tube fanatic Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Really nice video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFQSdX1B-ic Enjoy-- Maynard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nordschleife Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Wow! I had no idea how much hands-on work was required to produce a tube. Very cool video, thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 If only everything was made by craftsmen with so much attention for detail ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swapface Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Incredible video, thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnr Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 The things we take for granted. Yes, thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I wonder what the secret coatings were. JJKI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Thanks for sharing Maynard!! Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Excellent video Maynard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffcb Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Yes, really interesting, and helps me appreciate my valves (tubes)!! Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I'll never complain about pricing for tubes ever again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Very educative, fun to watch. Thanks for sharing this video showing a craftsman at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Glad you guys are enjoying the video. Contrast the above with these 1942 RCA promotional videos showing how tubes were manufactured in a high-yield factory setting. When you consider just how many tubes were turned out their reliability is even more remarkable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCksgN7kiv4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J61hHMjxzC4 I love tubes!!! Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Just think now they can make nano-tubes and fit them into a CPU a billion at a time. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Great video Maynard! Another thing besides the intense labor involved most should realize from this video is the fact that being largely hand made is the reason they often fail. They always did regardless of the era they were made. Tubes are wonderful devices but they were not sold on every corner back in the day because they lasted forever! The finicky nature of the tubes themselves is what opened the door for SS gear! Many of us are willing to forfeit a little time and patience for the added sonic joy of tubes but the general public at the time was completely sick of buying and messing with tubes. They surely didn't swap in the early SS gear for its sonic superiority. Realize that tubes were in almost every electronic device back then! One of my favorite sayings when problems arise with good electrical condition tube gear is.... "the problem with tube gear is the tubes" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 In addition to the points made by Craig about tube failure, another common cause was excessive heat. Most radios and televisions had inadequately ventilated cabinets (probably intentional on the part of the manufacturers) which, combined with owners placing the units nearly flush with the wall behind, caused the tubes to run at much higher temperatures than they should have. One need only look at the cabinets of many radios of the tube era to see distinct burn marks directly above the rectifier and audio output tubes. Under the chassis, temperatures were often so high that the wax coating on the typical paper capacitors used back then literally melted off leaving blobs of wax on the bottom of the cabinet. When amplifier manufacturers got away from the open chassis designs (typical in the 50s) in favor of enclosed cabinets, similar issues often surfaced. The enclosures didn't provide enough ventilation for the output tubes, and owners often placed the equipment inside poorly ventilated cabinetry. Some manufacturers also pushed the operating points of the output tubes on the high side of the design-center values which caused the tubes to run even hotter. Not a good scenario for longevity, but remember that they were relatively cheap and abundant back in the day, and the manufacturers certainly wanted the consumers to purchase lots of them! Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 That is a cool one. There are a number of DIY home built tube builders on Youtube. That is over the top. Check out Mad Scientist Toshi Kurashima http://www.itishifi.com/search/label/tube%20builder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmytamp Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Really nice video!!! Enjoy-- Maynard Thanks for sharing this video. Cheers, Jimmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxerjake Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Seen this one B4 .... Taken into consideration the time and naturally expense of building valves it blows your mind when the military sells off their surplus for pennies on the dollar ! A few years back i won a military auction for over 4500 valves .... If i told you what i paid for it you would cry ! ( under a thousand ) 200 - 300 sleaves of mid sixties 6SN7 GT , KT-88's out the zing zang as well as 2A3 .... 300B's from the 50's and 60's I had over 200 5AR4 rectifiers from the mid 50's still in the original packages ...lol Funny thing is i sent Craig an E-mail asking if he was intrested in the lot and i would purchase them for him cuz i live in western Canada ... Never returned my E-mail so i bought them myslft and have made over 20k selling them slowly on e-bay and Kijiji ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Well good for you...I do not recall ever getting an email about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I love watching "How it's made". This was another great episode, thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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