odd part help needed: vaccum tubes

Any of these suitable?

tubes.jpg


The two tallest ones are about 3 1/4 inches, just for a sense of scale since I forgot to put the ruler in the pic.

They're all dead, and I have no sentimental attachment to them whatsoever. If you were to accidentally PM me with your address, I may respond by accidentally packing them up and mailing them to you. :)
 
Vaccum tubes aren't hard to find at all unless you're looking for a very specific type. I found these at a yardsale for cheap:



If you see any you need just PM me, otherwise Ebay is cheap. :thumbsup
 
Holy crap why do the fleamarkets and sales around here suck so hard? You guys find all kinds of stuff. There used to be a ham radio festival here that would be good. I could always go ask the local tv repair places they may have some hidden away.
 
I would think, depending on what part of PA you're in, vacuum tubes should be available on the cheap. There's several old junk places in the Intercourse area that used to have great selections between five and ten years ago; they might still.
 
If the size could be tiny, check out lamp starters for fluorescent tubes. Take off the plastic casing to reveal a small tube. Might be too small for you, but are usually very cheap, especially if you can grab them out of a recycling bin. :)

Make your own:
Plastic is much easier to cut than glass. Plastic test tubes exist of various sizes, but be sure that you don't get any that are of translucent plastic.
"Baby Soda Bottles" are like 1" wide test tubes. They are actually PET bottles that have not been blown to shape/size. Drawback: very thick-walled. Often used as test tubes / sample tubes. Found on eBay.
 
Actually, I would think casting your own out of clear resin would also be optional. But then again, I can see the difficulty of doing so.
 
I'm going to explore various types because at some point i'm going to need alot of them the same size no doubt and easier to make them if you have the plastic parts laying around. still going to look into the flower tubes from the florist.
 
cobalt crimson said:
I'm going to explore various types because at some point i'm going to need alot of them the same size no doubt and easier to make them if you have the plastic parts laying around. still going to look into the flower tubes from the florist.
Click to expand...

Didn't get to Dad's today, but it's on the list for tomorrow.
Check out Flea-bay auction #260678325674.
 
no more online auctions lol. i just bought an xmas gift on behalf of my gf (she has no bank account) that cost me 4 videogames and my doctor visit copays to get lol
 
cobalt crimson said:
Yes I said vaccum tubes. Anyone know of a way to replicate them as I haven't a clue where to find any. I know there are still some out there floating around. Even if i can find casts of them or a mold of them.
Click to expand...

I did a quick skim through eBay and came up with this:
Giant Plastic Test Tube Soda Bottle Container with Caps (eBay item 230546935765 end time 12-Nov-10 13:23:17 AEDST) : Toys Hobbies

They seem to be the "baby"/"samples tube" PET bottles that Darth Lars wrote about.
 
I'd have to say that it would be cheaper to either make them from found parts, or to buy the real thing.
Casting clear resin, if you haven't done it before, can be challenging. Many conditions have to be met or else you get a cast with tons of air bubbles or a surface that stays tacky for years...or both!
 
Hit Dad's this morning, and other that tiny green tubes (1.5") for orchids, they have nothing around. Apparently they're not used much anymore, but are still available at the florist wholesale shops. Might even find them at Michael's, or similar craft shop.
 
It's sad, really. I remember back in the day, when I was just a Junior Nerd, going to Radio Shack to test my vacuum tubes to see if any were faulty. They had a tester right there, and a full supply of replacement tubes in case you needed to fix something. That was back when a couple of brain cells, a soldering iron and elbow grease was all you really needed to fix your TV or radio.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go shoo some kids off of my lawn.
 
lol. I remember back in 1996-1997 when i was in electronics class at votech you could go to any radioshack for supplies. For a long time they got rid of all that then suddenly they got some of it back but not much and they cost alot. The problem with elecronics goldmine and places like that are you have to buy so much and their shipping isn't feasable unless you buy alot as its flat rate.
 
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