Repair of tube base

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I have a WD-11 tube from a Westinghouse Radiola SR.  The base is a brass (?) tube that is split down the side.  This allows the tube to rattle in a very disturbing way.   The thing works ok fine. I just don't want to damage it further.
Those things are EXPENSIVE!!! 

Anyone ever fix one of these?


JB Weld?

[WBear2GCR]

The best answer short of putting in genuine "lamp cement" (try to find some) is to use flowable silicone rubber. Option one is to desolder the pins and remove the tube first, option two is to just flow it in... you can perfect your technique on some junker tube with a loose base if ur worried about it. It's been done with flowable silicone rubber.

Dow Corning makes it, and you can buy it in an auto parts store - usually sold for windshield repairs, iirc... I got a bunch of tubes in Versa Chem brand recently from a 1$ store...

                 btw what is that tube? how about a jpeg?

                          _-_-bear

[w1vtp]

The best answer short of putting in genuine "lamp cement" (try to find some) is to use flowable silicone rubber. Option one is to desolder the pins and remove the tube first, option two is to just flow it in... you can perfect your technique on some junker tube with a loose base if ur worried about it. It's been done with flowable silicone rubber.

Dow Corning makes it, and you can buy it in an auto parts store - usually sold for windshield repairs, iirc... I got a bunch of tubes in Versa Chem brand recently from a 1$ store...

                 btw what is that tube? how about a jpeg?

                          _-_-bear

As per your request.  I have one WD-11 missing.  Would like to find one.  The variactor in this one is perfect

OK:  this is probably what you want to see

http://www.bill01a.com/tubephotos/west-wd11.htm

Most experts say DON'T use it.  There are substitutes that can be ginned up.

Al

[k4kyv]

The best answer short of putting in genuine "lamp cement" (try to find some)

What exactly is "lamp cement"?

Did the brass base of the tube split like the brass cases on many old meters?  The S-meter on my 1935 HRO has the same problem.  I have seen it with many meters of that era, and other types of brass cases too.  It always seems to split lengthwise along the cylindrical shape.  The metal covers on some types of male plug connectors does the same thing.

I suppose the manufacturers of those items never thought that the product would be preserved or restored to use this many years later after they originally sold it.

Anyone  have an idea why this happens?  Does the bass shrink, or does other stuff, like the bakelite parts, expand?

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Well, the WD-11 I have looks slightly different, but yea it's an early four pin triode, used in a lot of the early regen or just triode detector type receivers that were just one step removed from a crystal set. I guess they are hard to find now.

I'll use the silicon as that sounds like a safe route.  Also its an Aeriola Sr, I miss Id'd it earlier.

The Aeriola Senior, is a single tube regenerative receiver from the early 1920's.

The one I have has a really beat up case, that I will refinish someday, and is missing one of the thumb screw type knobs for an electrical connector.

Here's a photo I pulled from the web.  Mine is NOT in this nice a shape, yet...

[WBear2GCR]

Don,

What!!?? You don't know what lamp cement is? 

Ok, well it is the stuff that is used to affix the glass bulb to a socket.
Used in incandescent lightbulbs, fluorescent lightbulbs, and the bases and plate caps of toobes!

Iirc, it is a phenolic material that adheres to glass when fired off at a reasonably high temp... you can google it I think and find the chemical composition. I did that some time back. There are companies that still make it, but they tend to be a PIA to deal with and have a fairly high minimum order...

            _-_-Wooly Bully Two Giant Chocolate Resistors