Straightening tube/valve pins

[N_Cook]

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[GregS]

In article <gkg9k6$1fj$1@news.motzarella.org>, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

Seems like too much work to make one. Heres some ideas...

http://tinyurl.com/72bx7d

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, N_Cook wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

These things exist. e.g.:
http://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?categoryid=1418&mode=view
Just up from the very bottom of the page.

GFGI for [ "7-pin" "9-pin" straightener ]

No comment on this: http://www.stevenjohnson.com/tubepinst.htm

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
38.24N 104.55W | @ config.com | Jonesy | OS/2
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

 

[Bryce]

N_Cook wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and
deforming the sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with
precisely engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal
cylinder with 9 peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and
something to run around on the outer sides of the pins ?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Here in the Colonies, every drugstore had a free tube tester which
had pin-straighteners: steel disks with 7 or 9 holes flared at the
top to accept pins and nudge them back into position. That was
about 40 years ago. As I recall, straighteners were also available
as buy-your-own tools.

 

[Sudy Nim]

"Bryce" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:gkgaef$cqg$1@nntp.motzarella.org...

N_Cook wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and
deforming the sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with
precisely engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal
cylinder with 9 peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and
something to run around on the outer sides of the pins ?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Here in the Colonies, every drugstore had a free tube tester which
had pin-straighteners: steel disks with 7 or 9 holes flared at the
top to accept pins and nudge them back into position. That was
about 40 years ago. As I recall, straighteners were also available
as buy-your-own tools.

Many times I found a pair of long nosed pliers adequate.

 

[N_Cook]

Allodoxaphobia <bit-bucket@config.com> wrote in message
news:slrngmnb4i.2m67.bit-bucket@shell.config.com...

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, N_Cook wrote:
In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with
9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

These things exist. e.g.:
http://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?categoryid=1418&mode=view
Just up from the very bottom of the page.

GFGI for [ "7-pin" "9-pin" straightener ]

No comment on this: http://www.stevenjohnson.com/tubepinst.htm

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
38.24N 104.55W | @ config.com | Jonesy | OS/2
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

From that collection, my idea for non-engineered tool.
I will try a ring of 9 Souriau connector pins (just the right bore ) on the
pins of a brand new valve, setting the pins in heat settable fire-cement.
Then use preceeded by individual pin straightening with parallel jaw pliers.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[Bill M]

N_Cook wrote:

From that collection, my idea for non-engineered tool.
I will try a ring of 9 Souriau connector pins (just the right bore ) on the
pins of a brand new valve, setting the pins in heat settable fire-cement.
Then use preceeded by individual pin straightening with parallel jaw pliers.

I hate to see you go through all that rot...unless you're just wanting
to be creative I have a 7 and 9 pin straightener socket screwed to
my bench shelf that I'll send you free for the cost of postage. They
don't get much use in my shack. Let me know.

-Bill
radioexray@gmail.com

 

[Jim Yanik]

Allodoxaphobia <bit-bucket@config.com> wrote in
news:slrngmnb4i.2m67.bit-bucket@shell.config.com:

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, N_Cook wrote:
In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and
deforming the sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block
with precisely engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a
metal cylinder with 9 peripheral axial channels to go inside the
pinning and something to run around on the outer sides of the pins ?

These things exist. e.g.:
http://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?categoryid=1418&mode=view
Just up from the very bottom of the page.

GFGI for [ "7-pin" "9-pin" straightener ]

No comment on this: http://www.stevenjohnson.com/tubepinst.htm

Jonesy

old tube testers used to have metal pin strighteners.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

 

[Arfa Daily]

"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gkg9k6$1fj$1@news.motzarella.org...

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Years ago when I was a TV engineer with a rental company, I had a pin
straightner / valve remover in my toolkit. At one end, it had a 'pseudo' B9A
valveholder one side, made from some kind of hard plastic - maybe bakelite
even, with slightly 'coned' entries to the pin holes, and a B7G holder back
to back with it. These were used to straighten pins. This part of the tool
was then attached to a soft(ish) plastic tube, slightly conical in shape.
When you had to change a valve in an awkward place, such as at the front of
an old turret tuner, especially when it was mounted upside down, you just
pushed the tool over the valve and then pulled. The softness of the plastic
gripped the glass of the valve, probably assisted by vacuum, and out it
came. The replacement valve could be fitted by first inserting it into the
plastic tube, and then using it as an extension to your fingers to manoeuvre
it into the valve holder. Once in place, the tool could be gently rocked and
removed, leaving the valve in place. I have a vague suspicion that this tool
was actually supplied by Mullard, but I could be wrong there. I have a clear
memory of it being a baby blue colour. Happy days ...

