Hi Everyone
I am redoing my ham shack and wanting to do some tube and tube box displays.
I would like some pointer on tube displays or pictures of your displays to give me some idea's.
Also idea's on what to hole the tubes with. I have added pictures of my ham shack.
thanks
alton

Wiring them to a back board is fairly secure, not too visible, and doesn't require modifications to the boxes. That's for a wall display.

When I finish my shack this week I will post pictures of it.
Alton

Snoop out scrap lumber and break out your woodworking tools. You'll need a drill press or at least a power drill with a guide.

You can tell where this is going....

Hi
Yes I see we're you going. I actual made a few already.
I wish I had a simple idea for say a single tube.
Alton

Well, corform the idea!!!

What's your idea of simple? Simple is a relative term - it does NOT mean quick and easy.

Whatever you do make it solid. Nothing worse than a lightweight display that the cat can knock over or the cleaning lady, or a shelf that collapses and takes down some nice glass collectable tubes. Ron in Radio Heaven on here has done some substantial tube displays in the past and might have some ideas.

a lot of good ideas so far if any body have pictures of there display please post
them may give me some more ideas.
thanks
alton

If you go to a mill shop or a (real) hardware store, you may be able to find sheet iron plates. You can screw these to the bottom of tube stands that you make. You should be looking to make a base whose dimensions are at least half the height of the tube.

Hi Nick
that a good idea I have some .125 allum. plate I can cut up to make base's with.
thanks
alton

No, no... why aluminum? It's lighter than some woods. The point was for the metal to be a base weight.

Here's an odd thought. Get some very large hex nuts and polish them up. Place the tube so that the pins just fit the ID.
Or, use some lead to weight down a board or wooden base.
I have seen sockets mounted in a sheet metal box. Black wrinkle paint puts the tubes in the spotlight.

I've seen guys use hockey pucks to make a stand. They can be painted quite nicely.

There's always tube sockets to display tubes in. And the sockets usually have some convenient mounting. Except for some weird tubes like some UHF transmitting tubes. So people make lamps out of those.

Take a piece of wood of your desired type and thickness.
(Note: Old pallets are often made of oak and are generally free.)
Chuck a door knob hole saw in your drill press and make a lot of "donuts or disks".
Then take a smaller hole saw and make the center hole for the tube of your desired size to fit the tube.
You can sand & attach the finished "donut" to a metal (or wood) base with double sided tape or drill a couple of countersunk screw holes into the metal ( or wood) and a pilot hole into the wood Use a bugle head screw and attach the the display base to the main base.
I have seen some beautiful turned wood "donuts" for display, stained or Tung oiled and polished.

Here's what I use for the majority of my tube collection
that have UV style bases.
They're pizza box lid supports, I had a friend that owned
a local pizza shop about 20 years ago, I got him to order
me a case.
I've recently came up with a modification for them to display
tubes with octal bases, I drill a 5/16" hold in the center of
the round flat base, the center pin of the octal base fits
right in the hole.
On the bottom shelf you'll see that I sometimes use styrofoam
to hold tubes, I've used both the green like you see here that's
the same stuff as florist use, and the blue sheet insulation
styrofoam.

Ron,
Great idea, cheap and a lot less hassle than wood.

HI Everyone
I am just finishing redoing my ham shack. I got through
the day before the storm was coming into Louisiana.
winds and rain real bad today, will post pictures when
the storm is gone, if it ever leaves.
alton

I made this little "night light" with a UV200 tube and a bakelite box I found in an antique store. I added a C cell and a slide switch to power the filaments.

Very nice night light.
Alton