Is it possible to damage a vacuum tube or gas-filled tube while soldering to it (thermal shock?), and if so, are there any special precautions that should be taken while soldering tubes to avoid damage?
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3\$\begingroup\$ More often than not, they're socketed. No heat required. \$\endgroup\$– Matt YoungFeb 26, 2016 at 22:52
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\$\begingroup\$ Almost universally "no", but what specific tubes or family of tubes do you have in mind? \$\endgroup\$– EM FieldsFeb 26, 2016 at 22:53
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\$\begingroup\$ What got me wondering about this was Adafruit's now-discontinued vacuum fluorescent display clock - the instructions require the IV-18 VFD to be soldered directly to a PCB which then has a connector that plugs into a socket. I am now trying to build my own VFD clock using a salvaged VFD. The only issue I have is that the pins are unusually shaped and will not fit into any standard socket. \$\endgroup\$– 3871968Feb 26, 2016 at 22:56
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Thermal Paste and a slow heating process with a reflow gun would probably work well. The various glass parts should heat up slowly compared to a soldering iron, and the temperatures can be kept lower. I would suggest soldering either extension wires or some other heat resistant thing, so that the salvaged parts are easier to work with during prototyping.
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\$\begingroup\$ How about, whenever possible, holding the leg with a pair of needle-nose pliers between the device and the place being soldered? That won't always be practical, but I think it should pretty reliably keep the device from getting too hot. \$\endgroup\$– supercatMay 25, 2016 at 15:07