely on the equipment to buy list.
Regardless if it isnt good a new 5Y3GT is in the parts to buy.

Dale

[Randall]

Is the plastic keyway intact?

[tubedood]

Yep tube looks minty.. but if I roll it over I hear something loose. I can always try it out once I get my transformers and see how she does.

[Chuck H]

I've experienced this before with rectifiers on two occasions. Since the tube was working properly otherwise and not causing any amplified anomalies I chose to ignore it. Neither amp ever came back to me with a rectifier failure. Though that doesn't mean I know they didn't fail eventually due to a mechanical fault I suppose.

[Audiotexan]

I noticed it has a rattle when I roll it around like something is in the base. It isn't in the upper part of the tube where I can see it it is in the black plastic base. Is this typical?

Dale

I realize this thread is a bit dated... But my first thought was that it's probably a chip of whatever adhesive material that was used in adhering the glass bulb to the base.

I've seen a couple instances of this, and it wasn't a concern as far as safe operation of the tube.