Quote:
Originally Posted by RetroHacker
Anyone have any idea on tubes? A couple of these are going to have to be cleaned, they've got enough fuzz to be approaching a fire hazard. Now, I could just scrub them and forget about the numbers, but I'd like to keep them on. Maybe if I try soaking them in plain water? Also, another thing I have often wondered - If you _do_ rub the numbers off a tube, how can you mark it so that you know what it is? I've thought about just writing the numbers back on with a Sharpie pen, but what happens when it gets hot?
-Ian
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In many cases the tube numbers are put on with a different type of paint than the other information so that even if you wipe them clean the number will remain. Using a sharpie will be fine, though. The heat won't bother it. You could also use a paper label, though they don't age as well. Start with plain water on the tubes and if that just won't cut it you can move up to dishwashing detergent, then maybe windex. Most of the grime in old sets seems to be either tobacco residue or kitchen grease. The tobacco is probably the tougher of the two; I've used a strong industrial cleaner on some parts and it cuts the crud instantly. I've never bathed a full chassis, though. Guess I'm just not that picky.
Story: there was an older couple in the neighborhood that I didn't know. They grew sickly and moved into assisted living. I was then given all the electronics in the house, which was quite a bit as the man had been a cb/scanner hobbyist. The housekeeping, sadly, was dreadful. Everything was covered in a brownish/yellow film, and I mean everything. Their main TV (nice mid-80s GE console, the only thing I didn't get) was so covered that you couldn't really see the screen. Terrible smell, which I can still conjur up if I think about it. Ugh! Anyway, the film effectively shorted out all of the solid state electronics. They were all dead. The older tube stuff (a 19" hybrid color GE & an 21" bw Admiral portable) worked like new despite the grime.