Do they still sell multi-part electrolytic capacitors?

What a lot of people in your situation do, these days, is temporarily remove the old cap-can, carefully gut it, and install several smaller modern capacitors inside the shell, connecting them to the appropriate lugs on the bottom terminal disc. Using modern caps, and a bit of sleeving on the leads, it's usually possible to fit the necessary individual parts into the shell.

You can then reinstall the Wolves In Cheap Clothing capacitor-set in its original location. Cosmetically it will look just like the original; electrically it will probably be quite a bit superior to the original.

You might be able to do the same thing with the wax-coated multicap... or, if its case is already "gone bad" you can probably make a reasonable look-alike using a cardboard sleeve over a set of modern caps, and (if you insist on original appearance) dip it in wax or varnish.

** Not made anymore by anyone.

EXCEPT for some double types with brands like F&T, ARS and K&D.

LCR used to make them too but when out of business about 10 years ago.

You will see them all on eBay.

FYI

I have come across new looking triple types that were sold for use in old Fender amps:

Don't buy them, they are 50+ year old caps that are all faulty.

.... Phil

Look here for the capacitors you want.

YOu should be able to find the 60/40 solder from places in the US.If in anoter country, I don't know.

Ebay is full of the 60/40 and 63/37 solder.

Mouser.com has some at about $45 per pound spool

The newer stuff will mix ok with the old for the tube size equipment. Just takes more heat to melt the newer stuff. I don't use the lead free on anything. No work for pay,as I am just doing electronic work for myself.

Those multi-section capacitors are quickly becoming extinct. There are a few vendors that still cater to those who resotore antique electronics. Here are a few that I have used in the past.

There are probably more that I haven't seen or heard of. There have been several sites that have shut down, likely because of the owners' health or lack of buisiness. There used to be a guy online who actually rebuilt the old multi-section capacitors. He opened the aluminum case, removed the old capacitor guts and replaced the sections with new, individual capacitors and resealed the case. He did a pretty good job; I used his service a couple of times, but his health caused him to close the business. you're correct about the "old stock" parts. the electrolytics will have to be reformed before putting them to work in a real circuit. If they're not too far gone, reforming will get a lot of life out of them. If you have no other choice, you have a good chance of bringing them back to life.

I use the old 63/37 tin/lead solder. Not cheap any more, but still available. No reason to go lead-free in the old equipment.

Good luck in your hobby. Not many of us old tube guys around any more.

Cheers, Dave M

snipped-for-privacy@tubes.com wrote:

You can still buy leaded solder, even in Europe where it is not allowed in new electronics that is sold, but can still legally be used to repair things that were built before 2006. You can also use it to make new things in Europe if you do not "place them on the market".

The solder with 60% lead is not even very nice to use, because it spends a lot of time in a "mushy" state as it is cooling. I think they only used 60% lead in old appliances because lead is cheaper than tin. The eutectic alloy with 37% lead is much better because it goes from fully liquid to being fully solid over a small range of temperature, but is slightly more expensive due to the higher price of tin.

Some of the lead-free solders are actually not bad to use, for example

96SC alloy from Multicore. The melting point is a bit higher than tin-lead eutectic but probably not much different from the 60% lead alloy that you wanted. The high melting point would only really be a problem if you are desoldering components from plated-through holes in a multilayer board with several ground planes buried within it, and that sounds unlikely for your vintage electronics. The only problem that I have with the 96SC alloy is that it is expensive, perhaps partly due to the 3.8% silver content.

The area around the wet sponge used for cleaning the soldering iron usually gets covered in tiny solder particles and dust, that get on the carpet etc. When soldering at home the main risk is probably if you have a young child in your family of the age where they crawl on the floor eating dirt, and they eat some lead dust. A blood concentration of lead that is increased by 50 parts per billion is correlated with an IQ that is 10 to 20 points lower. If you do the calculations, 50 parts per billion is not much.

If you are working on old equipment then regardless of whether you use leaded solder wire or not, the solder droplets that end up on your sponge and on the bench around it will contain lead, so it is best to wipe it up carefully and keep it out of living areas of your house.

Research the term "restuffing", I've done it a few times. Modern caps tend to be smaller volume and if you can find the right aspect ratio, can get 2 or 3 in a recycled can. Add insulation between the caps, removing the original contents can be messy and you might have to go for axial type caps and somtimes the new contents might protrude under the can

Most of the "popular" types of multi-section caps are still made for specif ic purposes.

about halfway down the page.

This is only one (1) example of such sources. There are a great many simila r sources. I have seen such dedicated to brands like Zenith and Hallicrafte rs in the radio end of the hobby - and many more dedicated to the likes of McIntosh, Dynaco, Eico, Marantz and others. The downside is that they are N OT cheap, typically tens of multiples of the cost of individual caps.

