Old Tag Boards

[David Simpson]

There have been several threads in the recent past about tag boards/strips & new(old design) replacement tags. So thought I'd raise a wee cautionary thread.
In my tag board box I found an old paxolin double-row tagboard. Ideal for a recently started build of a homebrew Battery Eliminator for my old 1920's TRF's(info thread to follow soon). But Jesus - it was in a bit of a state, globules of ancient solder over hellishly wrapped wiring. It took nigh-on four hours to de-solder, remove the wrapped wiring, clean all the tags, and replace missing ones. And clean & polish the paxolin. I think that there have been other warnings in the past - so remember to be gentle with your wee hammer, as old paxolin can be a bit brittle, when punching in new tags.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Another picture.D

[trickie_dickie]

When repairing old valve amps with dodgy looking Tagboards, my Uncle used to replace them with (roofing) slate. Carefully cut to size and drilled and fitted with turret lugs that were superglued in. Looked really neat.

[Radio Wrangler]

You can still get Tufnol sheet which is similar in colour to Paxolin and a good bit more robust. With a thermoset resin, it doesn't melt the moment you start soldering.

I've got a couple of Morse keys on heavy slate bases.

David

[M0FYA Andy]

I agree, sourcing Tufnol sheet to make new tagboards is easy, the difficult (if not impossible) part is sourcing tags!

If you're not trying to replicate an old tagboard authentically, turret tags or pins are readily available.

Andy

[bikerhifinut]

RS online still stock the old tagboards. I used some for the recent Amp project, I'm a little wary of reusing old tags if not absolutely necesarry to keep a restoration in period for instance.
I also now have a stash of tagboards to remove components off and clean up.
Something for later in the year I think.
By the way RS prices are more than reasonable compared to some of the online shops when I was looking, and the tagboards looked identical.

Hope that is of use to you.

Andy.

[M0FYA Andy]

The RS tagboards are fine if that's the size you need, otherwise...…….

[David Simpson]

I've actually got the remains of a 1960's sheet of 3' x 6' x 3.5mm light brown paxolin, and a smaller sheet of dark brown 3.5mm other more modern sheeting(not sure if its tufnol or similar). But this old 2.5mm thick tagboard was worth saving with its two rows of 20 tags. Also, the new replacement tags I have are identical (square peg profile, into round hole) - the exact same as the old 1940's existing ones. More in keeping with the other old gash but serviceable stuff I'm using in the project.

Regards, David

[Lucien Nunes]

On a related note, I recently bought some RS paxolin 3/8" pitch tagstrip, stock no. 433-775. This is incorrectly described as barrier strip and is found in the barrier strip section. It did the job and looks much the same as ever, but was not as strong as I remember it and had a tendency for tags to pop out of the paxolin.

[retailer]

Just wondering David where you get the tags from I have a number of old tag boards that I would like to reuse but some of the tags are corroded and need to be replaced.

[M0FYA Andy]

That's the $64,000 question!
I was searching for some recently and started a thread on here. Fortunately a pal came up trumps, so I abandoned my search.
This firm can make them -
http://www.centraleyeletsandpressings.co.uk/ but when I enquired a few years ago there was a minimum order for types not in stock. (I don't recall what that was).
I was going to ask again, but didn't as my immediate problem was resolved.

Andy

[David Simpson]

retailer - I think I acquired them a few years back from the same place as Andy. Although I've built a few tagboards in past years, if I was into it in a big way I'd be on the look-out for a proper hand press. I just use a couple of wee punches - one a joiners punch & the other a machinists(bit more of a taper). You have to be careful with thinner sheets of paxolin(or paxolin looking boards), in case the punches meet - tip to tip when securing the tags. Also, the correct hole size is important(as the actress said to the Bishop) - not too slack & not too tight.
Those of you who may have gone through RAF radio mechanic/fitter/technician training back in the 50's, 60's & 70's may remember that tagboard construction was a big part of workshop projects. Everything was done by hand, and woe betide any rough workmanship. Many a 15/16/17 year old boy entrant/apprentice/etc. would see his job placed in a vice & wolloped with a ball/pein hammer by the instructor ! Thankfully, when I returned to Cosford as an Instructor in 1970, brutal hammer walloping was no longer in fashion. But I became pretty keen on handing out 10 or 20 press-ups. However, as the 1960's/70's moved on, vero board & harwin pins projects became more common. Also, trainees were taught design & etching pcb projects.
But, as we're vintage enthusiasts, and this is a "vintage" forum, I would encourage folk to retain & repair as many old these lovely old paxolin tagboards as possible.

