Cleaning valve pins

I just wondered who else does this as part of their hi-fi 'housekeeping'.

Once a year I dismantle all the cables from my system, from mains leads to speaker cable and clean all the plugs and connections with cotton wool buds and Isopropyl solution. It always amazes me the difference it makes to the sound when I plug it all back in and listen! :)

But valve pins, especially on old used NOS valves, they're usually bloody filthy! Does anyone else apart from mad old me bother to clean the pins (and valve sockets on amps) before using them? If not, you should...

I simply took some fine sandpaper and gently buffed away any 'baked on' tarnished bits on all my valves until the pins were clean and completely free from any corrosion, then finished the cleaning process with some cotton wool buds and isopropyl solution, and sat back and listened. I was rewarded with a much cleaner, 'fresher' sound with what seemed like a lower noise floor and less distortion. In short, the difference was not subtle.
Not bad for a free tweak and an hour or so of elbow grease!

I would recommend all users of valves to go through the ones in their system and clean them as I have described. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good your system sounds afterwards ;)

Marco.

Yep,would agree with this Marco.I've known dirty valve pins not only to degrade sound,but actually cause problems regarding clicks and pops, and I've even cured a small hum problem by cleaning them.I use a fibreglass pen I liberated from work,used to clean contacts on high-voltage switchgear.I also use a contact enhancer that we use at work called Darathene,which removes oxidisation and progressively lowers resistance over time between contacts.It is probably just as good if not better than the pricey commercial stuff like De-oxit.It costs pence for a large aerosol of the stuff,and as I have several,I've probably got more than a lifetime's supply! I find it makes a quite a difference after I've applied it.I've even noticed a difference spaying it on the circuit boards of cd players etc.I recall taking my girlfriend down to Leeds for the first time,and being eager to show off my system,as you do,I plonked her down in front of it.She was very impressed,but I thought it sounded pants.I stripped all the cables,valves and plugs and sprayed some on.She was looking at me as if I was mad,but her face when I fired it up again was a picture! She was gobsmacked,which is good as it shows I haven't descended too far into the madness of hi-fi :) I recommend this stuff if any of you can get hold of it,it's cheap and does what the pricey snake-oil stuff does for a fraction of the price.

Regards,Ali.

I'm glad you agree, Ali. The procedure is just basic common sense, but sometimes in the quest for great sound we get bogged down with changing this and that component and forget about the basics such as ensuring things are tight and clean and that therefore the signal is getting through properly to all those lovely components in our equipment!

I went through all the valves in my system from my preamp through to my power amp and I'm quite shocked at the overall improvement in sound brought about by simply cleaning the pins.

That 'magic' stuff of yours sounds good. Can I buy a can from you? :)

Marco.

I'll try and get hold of another can and it's yours gratis mate.They haven't got any more for quite a while but I'll try and get hold of one for you.

Fibre glass pen and Deoxit is what I use. Yep, the Deoxit is a bit on the pricey side but it goes a long way. I've just bought my second tin in four years.

Nice one, Ali - much appreciated :)

Where does one obtain fibreglass pens?

Marco.

All over the place Marco, try Maplins, ebay etc.

You're looking for something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fibreglass-Abr...d=p3286.c0.m14

Yep thats exactly what you need.Cheers for the link Mike,may be of interest to a few here.

Cheers, Mike. I just bought that very one :)

TBH, I'd never even heard of a fibreglass pen until now! :lolsign:

Marco.

P.S Your thingy arrived today - ta!

There are other types of fiberglass pens around too.

This on is no good for cleaning valve pins (or much else for that matter) though.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Marlen-Rac...d=p3286.c0.m14


:lolsign:

Hehe... :eyebrows:

Marco.

A word of warning when using fiberglass brushes/pens. As you use it, fragments of glass break away. These can seriously irritate the skin as one former member of the old WAD forum found out, cleaning his valve pins whilst naked.....I kid you not :lol:

He itched in his nether regions for days afterwards :doh:

I also use this tool. Works very well but keep yourself protected when using it.

Best wishes,

Greg

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These can seriously irritate the skin as one former member of the old WAD forum found out, cleaning his valve pins whilst naked.....I kid you not...

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Oh the action-packed lives some people lead!

I hope he didn't get a splinter in his 'filament' :eyebrows:

Marco.

Hey those fibreglass pens are good, but no-one said they wear out PDQ!

I had expected a 'harder' more durable tip...

Not to worry, I'll order half a dozen :)

Marco.

Refills are available Marco...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fibreglass-pen...d=p3286.c0.m14

;)

Aha... I presume that these are compatible with the pen on Ebay you linked to the last time, Mike? I.E, they're all a universal fitting.

