Retensioning Sockets

From mike–(at)–rimenet.com Thu Sep 5 12:17:20 CDT 1996
From: Mike Rejsa
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: Re: Tube sockets
Date: 5 Sep 1996 08:24:02 -0700
X-Posted-By: mike–(at)–06.165.5.102 (miker)

: What are your favorite methods for cleaning and re-tensioning
: preamp and power tube sockets? Do-it-yourself tips preferred.

My favorite tool for retensioning octal sockets is one of those
bulletin board pins, the kind with the plastic ‘top hat’ on them.
Good size to push into the socket side, and the plastic makes it
harder to hurt yourself doing it!

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From Teleologis–(at)–orry.NoEmail Thu Sep 5 12:17:45 CDT 1996
From: Teleologist
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: Re: Tube sockets
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 1996 12:11:06 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Nick Schepis wrote:
>
> What are your favorite methods for cleaning and re-tensioning
> preamp and power tube sockets? Do-it-yourself tips preferred.
>
>

After zapping with contact cleaner(the Phillips ECG stuff that
disappears completely) I like to clean/polish the contacts by
twirling a ‘zapped’ wooden toothpick around in each hole. I also
clean the pins on replacement tubes, especially NOS, which show
signs of corrosion. Make sure everything is completely dry before
firing up the amp, otherwise you may experience socket arcing.

For retensioning I use a straight dental pick. I check for tension
using a straightened standard size paper clip for preamp sockets &
an appropriate sized mini-phillips screw driver for power tube
sockets.

Of course you MUST POSITIVELY, ABSOLUTELY, NOT B.S.ing YOU, drain
the caps & make sure they don’t build up a residual charge, else
you may end up on the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ instead of playing it!