[Porksoda]

Hey guys and gals,

So I'm working my way up to tube amp design! As I usually do when I start getting new ideas about a project, I asked around the engineering dept. where I study for raw materials. Turns out my dept. has hundreds, perhaps thousands of military grade tubes (some even brand new!) sitting in the basement getting ready to be thrown out, in addition to some old (again, military) tube testers! I'd like to sift through these tomorrow and make myself a stockpile of good quality tubes for audio with which to experiment.

I haven't read up on tubes too much yet due to being busy, but I was wondering what I should be looking for. Are there specific brands, part numbers, or types of tubes I should look for that would be particularly well-suited to audio?

Thanks!!

 

[jerb]

if you dont know anything about them then perhaps this could be of some use:

Link

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porksoda Turns out my dept. has hundreds, perhaps thousands of military grade tubes (some even brand new!) sitting in the basement getting ready to be thrown out, in addition to some old (again, military) tube testers! I'd like to sift through these tomorrow and make myself a stockpile of good quality tubes for audio with which to experiment.

You seldom get so lucky, but you might have come across an Ebay goldmine. I'd do some quick studying, then take anything I could that wasn't obviously garbage so I could go through it when I had more time and understanding. Then keep what you want, sell what you can, give away what doesn't sell, trash what no one wants/needs.

-coma

 

[sbelyo]

I'll buy a tester from you....

 

[aerius]

Take them ALL, then slowly sort through them at home after doing your research. Keep the ones you want, then sell the rest to others.

 

[Porksoda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerb if you dont know anything about them then perhaps this could be of some use: Link

thanks for the linkage, it proved very helpful!

I don't know if I'm technically allowed to sell the tubes off after taking them from the department, but perhaps if they are the RIGHT tubes, I might convince the techs to look the other way when some of them disappear

 

[Haoleb]

yeah get everything, especially those testers.

 

[Porksoda]

Okay so I got about 15 tubes that look like they have potential for audio, and I got a tester. My question is this: How do I orient the tube in the socket? The sockets don't seem to have any marking as to which direction you plug the tube in...

EDIT: Never mind, I figured it out. In case you're curious, it's a Hickok 752 tester, and it seems to be fully functional. At least, none of the tubes I have tested so far have blown up on me