??? how to MARK tubes when testing?
Michael
I find it impossible to keep my tubes organized. I plan on going
through and testing a lot of tubes soon, and I was wonding if it is ok
to put a number on each tube with a sharpie or dry erase or some other
kind of marker, so that I can NOT worry about where the tube goes to.
IFFFFF this is ok, what should I use to wipe the tube clean when I
have used the tube and the measurement changes. Or I guess I should
ask...is it even ok to run the tube with any kind of marking on it?
Is this as bad as fingerprints?
Thanks for any and all ideas as far as testing and marking tubes.
Also...
anyone know of a supplier of tube boxes?
Thanks very much.
Michael
greg z
Greg Z
to thine own sound be true
Jeff Thompson
"Michael" <mh...@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:d502b4a4.02082...@posting.google.com...
( tube printing also wipes off - be careful ) I haven't had any problems
running tubes with markings on them. Most tubes have numbers, logos,
etc. printed on them anyway. www.tubesandmore.com sells
boxes. Look under supplies.
Jeff T
Fred Nachbaur
Michael wrote:
> Hi everyone.
>
> I find it impossible to keep my tubes organized. I plan on going
> through and testing a lot of tubes soon, and I was wonding if it is ok
> to put a number on each tube with a sharpie or dry erase or some other
> kind of marker, so that I can NOT worry about where the tube goes to.
> IFFFFF this is ok, what should I use to wipe the tube clean when I
> have used the tube and the measurement changes. Or I guess I should
> ask...is it even ok to run the tube with any kind of marking on it?
> Is this as bad as fingerprints?
>
> Thanks for any and all ideas as far as testing and marking tubes.
> Also...
> Michael
I use little sticky-labels from the local stationery shop. Make sure
they're the removable kind, to make it easy to remove even years down
the road. I also try to stick them away from any lettering on the
tube... just in case. (Telefunkens are especially notorious for having
the paint come off if you even look at them sideways).
I inherited some tubes from a fellow that marked them with masking tape.
Bad idea. The tape dries out, leaving a hard-to-remove deposit.
Isopropanol and a little elbow grease is require to remove,
unfortunately it usually takes some or all of the painted lettering off
also.
Cheers,
Fred
--
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Gregg
your box. I used a permanent marker. When I gave the lot to the local
HAM club, they appreciated the % markings, since it was easier for
them to sort.
As for tube boxes, Antuque Electronics Supply has a bunch of NOS plain
boxes. www.tubesandmore.com
Another good place is TV shops - most older ones run by old men are
hoarders - they throw nothing out. I remember getting about 500 boxes
for free one time I stopped in and asked :-)
--
Gregg
*It's probably useful - even if it can't be SPICE'd*
Lord Valve
Michael wrote:
Go to an art supply joint and get an extra-fine tip
paint pen. Use a high-visibility color like red
or green. Do your marking on the glass where
the getter is located, since that part of the tube
will be cooler. Paint pens use lots of pigment,
and they make highly opaque markings. If you
want to remove what you've written, use some
xylol or MEK on a Q-tip. Paint won't wear off
with handling. As far as fingerprints go, that's
an old wives' tale - it comes from the pro stage
lighting industry, where quartz-halogen lighting
elements like the DYS and similar run at such
extreme temperatures that a fingerprint will
cause them to shatter. No receiving tube runs
anywhere near that hot. In fact, you can dip 'em
in squirrel-shit and they'll still work just fine. ;-)
Lord Valve
Asshole
Richard S. McCown
your box. I used a permanent marker.
You can try going over a felt pen mark with a dry-erase pen and see if
the solvent in the dry-erase will loosen it up. You can try regular too,
to see if it get's worser or gooder.
RHersh
'2k6/2k5' on a 6SN7. I store them vertically in plastic bins, organized by
type. Similar tubes or sets rubber banded together. I don't bother with
boxes except for new tubes or those with delicate printing. Boxes take up too
much space for me. When you get enough tubes you develop a system or spend too
much time sorting and retesting to find the ones that you need.
Mark Pearson
base of output tubes. As for small signal tubes, I have never written on
them yet, I just write the test results on the box.
And Lord Valve, MEK? I haven't seen that since I was discharged from the
Air Force back in '76. We use to use it everyday in the aircraft sheet
metal shop to wipe off aluminum before we shot it with primer. I thought it
has since been banned as a carcinogen.
Mark
"RHersh" <rhe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020828120013...@mb-cd.aol.com...
Lord Valve
Mark Pearson wrote:
> Lately I have been using ink jet labels that I cut smaller and place on the
> base of output tubes. As for small signal tubes, I have never written on
> them yet, I just write the test results on the box.
>
> And Lord Valve, MEK? I haven't seen that since I was discharged from the
> Air Force back in '76. We use to use it everyday in the aircraft sheet
> metal shop to wipe off aluminum before we shot it with primer. I thought it
> has since been banned as a carcinogen.
> Mark
Nah, you can get it at most hardware stores. At least,
you can in Colorado. Speaker reconing shops use
barrels of it for dissolving speaker glue and cleaning
baskets. I have a quart can of it; it's lasted me more
than five years so far. Any solvent will probably work
on paint-pen markings if you're patient enough; the
fast-evaporators are usually the most agressive and
work the quickest, though.
Lord Valve
Asshole
Jiri Placek
> Hi everyone.
>
> ....I was wonding if it is ok
> to put a number on each tube with a sharpie or dry erase or some other
> kind of marker, so that I can NOT worry about where the tube goes to.
The best solution I found and have been using are either silver or
gold extra fine tip markers made by PILOT. The silver marker Pilot
catalog number is ITEM# BSC-S-EF and the UPC is 72838 41600. They are
sold at Staples. They write perfectly on both bakelite and glass,
clean or greasy with fingerprints, do not smear, and are clearly
visible. The markings are insoluble in water and in polar solvents
(rubbing alcohol etc.) but are instantly removed by non-polar
solvents. I use a bug and tar remover but WD-40 works as well.
Jiri Placek
Boyertown, PA
Michael
Michael
radio...@fast.net (Jiri Placek) wrote in message news:<20d99877.02082...@posting.google.com>...