Cleaning Tube Sockets

[bob91343]

Cleaning is done by squirting some solvent into the socket pins and then wiggling the tube in the socket. If it's really bad you can spray the tube also.

Bending pins is a last resort. The problem is that the socket parts already are touching so any bending will make the situation worse, not better. Sometimes you can crush the socket pin slightly and distort it enough to increase the tension.

On my Ampex tape recorder I was getting crackles so I wiggled the tubes (octal in this case) and the problem has never returned. I can't remember whether I also used solvent.

The best solvents are considered hazardous and so are no longer generally available. Fortunately I have plenty on hand of my favorite, the 1,1,1 chloroethane. Or something like that.