# Tube storage?



## Fearless1

Can anyone recommend to me a case, box, or apparatus to store my tubes in? The boxes they come in tend to fall apart. I would like to remove them from the box and have some sort of a padded case to keep the matching sets together. I can find nothing of the sort.
   
   
   
  Thanks in advance.


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## weplayendlessly

Maybe try a tackle box with bigger compartments and add foam or liner yourself. I'm sure you can find one to store a few tubes in.


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## Fearless1

Quote: 





weplayendlessly said:


> Maybe try a tackle box with bigger compartments and add foam or liner yourself. I'm sure you can find one to store a few tubes in.


 
  Great idea, thank you.


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## Fearless1

Problem solved, thanks to the wife and her old padded jewelry box


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## weplayendlessly

Nice glad it worked out. What kind of amp do you have?
  Im a bit new to this stuff, looking to get my first tube amp.


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## Fearless1

Quote: 





weplayendlessly said:


> Nice glad it worked out. What kind of amp do you have?
> Im a bit new to this stuff, looking to get my first tube amp.


 
   Thanks! I have a couple of tube amps, but the tubes in this picture are for my Schiit Lyr.


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## Silent One

Quote: 





fearless1 said:


> Problem solved, thanks to the wife and her old padded jewelry box


 
   






 Well done. Now you've inspired me to accomplish much the same before summer ends.


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## sridhar3

I'm sure the Pelican case line with "Pick 'n' Pluck" foam would fit the bill too.


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## Radio_head

http://tubedepot.com/tubecube.html
   
  Little overpriced but essentially the same thing.    The jewelry case is fine in-home, but wouldn't work optimally on the go (if you take your tubes to meets.)


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## Seamaster

Air/water tight case is no no for long term storage. Only for transport. It will trap moisture and tube pins will rust. Don't forget to clean your pins if your oily/salty fingers touched them


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## Silent One

Quote: 





seamaster said:


> Air/water tight case is no no for long term storage. Only for transport. It will trap moisture and tube pins will rust. Don't forget to clean your pins if your oily/salty fingers touched them


 
   
  What long-term storage solution work for you, Seamaster? Currently, I have mine lying comfortably inside my sock drawer. I eventually want to display the small sample of glass I have. The USAF-596 & The TS-5998 are too beautiful to remain hidden.


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## spiderking31

I would use newspaper, to wrap them up in, and put them where they're safe


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## Seamaster

Basically any dry place within normal temperature. I warp the lose tubes with shipping foam, stack boxed tubes in a wood cabinet, and put a lot of moisture absorber bags in there, Luckily I am mechanic, there are a lot of dry bags comes with each new engines or transmissions. I just save them...


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## Silent One

Ah ha! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Perhaps, I'll place a few small dry bags out of sight in a display cabinet.


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## willemr2

I switch tubes now and then on my headphone amp.
  To prevent that the lettering of the tubes will be rubbed off by taking my tube collection in and out of the carton boxes, I want to make a storage system where this does not happen.
 I was thinking of drilling holes in a wooden beam in which I mount tube sockets. The beam will be placed in a wooden box to keep out the sunlight, dust, etc.
  
  Does anyone have tips or good ideas on how you can best store your tubes and keep them in good condition? (next to the solutions already discussed)


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## Lord Soth

willemr2 said:


> I switch tubes now and then on my headphone amp.
> To prevent that the lettering of the tubes will be rubbed off by taking my tube collection in and out of the carton boxes, I want to make a storage system where this does not happen.
> I was thinking of drilling holes in a wooden beam in which I mount tube sockets. The beam will be placed in a wooden box to keep out the sunlight, dust, etc.
> 
> Does anyone have tips or good ideas on how you can best store your tubes and keep them in good condition? (next to the solutions already discussed)


 
  
  
 I have over 400 preamp, power and rectifier tubes.
  
 What works for me is the tube boxes (in white) which can be bought from Ebay.
 E.g. Ebay

Item number: 260983581327

Item number:260727842393
  
  

  
 To prevent the fragile tube letterings ("silkscreen") from being rubbed away, I wrap my tubes with a sheet of paper before they are stored in the white box.
  
 The required description e.g. tube name, mfg code , date code, etc.... is written on the outside of the tube box.
 I also tie the boxes of matched tube boxes together with rubber bands so that I know instantly that they are matched pairs or quads.


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## roguegeek

Reviving an old thread here. The Tube Cube was kinda neat. The Pelican case line with "Pick 'n' Pluck" is a good idea as well. Anyone come up with any others?


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## roguegeek

roguegeek said:


> Reviving an old thread here. The Tube Cube was kinda neat. The Pelican case line with "Pick 'n' Pluck" is a good idea as well. Anyone come up with any others?


 
 Anything?


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## Radio_head

Here's a cool old repairman's case with a few hundred tubes in it to boot.


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## roguegeek

radio_head said:


> Here's a cool old repairman's case with a few hundred tubes in it to boot.


 
 Ooo. Dig that a lot.


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## jamato8

Should be stored upright.


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## roguegeek

jamato8 said:


> Should be stored upright.


 
 Oh really. Why is that?


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