What is a good way to clean dirty (dust/grease-collecting) tubes without damaging the lettering/printing? I have tried water plus gentle wiping and that removes the lettering easily (at least for the tubes I am dealing with). Any tricks members would like to share? Thank you.
I use a paper towel and methylated spirits (rubbing alcohol) to clean the glass.
Don't rub the logo, just clean every other part of the tube, and it should be ok.
There is no way to clean a logo, they will come off...
Don't rub the logo, just clean every other part of the tube, and it should be ok.
There is no way to clean a logo, they will come off...
Hi,
In general tubes with acid type marking are of US origin and have good durable printing on the glass.
It really won't come off easily with common domestic solvents.
European NOS tube however are much more fragile when it comes to the printed logos.
I often just wash them in a sink with some luke warm water and a couple of drops of detergent than I carefully wipe them dry with a kitchen towel.
Cheers, 😉
In general tubes with acid type marking are of US origin and have good durable printing on the glass.
It really won't come off easily with common domestic solvents.
European NOS tube however are much more fragile when it comes to the printed logos.
I often just wash them in a sink with some luke warm water and a couple of drops of detergent than I carefully wipe them dry with a kitchen towel.
Cheers, 😉
Thank you everyone for sharing your experience.
Unfortunatelly this is the type of tube I have to deal with. Experimented with one by submerging it into water (forced, it floats), and let it dry in room air afterwards. It is visually much cleaner but a good portion of the marking went away, probably dissolved into the water. I was told that many of the older production European tubes come with either "powder-" or "oil-" lettering. Probably the ones I tried are "powder"-labelled.
fdegrove said:
Unfortunatelly this is the type of tube I have to deal with. Experimented with one by submerging it into water (forced, it floats), and let it dry in room air afterwards. It is visually much cleaner but a good portion of the marking went away, probably dissolved into the water. I was told that many of the older production European tubes come with either "powder-" or "oil-" lettering. Probably the ones I tried are "powder"-labelled.
Hi,
Hmmmm.....Was afraid of that.
Those prints are terribly fragile so all I can suggest is using a moist cotton swab (any cleaining solvent should do) to work around the area where the log is.
Doing a couple like that is fine, having to do a couple of boxes is another matter entirely................
Cheers, 😉
Hmmmm.....Was afraid of that.
Those prints are terribly fragile so all I can suggest is using a moist cotton swab (any cleaining solvent should do) to work around the area where the log is.
Doing a couple like that is fine, having to do a couple of boxes is another matter entirely................
Cheers, 😉
Many of the older american tubes were marked with paint that wipes off real easy. The type number is etched and stays forever but the logo that is painted on comes off real easy. I have not found an easy solution either.
For rare tubes, I will gently hand clean the tube with a Q-tip cotton swab. For stubborn dirt, I put a SMALL amount of WD40 on the Q-tip. This takes off the paint, so don't use it on painted surfaces. I use WD40 to clean the dirt and corrosion off of the pins.
I have about 100,000 tubes that were stored loose in uncovered boxes since WWII in a pidgeon infested warehouse. For useful tubes that don't have any "cult" value, I clean the entire surface with a towel soaked in WD40. This takes off everything, including any trace of manufaturers logo. Stubborn bird crap requires soaking overnight.
For rare tubes, I will gently hand clean the tube with a Q-tip cotton swab. For stubborn dirt, I put a SMALL amount of WD40 on the Q-tip. This takes off the paint, so don't use it on painted surfaces. I use WD40 to clean the dirt and corrosion off of the pins.
I have about 100,000 tubes that were stored loose in uncovered boxes since WWII in a pidgeon infested warehouse. For useful tubes that don't have any "cult" value, I clean the entire surface with a towel soaked in WD40. This takes off everything, including any trace of manufaturers logo. Stubborn bird crap requires soaking overnight.
I've seen a clear hi-temp silicon based lacquer used (paint spray can from auto store for engines) to 'set' the logo masked-out on a tube.
No sure I can give this a glowing reccomendation not having tried it. But a fine light spray should certainly keep the logo intact. Mightn't help you if the logo section is also dirty, but you could then wash the rest of the tube with impunity.
