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Topic: tube amp cabinet question |
Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 5:34 am |
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| I built my own plywood cabinet for a desktop-style tube amp where the tubes are facing up, and there's about one inch of clearance between the top of the 6L6 tubes and bare wood. Should I be concerned about the heat that wood will take over the years? The cabinet has plenty of ventilation, but since heat rises (and radiates) it will hit the wood first. Is there a recommended treatment, some kind of heat-reflecting paint maybe? |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 5:50 am
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what do you mean by "plenty of ventilation"? you have vents on the top of the amp ala vox amps??
one inch?....i would and have just taken some aluminum flashing...folded it over and staple it in such that there are enough to hold it in, but not compress it together. the gaps in the folded alum along with the alum itself will shield the wood from the tube heat.
the heat has to get out, but as long as the back of the amp is open so you can see the tubes you will be just fine with the wood covered by the alum flashing. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 10:38 am
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Clarify 'facing up'... are the tubes vertical? If the tube is one inch away from wood and it has a horizontal exposure then you could have problems.
Best practice is to copy the way someone else did it... there's not that many ways to skin a cat.
_________________
Too much junk to list... always getting more. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 1:00 pm
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| You'll definitely see some scorch marks in the wood if it's unprotected! If there's a solid surface (no vents) above the tubes, you'll either need a fan to move the air, or a thin metal plate fastened to the wood above the tubes to act as a heat-sink, and to distribute the contrated heat over a larger area. |
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Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 2:54 pm
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| The chassis is on the bottom, not suspended from the top like some amps. Tubes are vertical. The back is mostly open, air can flow out easily. But the top gets warm. |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 11 Apr 2014 4:47 pm
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Understood. And like others have said, you need a thin sheet of aluminum covering most all of the wood above the tubes to protect the wood from the heat of the tubes. Only staple the edges of the sheet...this will allow a small air gap between the sheet and the wood. Any hardware store should have something that would work fine.
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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Eddie Thomas
From:
Macon,Ga.,USA
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Posted 12 Apr 2014 9:34 am Heatsink
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| Some amp companies, use aluminum screenwire, stapled to the top of the cabinet. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 12 Apr 2014 10:53 am Re: Heatsink
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| Eddie Thomas wrote: |
| Some amp companies, use aluminum screenwire, stapled to the top of the cabinet. |
thats usually for shield, not heat. |
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Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Apr 2014 5:26 pm
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| Thanks for all the advice. I now have a nice aluminum flashing heat shield with an air space between the shield and the wood. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2014 8:45 am
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Can you even replace tubes without removing the chassis?
_________________
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2014 6:38 pm
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| Chris Lucker wrote: |
| Can you even replace tubes without removing the chassis? |
Yes, one-inch gap allows pulling tubes out. |
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