Cleaning NOS tube sockets.

[RockinRocket]

How can I clean up some NOS tube sockets? The pins and shield bass are a bit nasty. Thanks

[Stevem]

For preamp tube sockets. ( 9 pin ) I use a clipped off section of a round wound string wet with WD-40.

[Phil_S]

I'm not sure what you mean by "nasty." The best crud cutter I've used is ammonia. It cuts through all sorts of stuff. It's cheap, too. A gallon in the supermarket is about $1.

Wear gloves. Work in a very well ventilated place. Dip a rag in it and see if that will wipe off the problem. The ammonia should evaporate quickly and as far as I know, it doesn't leave residue. After cleaning the pins, I'd spray with Deoxit or similar product.

[Leo_Gnardo]

For octal sockets I apply D-5 Deoxit with a pipe cleaner, the kind for tobacco pipes, that has bristles in it. Let it sit a couple minutes then return with the pipe cleaner & rotate it inside the tube socket, usually shows some black oxide/sulfide stuck to the pipe cleaner. For smaller sockets, mini brushes intended for cleaning between teeth do the trick much the same. Good to follow with a shot of non-residue spray, or apply some hi purity alcohol with a fresh pipecleaner or minibrush.

This won't remove heavy corrosion. If that's what you have, should really find better sockets.

[Structo]

Yeah I like the DeOxit 5 as well for cleaning.

I had a small device that had really old batteries in it.

They had leaked and there was this greenish crud all over the battery compartment.

I sprayed some D-5 on it and let it sit for a couple minutes.

Completely removed the residue back to original condition.

[RockinRocket]

Ill try the deoxit 5 first. Thanks fellas

[JMFahey]

If you are trying to give an old amp some extra life, then clean them.

If considering a new build, forget it, buy new ones instead.

There's no sonic signature or improvement in using old surface corroded parts and yes future problems.

Not too different from using NOS electrolytics,and for the same reason, problem is chemical + age.

FWIW oiling parts which will then be used quite hot is relatively short lived (unless it's a car engine in which case it has an oil pump and tons of oil , plus such oil gets replaced regularly).