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Cleaning Preamp Tube Pins - Lotta Strange ideas out there


tbonesullivan

Question

So, as I continue my forays into "vintage glass" by getting used tested tubes, one thing I have come upon is DIRTY PINS.  Preamp tub pins are stainless steel, and to make best contact, they though be bright and shiny. However after years of being around, in amps, and just exposed to things, the pins can be anything but shiny. Even stainless steel that is not in use will still slowly oxidize over the decades.

So, I figured there would be some simple guide to cleaning these. My first search turned up some guy using an exacto knife to scrape the oxides off the pins. Not only does this seem kinda dangerous, I also wonder how much it will degrade and shrink the pins if you do something like that. Also it's a waste of a good exacto blade.

Some idiots were about Steel wool, but honestly I don't think steel wool is EVER a good idea when electronics are involved, unless you like short circuits. Others suggested a dremel with a wire brush, or maybe scotch brite.

Another was all about soaking the pins in pure DeOxit for a day. Still another talked about using 90% isopropyl alcohol, which I tried, and the yellow stuff on the pins laughed at me.

So, I figured I would just stick with what I know: Naptha, Flitz, and Electrical Contact Cleaner (no lubricant). I've also got a more Naptha than I will ever use so this is one way to get rid of it.

This is what I came up with:

Step 1: If necessary, use naptha to clean off the base and pins to remove any deposits from phenolic or other plastic sockets, lubricants, etc. Dry off pins.

Step 2: Put a little Flitz on a Q-tip, and get the tube pins nice and shiny.

Step 3. Use rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip to get rid of any Flitz residue

Step 4. Electrical contact cleaner/Brush to give a final clean.

I've only got about 10 old production tubes,  but I can definitely see how they have dull pins compared to the new ones, and the one I cleaned now looks great. Any further suggestsions/warnings/etc?

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When you want to clean something well but don't want steel wool involved these brushes are great:

https://www.amazon.com/Scratch-Brush-Fiberglass-Colors-vary/dp/B0019V18D2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1534273932&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=fiberglass+brush&psc=1

While you don't have to worry about bits of steel wool you do have to worry about tiny bits of fiberglass so gloves and goggles are recommended.

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Glass would be much less of an issue. It's just a lot of really small pieces. Some people also used very fine sandpaper, but honestly I don't have that kind of patience.

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I use 0000 steel wool to clean old NOS tube  pins.  I don't see the problem as long as you spray all the loose bits off the tube with compressed air.  Been doing this for years and had no problem.

Using contact cleaner with lubricant on tubes or sockets seems like a very very bad idea to me.  Especially power tubes and their ability to arc between socket connections.

The QR Contact Cleaner dries off very clean with no residue.  So that's a good option for cleaning sockets or tube pins.

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I have the old radio shack stuff with a brush. It leaves no residue, and smells kinda nice actually. It's really for cleaning computer contacts, but works fine for getting the gunk off tube pins.

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