Regards, David

[M0FYA Andy]

These are some boards I made recently as part of a project to build three replica H2S Power Units.

Andy

[David Simpson]

They look great Andy, I'm sure they'll encourage other Forum folk to take up tagboard building.
I've attached a picture of a selection of some old re-usable tagboards, and a couple of wee new ones I made a while back(rhs).
I seem to remember that Central Eyelets & Pressings only supplied packets of 100 or 200 minimum. However, if some of you chaps dahn sarf have got some surplus ones - take a wee handful along, plus some gash bits of Paxolin/Tufnol, to the BVWS Swapmeets & dole them out to novice folk who want to start practicing building/repairing tagboards. I suppose I could recommend the same for Harwin Pins & gash bits of Veroboard, etc.

Regards, David

[G6Tanuki]

Some nice re-creation work going on there! And yes RS still sell the 'two rows' style strips - I use them when making up modern replacements for the horrid leaky bathtub-blocks in AR88s and the like.

I've been following this thread with interest since I'm about to start building a high-voltage PSU for my 811A linear-amp. Given that there will be a couple of Kilovolts flying around I'm reluctant to use paxolin/SRBP (I've seen it have a short-and-crispy life in some TV applications) and so intend to use un-plated FR4-style glass-fibre "PCB board" instead (it's also fire-retardant to modern specs which I'm not so sure applies to Paxolin!).

The "Tags" I intend to use are "Turret" types - see https://www.harwin.com/products/H2072Z01/

These will provide a bit of stand-off for the diodes and the associated voltage-equalising resistors to improve airflow.

[M0FYA Andy]

In reality 100 or 200 doesn't go very far. More important is the minimum order for a style/size they don't have in stock. I don't how onerous it is to set up their machines with the correct punches and dies for a particular style.
What we really need is for someone on here with an interest who lives close to them (they are located near Walsall) to call in for a recce...………..
Andy

[Craig Sawyers]

HiFiCollective do a variety of tagstrips. Like these, which are a couple of quid

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/tag...tag-board.html

They also do 28-tag tagstrips again at a couple of quid.

No personal interest in the company, just buy stuff from them from time to time.

[David Simpson]

Hey Andy, during my several stints at RAF Cosford, was not far away from Walsall. And in fact in the mid 60's nearly got engaged to a lovely Walsall lass. Happy days.
Back to tags - I seem to remember, several years back, another Forum guy mentioned bench mounted Jigs, but I've never used one. I vaguely remember seeing one at 30MU RAF Sealand in the early 70's.

Regards, David

[M0FYA Andy]

David, I can well imagine the best way to install tags would be something akin to a small arbour press, fitted with the appropriate dies.
I used a metal-working scriber followed by a centre-punch to expand mine, with the board face-down on a lump of steel as an anvil, noting that the tags come flat so the 'ears' are folded up after fixing to the board. I then used a length of 1/4" square steel, drilled with a couple of holes for 6BA screws aligned with a pair of tags to clamp it to a row of tags, to fold the 'ears' up against and ensure that all tags were in straight lines and folded up symmetrically.

Have you been back to Cosford to see the RAF Museum there? A long way from Aberdeen, though.

Andy

[David Simpson]

Right enough Andy, your method is the very same as we used in the RAF. As I said earlier yesterday, punch-wise - its the angle of dangle which is important. I.e. The taper of the points. Using two sharp pointed engineer's punches wouldn't work right. Shallower pointed joiner's punches are best for thinner sheets. Or one of each for middling thicknesses, and so on. Trial & error, with bits of gash paxolin, by novices is advisable.
Yep, I did return to Cosford in the late 80's, with my family, for a shufti in the Museum. A bigger collection than when I left in Dec. 1972. Incidentally, the electronics workshops where I did my instruction duties were just inside the security gates past the museum, on the R/H side. But, as by then I was just a Civ., the MOD police wouldn't let me in so that I could show my wife & kids where I used to work. I even pleaded that I was an exiled half-Salopian, now living in the north of Scotland, but that didn't wash.

Regards, David