Valve and Tube storage - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

grizzy68 · 3rd Jan 2006, 7:24 am

What is the best way to store tubes. I looked online and they sell white boxes and they are as much as the tubes I bought. There has to be a better way to keep a tube inventory.

Sam · 3rd Jan 2006, 10:27 am

It took a long time, but I made myself lots of little boxes out of cereal-box card!

Sam

ppppenguin · 3rd Jan 2006, 10:40 am

For bulk packing you can take strips of thin card and cut slots at regular intervals. Then another set of strips for the other direction and interlock them to make a grid of compartments which you put in a suitably sized box or tray.

Blue Peter rules OK!

Jeremy M0RVB · 3rd Jan 2006, 10:52 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppppenguin

...which you put in a suitably sized box or tray.

And for the suitable sized tray a trip to the supermarket for some old apple (etc.) crates will do - they stack well too.

Radio_Dave · 3rd Jan 2006, 11:42 am

For older/larger valves I fill shoe boxes with toilet roll tubes

David

Jeremy M0RVB · 3rd Jan 2006, 12:10 pm

It's also surprising how many household items come in suitably sized small boxes. Don't forget toothpaste tube boxes and the various boxes medicines, creams etc. come in. All they need is a sticky label so you can write the contents on.

Biggles · 4th Jan 2006, 1:52 pm

I never throw small boxes away, but they do tend to build up over the months and become a nuisance. I think it must be something psychological about boxes. They just seem to be useful things, or is it just another one of my obsessions? For valves which are not in their original packing, I keep them in metal drawers, but you have to be careful not to overfill the drawer as they can snag when opening and break (!)

Biggles.

mickjjo · 4th Jan 2006, 3:19 pm

All of the above

, The biggest problem is where to store all the storage boxes.........

.

Regards, Mick.

Gordon · 5th Jan 2006, 2:34 pm

I cut a sheet 25mm polystyrene to fit it into the bottom of a shoe box (I too have a problem with collecting boxes). Plug the valves into the polystyrene sheet and give the box a reference number, I then have an alpha/numeric index cross referring to a box.
Gordon.

g1wosjohn · 5th Jan 2006, 2:51 pm

Always remember to store your Tubes (Valves) in DRY Conditions.It's amazing how many Rare and Expensive Tubes (Valves) I've come across RUINED by damp corroding the wires from the Glass Pinch to the Pins !!
Also Metal types going RUSTY.Ever tryed finding out what a rusty Metal Octal really is !!!.John G1WOS.

Alan_Douglas · 12th Jan 2006, 11:26 pm

I keep my shop stock in shoebox-sized corrugated-cardboard trays, sorted by first digit or subdivided by letters after the first digit (6A, 6B, 6C-D, 6E-F etc) if the original box gets too crowded. Within each tray, the tubes are loose if used, or boxed if new. It's easy to expand the system as needed. This is for US tube types, but since the op asked about "tubes" rather than "valves" I presume he is on this side of the pond too.

zak · 22nd Jan 2006, 9:01 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by grizzy68

What is the best way to store tubes. I looked online and they sell white boxes and they are as much as the tubes I bought. There has to be a better way to keep a tube inventory.

Hi
Where did you find the supplier?

grizzy68 · 22nd Jan 2006, 9:57 pm

www.radiodaze.com
www.tubesandmore.com

3rd Jan 2006, 7:24 am	#1
grizzy68 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bel Air, Maryland, USA Posts: 20	Valve and Tube storage What is the best way to store tubes. I looked online and they sell white boxes and they are as much as the tubes I bought. There has to be a better way to keep a tube inventory.

3rd Jan 2006, 10:27 am	#2
Sam Hexode Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Higham-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, UK. Posts: 338	Re: tube storage It took a long time, but I made myself lots of little boxes out of cereal-box card! Sam __________________ Can he lead a Normal life, Doctor? No, he will be ... an Engineer.

3rd Jan 2006, 10:40 am	#3
ppppenguin Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: North London, UK. Posts: 6,168	Re: tube storage For bulk packing you can take strips of thin card and cut slots at regular intervals. Then another set of strips for the other direction and interlock them to make a grid of compartments which you put in a suitably sized box or tray. Blue Peter rules OK!

3rd Jan 2006, 11:42 am	#5
Radio_Dave Nonode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 2,543	Re: tube storage For older/larger valves I fill shoe boxes with toilet roll tubes David

3rd Jan 2006, 12:10 pm	#6
Jeremy M0RVB Hexode Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 458	Re: tube storage It's also surprising how many household items come in suitably sized small boxes. Don't forget toothpaste tube boxes and the various boxes medicines, creams etc. come in. All they need is a sticky label so you can write the contents on.

4th Jan 2006, 1:52 pm	#7
Biggles Rest in Peace Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hexham, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 2,234	Re: tube storage I never throw small boxes away, but they do tend to build up over the months and become a nuisance. I think it must be something psychological about boxes. They just seem to be useful things, or is it just another one of my obsessions? For valves which are not in their original packing, I keep them in metal drawers, but you have to be careful not to overfill the drawer as they can snag when opening and break (!) Biggles.

4th Jan 2006, 3:19 pm	#8
mickjjo Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dartford, Kent, UK. Posts: 1,661	Re: tube storage All of the above , The biggest problem is where to store all the storage boxes......... . Regards, Mick.

5th Jan 2006, 2:34 pm	#9
Gordon Pentode Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset, UK. Posts: 131	Re: tube storage I cut a sheet 25mm polystyrene to fit it into the bottom of a shoe box (I too have a problem with collecting boxes). Plug the valves into the polystyrene sheet and give the box a reference number, I then have an alpha/numeric index cross referring to a box. Gordon.

5th Jan 2006, 2:51 pm	#10
g1wosjohn Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 13	Re: tube storage Always remember to store your Tubes (Valves) in DRY Conditions.It's amazing how many Rare and Expensive Tubes (Valves) I've come across RUINED by damp corroding the wires from the Glass Pinch to the Pins !! Also Metal types going RUSTY.Ever tryed finding out what a rusty Metal Octal really is !!!.John G1WOS.

12th Jan 2006, 11:26 pm	#11
Alan_Douglas Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Cape Cod, Massachusetts Posts: 59	Re: tube storage I keep my shop stock in shoebox-sized corrugated-cardboard trays, sorted by first digit or subdivided by letters after the first digit (6A, 6B, 6C-D, 6E-F etc) if the original box gets too crowded. Within each tray, the tubes are loose if used, or boxed if new. It's easy to expand the system as needed. This is for US tube types, but since the op asked about "tubes" rather than "valves" I presume he is on this side of the pond too.

22nd Jan 2006, 9:57 pm	#13
grizzy68 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bel Air, Maryland, USA Posts: 20	Re: tube storage www.radiodaze.com www.tubesandmore.com