My valve hoarding problem...

[PJL]

I'm sifting through the filthy boxes of 500 odd mainly loose used valves I got recently and look what I found . There are one or two other gems and a few WWII transmitting valves. There are also some good examples of what happens if you leave NOS metallised valves in a damp garage for 50 years. Dirty work and a bit like a lucky dip but plenty of fun trying to work out what a valve is when the markings have long since gone.

I've obtained other collections like this inherited from relatives usually from the radio industry that the new owner has no need for. Only trouble is you have taken on the responsibility of someones collection built up 40 or more years ago and I haven't the heart to throw any away, even the dozen or more VR150's (what were they used for!) and a large box of EF50's I seem to have accumulated.

Do others have collections of valves that they will realistically never use or do I need to seek help?

[repairman 1234]

Originally Posted by PJL

even the dozen or more VR150's (what were they used for!)

This might help.....https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/....php?p=157310:

[Alan Stepney]

Oddly enough, I recently wanted a VR150, and despite having some 1,500+ valves, only had one VR150.
If I need another one, I'll know who to ask!

[chipp1968]

The ef50s are useful for us tv nuts dont forget.

[jay_oldstuff]

I must admit i do the same and buy up boxes of loose valves whenever avalable cheeply, i baught about six or seven large boxes full at an auction at the start of the year for a pound or two per box, probebly well over a thousand valves. and i'm still sorting through them many are useless to me but i cant bare the chuck them just in case someone in the future has a use. on the plus side the hall inclooded many usefull radio and TV valves and a nice supprise was a number of 1920's pip tops.

Jay

[PJL]

This lot is far better than the usual mix with some NOS audio valves and rectifiers so I offered to pay far more than that and threw in a radio restoration. It's always difficult to know what to offer with ebay around.

The valve shown is a Mullard D024 triode which I beleive is quite a rarity and it is huge.

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Gents, my usual way of dealing with unboxed valve collections is to store them in A4 photocopier boxes in their "family" type:
O/P pens, FC, DDT, TV types etc, (possibly sub-divided by base, pre/post octal etc) so a relatively small number need to be sorted through to see if the one required is available.

Ed

[n_highfield]

I started while at school in the 70's, local firms used to donate obsolete equipment thinking it would be of use but more often than not it just languished in the physics lab until somebody took it apart or threw it away. Many valves came myway by that route and provided much entertainment - I used to plot characteristics for fun - transitron curves were my favourite

Then university in Birmingham loomed and I caught the tail end of the ex WD shops bringing more opportunities for acquiring thermionic devices. But the final nail in the coffin was employment at EMI radar division in Hayes where first the a move from the Dawley buildings into the old cabinet factory and then a few years later transportation to the colonies (well Crawley) meant loads of stuff being chucked out which I just couldn't bare to see go.

The net result is three dexion bays in a shed at my parents house largely filled with valves, plus whatever's in the loft - I really can't remember! I keep promising that I'll clear it out but what to do with it all :-(

[AVO_VCM163]

The net result is three dexion bays in a shed at my parents house largely filled with valves, plus whatever's in the loft - I really can't remember! I keep promising that I'll clear it out but what to do with it all :-(

Just throw it at me, please!!!

Seriously - I am still researching and documenting valves after many decades and still find new aspects and details that are worth noting. However unappetising they may look there is always something.

Very happy to purchase and or make effective donations - or exchange.
Roy

[n_highfield]

Just throw it at me, please!!!

I don't know if I can!!!

First off I need to remind myself what I actually have, sort out a decent set or two for my few radios which are likely to see any action (hence trying to get CT160 back up and running) then see if sentiment will allow me to part with the rest - they do still hold a strange fascination for me.

I know Mr virtual valve museum whose name I forget has a few wants including any 'experimental purposes only' samples of which I think there may be a few from the EMI stock, there will probably also be some CV equivs of the various audio valves which seem to fetch silly money on ebay, but the bulk are probably 'no use to man or beast' military and industrial types - for instance who uses a DET22 for anything nowadays?

[Skywave]

- for instance who uses a DET22 for anything nowadays?

Well, since you ask . . . there may well be some enthusuiastic UHF / SHF experimenters 'out there' who might be interested: a DET 22 should provide about 1-watt or so up to about 3 GHz. Since this valve is a co-axial type, it's the mechanical design issues that present the biggest challenges to its usage - but these can be overcome.

Al. / Skywave.

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by n_highfield

.....employment at EMI radar division in Hayes where first the a move from the Dawley buildings into the old cabinet factory and then a few years later transportation to the colonies (well Crawley) meant loads of stuff being chucked out which I just couldn't bare to see go......(

It's always tempting to raid the skip. I was at Thorn EMI CRL in the mid 1980s and there was always plenty of stuff going begging. Not much valve stuff as we were in the new CRL building by then. One very useful acquisition was a load of dexion shelving. I also got permission to raid the old building a few times. Again not many valves but all sorts of interesting stuff.