Marco.

I also clean pins once a year and clean all cable runs etc I even put walker EST silver treatment on the pins so think that is quite extreme but you can hear the difference afterwards
John

Cleaning my 6SN7s made my amp sound bright last night. Cleaning the rest of the valves this morning restored balance.

You should now have improved sound compared to what you started with. Cleaning the pins on your valves will simply provide a better connection and allow you to hear more of what the valves are doing :)

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Ali Tait

Yep,would agree with this Marco.I've known dirty valve pins not only to degrade sound,but actually cause problems regarding clicks and pops, and I've even cured a small hum problem by cleaning them.I use a fibreglass pen I liberated from work,used to clean contacts on high-voltage switchgear.I also use a contact enhancer that we use at work called Darathene,which removes oxidisation and progressively lowers resistance over time between contacts.It is probably just as good if not better than the pricey commercial stuff like De-oxit.It costs pence for a large aerosol of the stuff,and as I have several,I've probably got more than a lifetime's supply! I find it makes a quite a difference after I've applied it.I've even noticed a difference spaying it on the circuit boards of cd players etc.I recall taking my girlfriend down to Leeds for the first time,and being eager to show off my system,as you do,I plonked her down in front of it.She was very impressed,but I thought it sounded pants.I stripped all the cables,valves and plugs and sprayed some on.She was looking at me as if I was mad,but her face when I fired it up again was a picture! She was gobsmacked,which is good as it shows I haven't descended too far into the madness of hi-fi :) I recommend this stuff if any of you can get hold of it,it's cheap and does what the pricey snake-oil stuff does for a fraction of the price.

Regards,Ali.

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I had some positive effects from cleaning the pins on the valves on my power amp today. Heard some crackling when I turned it off yesterday, so cleaning the pins with Deoxit(had got this for free with a purchase) was first on the agenda this morning. The noise disappeared after cleaning as well as some hum that could be heard previously. :thumbsup:

I clean my valve pins in the summer, We have a product here called CLR. It's pretty strong stuff but it removes oxidization and scale. I mix it 50/50 with water in a small saucer and let the pins stand in it for 30 seconds then rinse well and dry. I then swab them with Deoxit and pop them back in till next summer.

http://www.jelmar.com/CLRbasic.htm

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Originally Posted by goraman

I clean my valve pins in the summer, We have a product here called CLR. It's pretty strong stuff but it removes oxidization and scale. I mix it 50/50 in a small saucer and let the pins stand in it for 30 seconds then rinse well and dry. I then swab them with Deoxit and pop them back in till next summer.

http://www.jelmar.com/CLRbasic.htm

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Thanks for the tip. Good to know they are greenvinient over at Jelmar: :thumbsup:

http://www.jelmar.com/epa.htm

I use on of my wife's nail files then a thin coating of Silclear.
Usually once a year. Has in the past cured noisy valves and definitely
sounds better particularly on nos tubes where the pins are a bit tarnished.

I just did a major cleaning,inspired by this thread and the addition of a new tube DAC.
In reading the instructions for the new DAC it clearly states not to use contact enhancers on the tube pins as the enhancer turns to gum and sledge in the sockets over time and the only way to eliminate it is to replace the sockets! So I cleaned them and just rinsed them with water and dried them with a soft towel and hair dryer.
P.S. I just love this new DAC.

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Originally Posted by Ali Tait

Yep,would agree with this Marco.I've known dirty valve pins not only to degrade sound,but actually cause problems regarding clicks and pops, and I've even cured a small hum problem by cleaning them.

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Me too.

I wouldn't use too abrasive sand paper though, I'd use a metal polish compound on a cloth and rub them each. Even smokers toothpaste is probably effective (I've used whitening toothpaste to clean metal before - any slight abrasive paste will work).

I did notice your choice of words Marco, "a cleaner, fresher sound" - I hope that was on purpose cos that just screams to me "placibo effect" to hear a sound that relates to the abstract actions (abstract from the valve's point of view) you just performed. Hopefully though it was said on purpose!

Gold pins are self cleaning of course - the oxidised gold compound falls off easily hence why gold plating is used. So you really only need to rub those with a cloth or just plug and unplug a few times.

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Originally Posted by Marco

You should now have improved sound compared to what you started with. Cleaning the pins on your valves will simply provide a better connection and allow you to hear more of what the valves are doing :)

Marco.

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To take a more scientific angle - I'd say those impurities act like semi-conductors, tiny diodes over parts of the surface. Imagine, effectively tiny transistors gathering all over your valve pins! :lol:

Another method. Stand your valves with just the pins covered for an hour or so in a bath of Coke :)

Aye, I do this too. Works well.