GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Relief from micro-arcing tube pins?

Post Subject: What Good are Camp FollowersPosted by Paul S on: 3/8/2009

if they don't try something first and report back on occasion?

I finally ran out of patience and tried the damn automotive dielectric grease myself on the pins of 4 new tubes I just put in the Lamms. I also for the first time and against my own previous advice cleaned the pins with a tiny stainless steel brush mounted on a router (no, not a Dremmel; I couldn't find it...). Well, THAT got the scale off, you betcha! It also scratched the Hell out of the 6C33C pins and about melted the 6N6P pins, which is why I would not do it previous to using the grease to heal the wounds.

So far, so good. After I did it I actually made out (without trying) several previously-unintelligible words and phrases in several albums I listened to, this with less attendant noise than usual but without the usual-for-audibility increased "sense of clarity"; ie, it did not SEEM clearer; it just WAS clearer.

Coincidence? It is true that there are generally all sorts of jittery electrical effect and attendent noises going on around most contact points, and it is true that the high-voltage dielectric grease measurably damps this noise in places wher it has actually been tested; only, I didn't "test" it, apart from listening. Whether it will stay calm or develop or cause new problems (like the Caig, etc.) remains to be seen/heard.

So stay tuned.

As I mentioned in the ML2 thread, unless a related problem develops before I get to it, I am going to grease the K&K phono stage tube pins next; and after that... the World...

Paul S

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