Box of fun. Go at it, guys!

[Cygnus X1]

This is not an ad.

Here's what I have.
I am learning to build guitar amps, I have done a restore on a Magna Varsity,
a recap on a Deluxe Reverb, and a complete build on a Tweed Deluxe. Starting an AX84 SEL next.

Look at the list, and go at it...
What kind of stuff can we make with these?

MFGR TYPE
UNKNOWN 12AF4
RCA 12AV7/LH15
RCA 12AX4GTA
ADMIRAL 12BN6
UNKNOWN 12BY7
GE 12BY7A
RCA 12CU6
NATIONAL 12SK7GT
SYLVANIA 12W6GT
GE 1G3GT
TUNG-SOL 1X2B
TUNG-SOL 25BK5
RCA 25CU6
TUNG-SOL 25L6GT
TUNG-SOL 25Z6GTB
GE 2AF413
GE 3AU6
GE 3BZ6
GE 3DG4
RCA 4CB6
GE 50C5
EICO 57-09/274
NATIONAL UNION 5OL6GT
TUNG-SOL 5X8
UNION TUBE 68N8/220
RCA 6AG5
SYLVANIA 6AG7
TUNG-SOL 6AH4GT
SYLVANIA 6AM8/E5E
SYLVANIA 6AQ5
PHILCO 6AS7G
GE 6AU8
ADMIRAL 6AX3
TUNG-SOL 6AX4GT
GE 6AX4GTB
USA 6AY3
GE 6BQ6GTB
TUNG-SOL 6BQ6GTB\6CU6
SYLVANIA 6BQ7A
SYLVANIA 6BY5GA
RCA 6BZ6
RCA 6BZ6
TUNG-SOL 6CB6A
GE 6CD6GA
TUNG-SOL 6CF6
GE 6CG7
TUNG-SOL 6CG7
PHILCO 6CG8A
GE 6CU5
UNKNOWN 6CY7
GE 6DN7
RCA 6DR7
GE 6F6GT
ZENITH 6GH8
USA 6GM6
RCA 6K6GT
KEN-RAD 6SA7
KEN-RAD 6SK7
GE 6SL7GT
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTA
TUNG-SOL 6SN7GTA
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTB
JAPAN 6SN7GTB
RCA 6SN7GTB
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTB
TUNG-SOL 6SN7GTB
TUNG-SOL 6SQ7
SILVERTONE 6U8A
SYLVANIA 6V6GT/E1M
HYTRON 6W4GT
GE GL-5662

[CaseyJones]

This is not an ad.

Here's what I have.
I am learning to build guitar amps, I have done a restore on a Magna Varsity,
a recap on a Deluxe Reverb, and a complete build on a Tweed Deluxe. Starting an AX84 SEL next.

Look at the list, and go at it...
What kind of stuff can we make with these?

RCA 12AV7/LH15
(truncated)
SYLVANIA 6AQ5
(truncated)
GE 6CG7
TUNG-SOL 6CG7
(truncated)
GE 6F6GT
(truncated)
RCA 6K6GT
(truncated)
KEN-RAD 6SK7
GE 6SL7GT
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTA
TUNG-SOL 6SN7GTA
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTB
JAPAN 6SN7GTB
RCA 6SN7GTB
SYLVANIA 6SN7GTB
TUNG-SOL 6SN7GTB
TUNG-SOL 6SQ7
(truncated)
SYLVANIA 6V6GT/E1M

Test them first. The easy way to do that is to climb up on the porch roof and drop 'em one at a time on the sidewalk. Anything that makes a satisfying "pop" on impact may have been a good tube.

Seriously a lot of 'em are tubes I'd swap for something I really wanted. You're short on rectifiers, no big deal 'cuz 1N4007s are pennies each. I've already sounded off on 6SN7s. You're short on preamp tubes at least types with respectable gain. That 12AV7 is one of the few useful miniature dual triodes in your stash. It's a 12AT7 sub.

You have a few useful beam power tubes for audio output. They include that 6AQ5 and the 6V6, the 6K6 is a power pentode. I'd team up the 6V6 with that 6SL7 for a preamp tube, wire it up like a tweed Champ. It might be worth tracking down a 5Y3 rectifier to be semi-authentic. The 6AQ5 is a usable sub for the 6V6, obviously a different base and a different pinout but it's still an audio output. Keep the plate voltage low for the 6AQ5, say 300 max although it's a cool sounding tube with 200-250 volts on the plate.

That 6K6 is standard fare in vintage Fender standalone reverb units. Some vendors include them with their Champ kits in lieu of the 6V6.

The 6F6 is another power pentode, some people say it gives a more British feel as a sub for a 6V6.

You may be able to use that 6SK7 or the 6SQ7 as a preamp tube in some sort of really archaic (read early '50s) circuit.

