I'm sure plenty of you'all have done this fix, but I've got some pics to show here for the uninitiated.

I had some great luck with the Marconi FM252 and after replacing the resistor in the IF can, 22 paper caps and the electrolytics, the radio was playing nicely on all four bands. Then some bad luck. I was cleaning up some bad solder work on a tube socket where someone in the past had replaced a cap. Pulled a little too hard on a stubborn wire loop and dang it, snapped the tab off the socket!

Could it have been in a worse place, too? Yes, there are a couple of worse places in this chassis, but still, this is a tight spot for a socket fix. I removed a cap so that there'd be room to work.
Lucky I have old sockets in my junk box that are similar. Lucky I was able to extract one of those pin sockets with the tab intact. Broke one off on the first try. The pic shows the new piece going in. I shoved it in gently and it snapped into place. Like I said, I've been lucky with this radio.

Yup, that's why I never throw anything away.

Along the same line of thought on tube sockets..whenever I have to replace an entire tube socket or a contact in a socket, it's not necessary to remove multiple wires from any of the old socket tabs. Simply dike/cut each of the old socket's tabs off near the old socket (or the one old tab if you're replacing just one contact). Then, after installing the new socket (or the new contact(s) into the old socket) into the panel, tag-solder the old intact tab (which still has all its components wires soldered to it) to the new tab. This saves work & frustration along with reducing the amount and duration of heat needing applied to heat sensitive components that are close to the socket. I've never had these tag-soldered joints come loose, as they aren't under any stress. I re-did an entire Simpson model 1000 tubetester panel in this way, and nothing has ever come loose on it.

These ideas were on ARF some years ago, but it may help to mention them again every few years.

I typically make considerable effort to replace the pins without removing the socket when I break one. It can usually be done. The "key" lies in finding how the pins are latched into the socket and undoing it without further destruction.

Fred, I've just searched around the net for "tag soldering." Didn't find much. I'm not familiar with this technique. Could you explain it? Thx.
-DS

coil is the way to go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9P01eYbjA
I have made and installed many coils and works great. this guy solved a very important technique problem. the angle of the component and the tool. this is a revelation. so simple I never thought of it. makes it so much easier just this simple adjustment of the angle.
unless you are making a museum piece coils is the way to go

I think I've heard that called a "squig." I've used them, but I've gone back to trying to get the old lead off unless it's a really impossible spot to reach.
-DS

Replacing just the broken pin is the way to go.

I have been doing that for over 40 years now. The difficult part is to find the exact pin for the socket you are working on. They made a lot of different types over the years.

When I got some old junker piece of gear- before sockets became hard to find- I would always pull out all the unsoldered tube socket pins and put them in a drawer. It was amazing how many unsoldered pins many of the TV sets had,especially on the damper & HV rect. sockets.
My pin drawer has saved my goose many times over the years.
( Of course now I save every socket I find.)

I lost count of how many times I replaced the worn out pins ont he sockets in my tube testers, after they wouldn't re-tension any more. Sometimes you can't find the same type of mounting style socket they originally had.

Now if there was only a real easy way to replace a broken pin on a wafer socket or one that has a chunk of he bottom wafer broken out .....

I USED to do that too.... but after breaking off a couple of solder tabs and getting a couple of tube sockets and adjacent components way too hot - I'm a "lead coiler" now. Besides being less stressful (for both you and the radio) - it also makes it TONS easier to replace those components - if they ever need replacement - in the future........

I have a tool I made especially for lead winding. I can't take credit for the idea though. Another member posted the idea here some time ago.

The idea is to use an Exacto knife handle and a short length of sturdy wire. I used the cut off lead from an old cap.

Bend the wire into tight "U" shape, leaving the opening in the U about the width of the average component lead. Place the wire into the slot of the knife handle, leaving the two ends facing out. Tighten the handle and then cut one side of the U to about 1/8" from the end of the clamp.

Now you can place the tip of most any lead between the two pieces of wire and turn the knife handle to coil the lead. Works like a charm.

This telephone company "spooger" works well for making the coils.

-DS

Interesting tool. To make sure I understand, the 1/8" wire stubs purpose is to help with the winding the coil? Would a paper clip work as the "U" shaped wire?

Think I'll make me one of these.

Carl

Having a lead tied to tightly to a socket usually results in breaking something, sometimes the pin of a socket, or lug off an IF can, or terminal off a pot.

After reading these posts, I wondered.......Lead bending, or twisting, coiling, seems very difficult.

Why not (as I do) just clip out the body only of the offending component, leaving the original leads straight and as long as possible. Take the new component, wind the lead around a jewellers screwdriver shaft, coiling it about 5 or 6 turns then snip off the excess. Then gently push the old lead into the new coils on the new component and overlay with solder.