Arfa

 

[Jeffrey D Angus]

Arfa Daily wrote:

I have a vague suspicion that this tool was actually supplied
by Mullard, but I could be wrong there. I have a clear memory
of it being a baby blue colour. Happy days ...

*Rummages around in the "box-o-stuff" Ahhh, here we go.

Belling & Lee Ltd.
L1424
Made in England

Yuppers, baby blue, soft rubber with hard black 7 and
9 pin tube base inserts.

Jeff

 

[mm]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:12:16 GMT, "Sudy Nim" <pseudonym@noplace.com>
wrote:

"Bryce" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:gkgaef$cqg$1@nntp.motzarella.org...
N_Cook wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and
deforming the sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with
precisely engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal
cylinder with 9 peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and
something to run around on the outer sides of the pins ?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Here in the Colonies, every drugstore had a free tube tester which
had pin-straighteners: steel disks with 7 or 9 holes flared at the
top to accept pins and nudge them back into position. That was
about 40 years ago. As I recall, straighteners were also available
as buy-your-own tools.

Many times I found a pair of long nosed pliers adequate.

Me too.

I don't think i had much luck with those "straigteners" into which one
plugged the whole tube.

I had cases where the pins were so bent they couldn't get into the
all-pin thing, and I used needle nose, and they worked so well, I was
done.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk>
wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

They're being sold as antiques on eBay. Search for "pin
straightener". For example:
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310087716127>
You'll also find them mixed into tube/valve collections at hamfests
and flea markets. I have one somewhere.

Incidentally, in the bad old days of 16K and 64Kbit dynamic RAM, in
dual inline 14/16/18 pin packages, I had the same pin straightening
problem. I had a local machine shop fabricate a suitable IC pin
straightener.
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/drivel/pin-staightener.jpg>
I was planning on making my fortune selling these, but the
SIM/DIMM/SIP packages appeared, making DIP memory instantly obsolete.
Oh well.



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[N_Cook]

Bill M <radioexray@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:gkghn50v5c@news4.newsguy.com...

N_Cook wrote:


From that collection, my idea for non-engineered tool.
I will try a ring of 9 Souriau connector pins (just the right bore ) on
the
pins of a brand new valve, setting the pins in heat settable
fire-cement.
Then use preceeded by individual pin straightening with parallel jaw
pliers.

I hate to see you go through all that rot...unless you're just wanting
to be creative I have a 7 and 9 pin straightener socket screwed to
my bench shelf that I'll send you free for the cost of postage. They
don't get much use in my shack. Let me know.

-Bill
radioexray@gmail.com

You already own one and I don't, and I wish to get the pins straightened
today and the repair back out the door, as I need the space.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[Arfa Daily]

"Jeffrey D Angus" <jangus@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:gkh15i030kj@news7.newsguy.com...

Arfa Daily wrote:
I have a vague suspicion that this tool was actually supplied
by Mullard, but I could be wrong there. I have a clear memory
of it being a baby blue colour. Happy days ...

*Rummages around in the "box-o-stuff" Ahhh, here we go.

Belling & Lee Ltd.
L1424
Made in England

Yuppers, baby blue, soft rubber with hard black 7 and
9 pin tube base inserts.

Jeff

Ah well - after more than 35 years, I don't reckon that was too bad a bit of
memory on my part !! Not Mullard but Belling Lee. I knew it was someone
famous in the trade ! Might still have been actually distributed by Mullard
though ...

Arfa

 

[Arfa Daily]

"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:nr4om41b1q4k519321o286598rqsu1comd@4ax.com...

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk
wrote:

In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder with 9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

They're being sold as antiques on eBay. Search for "pin
straightener". For example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310087716127
You'll also find them mixed into tube/valve collections at hamfests
and flea markets. I have one somewhere.