That being written, NOS caps are as suspect as the one in your radio. Restu ffing works nicely, is inexpensive and as you become more skilled at it, wi ll be invisible as well as far less costly.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Yes, Antique Electronic Supply still makes fresh stock "twist prong" can style (a.k.a. Mallory "FP" type).

They also make the multi-section "under-the-chassis" (the ones that look like a giant firecracker) types:

This guy also sells new twist prong cans:

Ken:

I can thing of half-a-dozen makers off-hand still active. I linked only the most broadly based with whom I have had direct experience. I guess these v endors are not available in to the hinterlands.

Dealing with Phil is much like nailing Jello - a not very rewarding endeavo r.

But, while we are at it - and refuting Phil's "50-year old" crap:

0/%20Can%20Type

These are only the most obvious with an international presence. I know of t wo cottage industry makers who do perhaps 30 or 40 per year as-needed for t heir customers. they want the old can as "trade", so I expect they actuall y restuff - but the results are visibly indistinguishable 'from new' right down to stamped cardboard covers - if that was OEM - but with their brand i n place.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

I've done the "re-stuffing" thing myself a few times. It's a hassle and a c ouple of times the new capacitors I put into the can failed within a week ( exploded inside the can). So I had to take them all apart again. Found out the replacement caps were counterfeits! Some were Jacques Ebert and some we re Nichicon. All were purchased from my local electronics parts supplier.

couple of times the new capacitors I put into the can failed within a week (exploded inside the can). So I had to take them all apart again. Found ou t the replacement caps were counterfeits! Some were Jacques Ebert and some were Nichicon. All were purchased from my local electronics parts supplier.

THAT is a serious and increasing problem. Caps in general, and electrolytic s specifically, have reached the point of diminishing returns for manufactu rers as most buyers simply don't care what they are getting. So the OEM man ufacturer with a conscience is also competing with the Chinese and Indian b ack-alley operations.

I try to purchase from legitimate suppliers such as Mouser or Newark and I try to purchase 105C. rated caps for those 'stuffing' and 'tube-audio' purp oses where temperatures are significant. For the hobbyist, the relative cos t of parts in onesie/twosie is insignificant. For a manufacturer purchasing in the thousands, it might be. If I pay $5 for a cap vs. $0.99, it is ofte n worth it to get the right part for the job and no 'go-back-later' crap.

I have the same attitude towards tools.

4SBD5

Channellock.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

a couple of times the new capacitors I put into the can failed within a we ek (exploded inside the can). So I had to take them all apart again. Found out the replacement caps were counterfeits! Some were Jacques Ebert and som e were Nichicon. All were purchased from my local electronics parts supplie r.

ics specifically, have reached the point of diminishing returns for manufac turers as most buyers simply don't care what they are getting. So the OEM m anufacturer with a conscience is also competing with the Chinese and Indian back-alley operations.

I generally only buy Panasonic (like the EE or FR) from DigiKey. I'm sure Mouser and others supply them. I may be the only person on the planet who thinks Panasonic electros are the best in the world but that's what I buy f or tough applications. Never had a problem and never saw one fail even aft er many years.

** They do not make any such thing.

The Mallory FP types are USA made examples from 50+ years ago - with a shiny label applied. I have seen them with all sections open circuit.

I pulled one apart and found the internals totally dried out - as one would expect.

You have not seen one at all.

.... Phil

** Dealing with retarded idiots make me wanna puke.

** How the hell does that *refute* anything ?

It doesn't.

.... Phil

This

page should be useful. The perfe ctionists either stuff them or use the old ones for show and hide the new o nes. Almost the same effect. I thin, I remember where the cap is cut clean ly and then essentially the lid taped on.

Could this be caused by a heat buildup inside the can? At least the can protected you when they exploded though.

I dont know why it is, that the old caps used in tube equipment seemed to last many years, sometimes 50 years or more, but today they fail in only a few years. Seems a lot of computer boards have this problem regularly. I would think that we would have better materials to make them these days, than when they were just made from tin foil, paper and wax, but it seems those old ones were far better.

Who the heck are you talking to?

That would be Mr. Allison, our resident Tourette's Syndrome tech. He goes in fits and starts, with sometimes months of civility and good advice, punctuated with periods of full blown psychosis.

And, when both wrong *and* off his meds, he advocates all kinds of colorful fates for his momentary enemies.

It is a very good thing he is where he is - I doubt he would survive in an environment where he would be held accountable for his ravings.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

hiny label applied. I have seen them with all sections open circuit.

uld expect.

I wasn't saying those were genuine Mallory FP capacitors being sold at Anti que Electronics. Some people know the twist prong can style capacitor by th e FP designation as an example. Cornell (CDE) and Sprague also produced twi st prong can capacitors back in the day.