I just did both xfmr's in an RCA X-551 in less than 30 minutes, including removal and replacement. I've been using these pliers for years, and they make removal of that brass rivet a two second job. Just insert the jaws around the rivet, and gently squeeze. simple as that. a little TLC removing the old plastic hold down plate, bend up the old contact tabs and put it back together. Those little IFT's don't lend themselves to fitting the caps inside the can too well, especially on the second IFT, which on an RCA, uses larger values so I just place them underneath the chassis (like most other people)
Anyway, that's what I do, and it works great.

Pete

For those who, like me, are hard of seeing, this is the tool that Pete means:
http://www.amazon.com/Xcelite-170M-Gene ... B0002BBZIS

Amazon says "Item Weight 13 pounds". They don't look that big next to the chassis.

Freeman.

Yeah that weight is a little off...by about 13 lbs. I bought mine from All-Spec

Pete

Xcelite cutters are very good quality tools. Since I am a toolmaker, I consider myself pretty well versed as regards to what tools are worth the money. So on my bench, I had a pretty good selection of diagonals, nippers, etc., all American made. Then the wife took a job at a local Onkyo speaker plant for about a year. Plant shut down, and she was given a couple tools by the supervisor when she was laid off. One was an Xcelite cutter like shown in the first post. That little guy is now the one cutter I use when snipping out components, trimming component leads, etc.

I sold those in the store I ran in the 80's under the brand name "Xeuron Tools".
My pair is still cutting just fine.

Frank, the Xeuron brand end nippers and flush cutters are still sold by a few of the better piano parts houses (like Schaff and Pianotek). The flush cutter/nipper I own has Xeuron's design where the two cutters don't quite line up with each other (offset about .005"), so the two cutting edges don't dull or damage each other.

Fred

"IFT" another made up acronym to confuse the radio people that actually use english language.

Dave

Pete,
Thanks for this tip. Just bought the tool and tried it. Amazing! I hated melting them out or trying to drill them out. The mica came out in one piece and I was able to measure the capacitance.

Do these pliars cut the rivet off, or just bend it in?

Larry,
It cuts off the rivet CLEAN! I do not use it for anything else and have it marked SMD Only.

Good, that will make it easy peasy to get the bottom mica sheets out.... this IF can rebuilding isn't as difficult as I thought it was.....

I have a pair of these pliars/cutters that have never been used too.....

I am working on a 1949 RCA 9Y7 radio-phonograph that has bad IF's. The first one, on the left, is the input IF and it is a Ratel brand with both mica sheets right on the top of the IF. I just bent the top pens up, removed the mica sheets, then used shrink tubing and shrinked it down to cover the top pins before bending them back down into place. All that remains to do on that one is to install the top cover and new pF caps underneath. Easy as pie on this one. I didn't even take the IF can out of the chassis.....

I inspected the bottom of the second one, the output IF, and it clearly has the rivet and mica sheets at the bottom of the IF. I'm sure glad to find out about using a cutter to cut the rivet off.... This IF can will have to be unsoldered and removed from the chassis to repair it.

IFT = Intermediate Frequency Transformer

IFC = Intermediate Frequency Can <--- (I just made that up)

??? From the description: "Shipping Weight: 0.6 ounces"