No sure I can give this a glowing reccomendation not having tried it. But a fine light spray should certainly keep the logo intact. Mightn't help you if the logo section is also dirty, but you could then wash the rest of the tube with impunity.
For tube pins I use Caigs' deOx-it or lighter fluid (naptha) and wooden cleaning sticks/Q-Tips.
Now for cleaning the glass with a painted on logo I just use a dry soft cloth and a little breath, but sometimes that's too rough!
Hey tubelab, ever try Liquid Wrench or Engine-Brite? Now if that don't take bird-doo off I don't now what will!
😀
Florida, that's that bird sanctuary state, it'in it?
Wayne 😎
Edit: Silicon spray works good on tube pins also, the kind that has acetone as a solvent.
Now for cleaning the glass with a painted on logo I just use a dry soft cloth and a little breath, but sometimes that's too rough!
Hey tubelab, ever try Liquid Wrench or Engine-Brite? Now if that don't take bird-doo off I don't now what will!
😀 Florida, that's that bird sanctuary state, it'in it?
Wayne 😎
Edit: Silicon spray works good on tube pins also, the kind that has acetone as a solvent.
Hi,
I think what you mean is tropicalising spray as used to protect the soldering side of PCBs against moisture attacks.
If I'm not mistaken it's usually polyurethane based.
Should work fine. Never thought of using it that way so thanks for the tip.😉
Cheers, 😎
I think what you mean is tropicalising spray as used to protect the soldering side of PCBs against moisture attacks.
If I'm not mistaken it's usually polyurethane based.
Should work fine. Never thought of using it that way so thanks for the tip.😉
Cheers, 😎
Well the one I was thinking of was definately from an auto store; it's for those hot-rodder's who like to spray paint their actual engine block (usually red! 😛). But there's a clear lacquer available too. Given the temperature of car engines, it's a 'paint' that's not going to go up in smoke in your amp at least!fdegrove said:
But if there's another slightly different variety, then that's good to know too.
There are bird sanctuaries here, but I don't think anyone would call a pidgeon a protected bird. At any rate most of those tubes came from a warehouse in Georgia.
I got a large box of old components (tubes, transformers etc) while traveling in WV. They had a good coating of coal dust and red dirt on them. They were in a basement near the Ohio river. At least it comes off easily.
I know this an old thread with still questions today...
Has anybody tried using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean extremely dirty tubes without removing the lettering?
Has anybody tried using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean extremely dirty tubes without removing the lettering?
I'd worry that would damage the tube internally and electrically, if not crack the glass.
Microfiber cloths (dry) work well for me.
Microfiber cloths (dry) work well for me.
Agreed. Ultrasonic cleaning methods work using cavitation as the primary mechanism. Periodic testing of commercial machines is done by placing a small sheet of aluminum foil in the tank and measuring its deformation over a certain period of time. The sheets are frequently completely perforated during these tests, suggesting that cleaning tubes with this method may be dicey at best.
That said, I could be completely off the mark here as there are a lot of variables to consider (e.g. frequency, tank size, tube shape, etc.). If your curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to try it anyway, I'd suggest experimenting with a dud tube first to see what happens. Who knows, you could be on to something here.
That said, I could be completely off the mark here as there are a lot of variables to consider (e.g. frequency, tank size, tube shape, etc.). If your curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to try it anyway, I'd suggest experimenting with a dud tube first to see what happens. Who knows, you could be on to something here.
Don't use ultrasonic cleaners unless you want to sink the floating tubes.
Avoid cleaning the written area, just use a lighly water-moisted soft tissue on the rest of the tube, and dry the connection pins to avoid the formation of a layer of metal oxyde.
If it's just dust, it is water soluble and water is enough. If it's grease, you must use methyl alcohol because oil is not soluble in water.
Avoid cleaning the written area, just use a lighly water-moisted soft tissue on the rest of the tube, and dry the connection pins to avoid the formation of a layer of metal oxyde.
If it's just dust, it is water soluble and water is enough. If it's grease, you must use methyl alcohol because oil is not soluble in water.
We can join the two: drink ethylated spirits (the good ones, not the methylated rubbing alcohol!) and then breath on the tubes. 😀
Clean the glass with household means and mildly rinse the print with dry-cleaning naphta. It comes out like new.