The 6CG7s area poor man's sub for 6SN7s, too bad you have 6SN7s already! Seriously the 6CG7s do the same job for less cash. Convert the 6SN7s into capital 'cuz they're worth something, smoke 'em if ya got 'em on the 6CG7s.

Those are my quick picks. I talked to a guy the other day, he said "I have a bunch of tubes, they're about this big each (motioning with hands). What are they worth?" I explained to him that there are thousands of different tube types most of them useless to most people except for around a dozen popular types. If you have any of those dozen popular types, more like the Top Five really popular types you're in business.

[Abstract]

Speaking of boxes of fun...

anyone know of any good use for a bunch of mercury switches?

[skyboltone]

Speaking of boxes of fun...

anyone know of any good use for a bunch of mercury switches?

Take the mercury out and feed it to hyper active kids. It cures hyperactivity.

[dartanion]

Hg, it's what's for dinner

[Cygnus X1]

I left out the dozens of 12Ax's. AT's, AU's, the 5U4GB's, 5Y3, some 6550's, EL34's, 6V6's, etc...as they are already in my "guitar amp tubes" box.
These other ones I listed are in my "oddballs" boxes,

[CaseyJones]

I left out the dozens of 12Ax's. AT's, AU's, the 5U4GB's, 5Y3, some 6550's, EL34's, 6V6's, etc...as they are already in my "guitar amp tubes" box.
These other ones I listed are in my "oddballs" boxes,

Oh, good. So you have plenty of cool junk to build stuff with.

You missed one 6V6 'cuz it made it into yer oddball box.

Appparently I'm a good influence, my first thought on the mercury switches wuz, "Give 'em to the kiddies to play with." Y'all beat me to it!

Mercury is kind and gentle stuff compared to what I used to mess with when I wuz a kid. Who knew? I'm gonna morph into a big walkin' tumor one o' these days!

[Structo]

Heheheh, when I was a kid we used to take those mercury switches, the kind from thermostats, and put them in a small project box.
Then using a step up transformer and a 9v battery, connected to aluminum foil on the outside of the box. + and - on each side.
We'd set it on a table and people's natural curiosity would make them pick it up getting shocked.
What was funnier was the reflex action because they would drop it and instantly pick it up again.
Sometimes three or four times in a row.
Since it was such low current it was relatively harmless.
But one time a pregnant lady picked it up when we weren't looking and need less to say we didn't do that trick anymore.
She didn't get hurt but we thought better of our little prank after that.

[CaseyJones]

Heheheh, when I was a kid we used to take those mercury switches, the kind from thermostats, and put them in a small project box.
Then using a step up transformer and a 9v battery, connected to aluminum foil on the outside of the box. + and - on each side.
We'd set it on a table and people's natural curiosity would make them pick it up getting shocked.
What was funnier was the reflex action because they would drop it and instantly pick it up again.
Sometimes three or four times in a row.
Since it was such low current it was relatively harmless.
But one time a pregnant lady picked it up when we weren't looking and need less to say we didn't do that trick anymore.
She didn't get hurt but we thought better of our little prank after that.

Here's another "kids, don't try this at home":

Solder pennies to the leads of a 100 micorfarad @ 500V cap. This works good with LCRs or Spragues with the plastic coated body. Bend the leads back over the cap body and tape 'em down, you want the pennies to be close together but not touching. Disconnect the bleeder resistor from yer amp, clip the cap into yer power supply with jumper leads. Disconnect the cap then carefully hand it to the next pest you catch wastin' yer time or lookin' over yer shoulder while you're tryin' to work.

Disclaimer: KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!! Out of circuit the cap discharges quickly providing a powerful but relatively harmless shock. The cap discharges across the palm of yer hand makin' a joke buzzer, the voltage path is from penny to penny. In circuit it's no joke, read up on discharging filter caps.

[morcey2]

The 6U8 and 6GH8 tubes are useful preamp tubes IF they're not microphonic. I've got 2 amps that use them. They're pentode/triode tubes that can give a pretty good EF86-ish sound if that's what you're into, using the pentode as a gain stage and the triode as either another gain stage or a CF to drive a tone stack.

Matt

[drhulsey]

... when I was a kid we used to take those mercury switches, the kind from thermostats, and put them in a small project box...

You guys were more sophisticated than the kids in my neighborhood. We just thought it was fun to play with mercury on a flat, slick surface

[lastwinj]

you can have all kinds of fun with those tubes. get the data, and figure out how to use em.

germ

[Cygnus X1]

you can have all kinds of fun with those tubes. get the data, and figure out how to use em.

germ

I'm just a noob kit builder, I have just enough knowledge to figure out a few simple things, but EE type designing is way out of my "scope".

That's why I threw the list out there to the crowd, the experts, to have some fun with.

[Tubetwang]

... when I was a kid we used to take those mercury switches, the kind from thermostats, and put them in a small project box...

You guys were more sophisticated than the kids in my neighborhood. We just thought it was fun to play with mercury on a flat, slick surface

Beats rolling it on your tonge...