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I used to hate working on old tube radios until I found a better way to clean the contacts

For years I'd just spray contact cleaner and hope for the best, which often meant the crackle came back in a few weeks. Then a guy at a swap meet in Dayton showed me how to use a fiberglass pen, like the Jonard 500, to gently scrub the tube pins and sockets before applying cleaner. It adds maybe five minutes to the job but the connection stays solid for good. Anyone else have a simple step that turned a frustrating repair into a sure thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

keithlane3mo ago

That fiberglass trick can work, but it's risky on some older sockets. Scrubbing can actually wear down the plating and make things worse over time. A good non-residue cleaner and working the tube in and out a bunch has always been more reliable for me.

ray3633mo agoProlific Poster

Wait, you can actually wear down the plating, @keithlane?

the_avery2mo ago

ray has a point. That fiberglass pen is a gamble on vintage gear with softer plating. A little isopropyl on a q-tip and some patient wiggling with the tube in the socket is way more reliable. I learned that the hard way after wrecking a nice 1930s socket once.