Incidentally, in the bad old days of 16K and 64Kbit dynamic RAM, in
dual inline 14/16/18 pin packages, I had the same pin straightening
problem. I had a local machine shop fabricate a suitable IC pin
straightener.
http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/drivel/pin-staightener.jpg
I was planning on making my fortune selling these, but the
SIM/DIMM/SIP packages appeared, making DIP memory instantly obsolete.
Oh well.



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com

I still have a DIP IC pin straightner in my toolbox. It has a central
mandrel which is spaced for standard DIPs - your common 14 or 16 pin logic
ICs for instance - on one side, and for wide DIPs like EPROMs, on the other.
Either side, is a spring loaded arm, with a shoulder made to butt against
the mandrel when the tool is squeezed closed in your hand. Made from hard
blue plastic, it is a bit like one of those squeezy hand muscle exercisers
or stress relievers. You simple drop your IC with snaggled pins, over the
appropriate mandrel, and squeeze. When you let go, your pins are back in
line. Obviously, it only corrects pitch on the wide axis, but if the pins
are out of line with respect to each other, you can quickly correct that
with needle nosed pliers. A most useful tool, which has seen much service
over the 25 years that I have owned it.

Arfa

 

[N_Cook]

N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gkgfrn$a8m$1@news.motzarella.org...

Allodoxaphobia <bit-bucket@config.com> wrote in message
news:slrngmnb4i.2m67.bit-bucket@shell.config.com...
On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:11 -0000, N_Cook wrote:
In this case someone has been moving all 12AX7 type tubes around and
forcing
them in or something. Anyway pins are bent and drunken and deforming
the
sockets. Any tips for straightening ? A brass block with precisely
engineered holes to push back all into alignment ? a metal cylinder
with
9
peripheral axial channels to go inside the pinning and something to
run
around on the outer sides of the pins ?

These things exist. e.g.:
http://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?categoryid=1418&mode=view
Just up from the very bottom of the page.

GFGI for [ "7-pin" "9-pin" straightener ]

No comment on this: http://www.stevenjohnson.com/tubepinst.htm

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
38.24N 104.55W | @ config.com | Jonesy | OS/2
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

From that collection, my idea for non-engineered tool.
I will try a ring of 9 Souriau connector pins (just the right bore ) on
the
pins of a brand new valve, setting the pins in heat settable fire-cement.
Then use preceeded by individual pin straightening with parallel jaw
pliers.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

A 20 minute job making a straightener and pins are now sober. It would have
taken that to track down a UK supplier and order one and then 3 days at
least.
Also my method could be used for non-standard pinnings


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[N_Cook]

I just tried googling
valve pin "straightening tool" site:co.uk
nothing found

 

[William Sommerwerck]

They're available in the US. Here's a current eBay auction for one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pin-Straightener-For-9-7-Pin-Tubes-NEW-OLD-STOCK_W0QQitemZ230278758366QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Samuel M. Goldwasser]

"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes:

Bill M <radioexray@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:gkghn50v5c@news4.newsguy.com...
N_Cook wrote:


From that collection, my idea for non-engineered tool.
I will try a ring of 9 Souriau connector pins (just the right bore ) on
the
pins of a brand new valve, setting the pins in heat settable
fire-cement.
Then use preceeded by individual pin straightening with parallel jaw
pliers.

I hate to see you go through all that rot...unless you're just wanting
to be creative I have a 7 and 9 pin straightener socket screwed to
my bench shelf that I'll send you free for the cost of postage. They
don't get much use in my shack. Let me know.

-Bill
radioexray@gmail.com

You already own one and I don't, and I wish to get the pins straightened
today and the repair back out the door, as I need the space.

Geez, how many techs or engineers does it take to straighten a few pins???

I'd just go with a fine tipped needlenose and be done with it in 5 minutes.
Or if you want to get fancy, a thin rod with an appropriately sized hole
drill in it!

--
sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[PeterD]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:21:35 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk>
wrote:

setting the pins in heat settable fire-cement.

That 'fire-cement' doesn't ring a bell here in the US, have a brand
name I could look up? Sounds like an interesting product.