Inserting tubes into Crack (solved)

[lwalls]

Hello, I come here with what I feel may be a fairly standard question. I have been assembling the Crack, yet had issues when reaching the glow test. Even though i triple-checked that the tubes had the correct orientation, I still did not get the in all the way, even though I pushed quite hard. Additionally, the ceramic holder for the power tube chipped slightly in the area around the ridge that serves to orient the tube.
Is the solution here to simply push harder? I have also considered coating the pins of the tube in a conductive lubricant, would this work and is there anything to be careful of?
Thank you all very much.

 

[Larpy]

It's extremely unlikely your problem is with the tube pins' contact with the socket, and I don't think conductive lubricant is a good idea. Instead, I'd recommend examining the solder connections between the transformer and the socket lugs. I suspect you'll find the issue there. One insufficiently soldered connection and the tubes won't glow.

Posting photos might help us to better diagnose your problem.

 

[lwalls]

The issue wasnt that th tubes wouldnt glow. The issue was that I couldnt insert them fully. I inserted them partially and they still glowed, but i did not manage to insert them fully.

 

[lwalls]

Update: I pushed harder

 

[Urshurak776]

Update: I pushed harder

New tube sockets can be super tight. Firm pressure and a little wiggling left to right and top to bottom should allow it to go in. It will get a bit easier over time. Dealt with this a lot with guitar tube amps.

 

[Larpy]

Sorry that I misunderstood and I'm glad you got it sorted out.