I've recently gone through most of my valves and catalogued them. Nothing astounding came to light but then I don't have a huge number. I'm sure the shrinks could have a field day with us. Just remember that we are normal and they're totally gaga.

PS: Nick, your little ant avatar is making my penguin avatar feel itchy

[ekcobeach]

I have literally thousands of valves and still i buy more. And if asked why, i'd not be able to give a valid answer. I could never ever possibly use them all, in three lifetimes,so why do i do it. I think i need help. It's definately some kind of illness. Trouble is, i see a batch either at auction or maybe a carboot sale, buy them, sell off the audio types that i'm not likely to use and then hoard the rest....crazy. Magic eyes are the worst fix. See it, want it, despite the fact that i have more than i'll ever need. Just hope my kids will realise the value of these things once i pop my clogs. And that creepy crawly fooled me. I thought it was running about on my screen and tried to squash it. Colin.

[Guitarist28]

I'd love to have some valve thrown in my direction. I'm amazed to see or learn that people have rescued valves from skips - I never see anything like this where I live.

Rob

[Alan Stepney]

I've just given away a couple of hundred TV valves, that I will never use.

On the same trip (but a different address), I collected some rectifiers, audio valves, and some nice large transmitting types.

The nett result is that I have fewer in my collection, but more of types that I might use.
Also, someone else now has a large stock of NOS tv valves that may well get, or keep, something working.

[HamishBoxer]

Happy days when i used to Denby Dale ham radio junk sale and there was only me buying cardboard boxes of valves for 10 shillings!

David GM8JET

PS Still got them and a few more

[n_highfield]

Originally Posted by ppppenguin

(snip) It's always tempting to raid the skip. I was at Thorn EMI CRL in the mid 1980s and there was always plenty of stuff going begging. Not much valve stuff as we were in the new CRL building by then. One very useful acquisition was a load of dexion shelving. I also got permission to raid the old building a few times. Again not many valves but all sorts of interesting stuff.

Drifting thread alert!

That'll be the odd polyganal buildings with the nice (dolphin?) eatery. Still drive past 'the old place' occasionally - sports and social club is now an Asian community centre and the old favourite watering holes seem to be either closed or lapdancing clubs. ISTR the Pear Tree (now demolished) was the only one that had that sort of thing back in the day.

[JoshWard]

Originally Posted by Guitarist28

I'd love to have some valve thrown in my direction. I'm amazed to see or learn that people have rescued valves from skips - I never see anything like this where I live.

Rob

Yes same here, especially being a poor student with little spare income (insert other stories to try and get cheap valves here )

I find the ones I have are unusual ones rarely found in domestic receivers, they seem to be largely ex War Department so for communications receivers possibly.

The only useful ones I have seem to be octals such as 6V6s (drowning in them) a few KT61s and 6K7s etc plus television valves which may come in handy when I start doing tellys... (got a few pretty EF50s but most of mine are the less attractive silver ones )

The ones I'm probably most likely to use as I'm going to tackle all my postwar 50s sets first are B9As but I rarely see many in job lots on eBay unless they're television valves.

Josh.

[G8HQP Dave]

I too seem to have been bitten by the valve hoarding bug. I keep telling myself that some will be used in homebrew stuff, then I will need the rest for spares, but as I'm already in my 50's I don't think I am going to get the few centuries I would need to use them all up. Mine are mainly miniatures (B7G, B9A) plus EL34s for my stereo and some PA valves for all the transmitters I am going to build. I'm even thinking of building audio or RF stuff from TV valves, as I have loads of them too.

I think what started me off on this was the realisation a few years ago that I could not keep up with the latest things in electronics - I'm not interested in digital (having worked for years in IT!) or tiny surface mode components (my eyes are not young enough). I have already done 1970's style electronics with silicon transistors and 741 op-amps, so instead of going 'forwards' why not go 'back' to the 1960's. That is my excuse anyway.

[glowinganode]

Originally Posted by n_highfield

That'll be the odd polyganal buildings with the nice (dolphin?) eatery. Still drive past 'the old place' occasionally - sports and social club is now an Asian community centre and the old favourite watering holes seem to be either closed or lapdancing clubs. ISTR the Pear Tree (now demolished) was the only one that had that sort of thing back in the day.

I'm really saddened by the way Hayes has gone downhill since the closure of EMI. We decided to upsticks when our son was born.
I frequented all of those places you mention, especially the Hamboro Arms and Blue Anchor, both now boarded up.
I remember my Dad taking me to the Clarendon? Labs Archive Museum for my 10th birthday, whatever happened to the collection?
One of the lads I went to Maidenhead college with worked at TMD, do they still exist?
Rob.