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Cleaning old tube sockets with common household products

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Xpersephone2

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Joined 2010
#1
I am experimenting with some QE08-200h transmitter tubes which use a so-called Giant 5 Pin base. These are in excellent condition except for corroded contacts.

Now, I live somewhere which means without a lot of effort, and maybe not even then, I cannot go out and buy Deoxit D5 or whatever. If I try to import it with a air freight courier it may get snaffled up as corrosive, apart from costing the earth!

So I was thinking to boil the sockets with deionised water / white vinegar, then washing off with deionised water.

I'd be grateful for any wisdom from you all!
 
#5
Hi Guys, the sockets are internally too complex for me to see how I could get too far with abrasives, hence favouring a chemical approach. Lemon juice and vinegar are almost the same in acidity terms ; which better dissolves gunk will IMHO depend on subtle effects - I will try one then the other if I have no joy maybe boil it then?
 
#7
Xpersephone2 said:
I am experimenting with some QE08-200h transmitter tubes which use a so-called Giant 5 Pin base. These are in excellent condition except for corroded contacts.

Now, I live somewhere which means without a lot of effort, and maybe not even then, I cannot go out and buy Deoxit D5 or whatever. If I try to import it with a air freight courier it may get snaffled up as corrosive, apart from costing the earth!

So I was thinking to boil the sockets with deionised water / white vinegar, then washing off with deionised water.

I'd be grateful for any wisdom from you all!
Click to expand...
There is any socket image??
If it is ceramic I dont recommend boil, as it may alter the ceramic coesion, mainly in the pins area.

If the socket use this claw cramp system pictured below take caution, its a big crap:
399_1.jpg

Or this:
Socket_Pior.jpg
 
Last edited:
#9
Currently away from home; will post images shortly. The Giant 5 Pin socket is well named and there is a giant clamp thingy involved.

I am originally a chemist by training so something I can say with a fair amount of authority is that as one of the posters has pointed out, ceramics + strong alkalis (drain cleaner etc) is a bad idea, in fact even mild detergents (which are alkaline) can etch ceramic.

Thinking about it the best strategy will be solvents to degrease, then mild acid to remove corrosion, then deionised water to remove that.

The biggest problem I have (and the reason I posted) is that most household products now don't list their ingredients or I'd be at this like a rat up a drainpipe. Also I live somewhere I really am restricted what I can buy.

What I really need is an ultrasonic bath! That's the lab method.
 
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