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Soldering sockets with tubes on ,yes or no?

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  • Soldering sockets with tubes on ,yes or no?

    I like to prototype circuits on a chassis with some sockets,point to point style,soldering components directly on sockets and pots,no tags and long leads.
    I wonder,when i make changes to try different values,does the heating of the 350 celsius soldering gun damage in some way the 12ax7 in the socket?
    Is it better or mandatory to leave them out or do they stand a 5 second soldering?(maybe repeated 3/4 times)

  • #2
    I never worry about it. I can't begin to think of how many times I've re-soldered board mounted sockets with the tubes still in.
    Originally posted by Enzo
    I have a sign in my shop that says, "Never think up reasons not to check something."


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    • #3
      If you solder like a pro, and get in & out of the process in a couple seconds as you mention, no worries. Where it's a real problem is with those tough dog connections especially on octal or other large format sockets, where keeping the heat on for too long may melt the solder inside the tube pin and that's not a good thing. In those instances yes it's very much recommended to remove the tube whilst soldering the socket.
      This isn't the future I signed up for.

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      • #4
        I have gotten sloppy in the past & had solder run down the socket into the pin holes... Then tube no inserty. Which I have heard as an argument to leave them in. But just don't get careless you should be fine either way.

        Of course, you could end up soldering the tube in...

        Justin
        "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
        "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
        "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post
          I have gotten sloppy in the past & had solder run down the socket into the pin holes... Then tube no inserty. Which I have heard as an argument to leave them in. But just don't get careless you should be fine either way.

          Of course, you could end up soldering the tube in...

          Justin
          I did that. On a new socket. It wasn't even a sloppy solder job. At first I questioned whether the socket was already hinky, but when I inspected things I could see a thin, silver line along the split in the socket pin, pin tube socket thingy. The wole unit got hot enough under normal soldering conditions to wick solder right down the split like a capillary. It never happened before and it hasn't happened since.
          "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

          "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

          "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
          You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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          • #6
            I don't like to solder on socket pins with the tube in... but I've done it.

            As already mentioned, get in and out fast.

            Good hot iron helps.
            If it ain't broke I'll fix it until it is...
            I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous...

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            • #7
              thanks to all for the replies,my only concern is about preamp tubes,i know about the power tubes,i had once to reflow a heater pin on a 6L6 used,with success,but if i need to reflow the sockets on a pcb i unplug all the tubes.

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              • #8
                I did a practice soldering sockets wire all the time with the tubes in without to remark any by mentioned concerns, ever. The reason was to keep centered/aligned the socket pins with the tube pins as I used solid wire AWG 24 which is not flexible.In any sockets I used the pins have a little bit clearance and keep it tensioned will go out of axle. If use multistranded wires maybe is not a concern.

                I have no ideea how the electrodes are fixed in a tube but pretty sure they are not glued, soldered or whatever but welded instead. I will have more concerns about socket pins as I remarked some are made from rigid alloys to keep the contact more tight. That means better contact but less flexibility. Trying to bend this pins will go to broke it or at least severe cracks into material, no good at all.
                Last edited by catalin gramada; 05-12-2019, 06:43 AM.
                "If it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad. If it measures bad and sounds good, you are measuring the wrong things."

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