Best pot cleaner? Fader cleaner? Contact cleaner?

[totoxraymond]

For pots, I use a drop of 'Transyl'.  Just a small drop in the hole of the pot, then move it back and forth. Wotks great.

Tips given by an old tech servicing big consoles.

Transyl is quite easy to find here in France. Though, i don't know for the rest of the world...

Cheers,

Thomas

 

[Rob Flinn]

With regards to patchbay burnishers they are a bit of a slippery slope in that the more you use them the more they wear the contact material from the patchbay.  I have some but would not use them unless something was not fixable any other way.  I had the idea of a nylon or teflon plug with a hole down the centre & holes coming out onto the contact points would be good.  That way it would be kind to the contact but would enable you to deliver some contact cleaner exactly where it is needed.

 

[Gold]

I’ve been using an industrial syringe to deliver contact cleaners and any other chemicals exactly where it’s needed. 

 

[cyrano]

I've found someone locally with a large ultrasonic cleaner. I could simply drop each channel strip in the cleaner, with all the PCB's and components fully immersed, but pot shafts and everything above the front face NOT immersed. I'm thinking distilled/de-ionized water + electrical safe cleaning solution, with a followup bath with only water (no cleaning solution), then finish everything off with Deoxit d5 or fader lube on pots, switches and faders. Watcha think?

I clean a lot of computer PCB's in 10% isopropanol. Occasionally a small smd component drops off. Otherwise no problems. The analog gear I've cleaned this way generally shows no probs either. I've had a few small inductors fail after cleaning. No idea why.

It also depends on the type of ultrasonic cleaner. The one I had before was larger and was for mechanical parts, like carburetors and gears. That one took even paint of metal parts. Too wild for electronics. The industrial one I use now is good. Dual frequency. German, made for cleaning jewelry.

 

[Bill Wilson]

I  ran console check out in the early 70's. We used API conductive plastic faders, then switched to P & G before manufacturing our own. The OMLY thing safe for conductive plastic elements is water on a Q tip ( preferably distilled). When it comes to rotary pots, you can use several contact cleaners as open construction pots usually have carbon or hot molded elements.

Rotary pots w conductive plastic elements are almost universally sealed units, that cannot be cleaned.

 

[Tubetec]

Apparentl;y the best sonic cleaners now dont use a solid tone but a Freq sweep burst.

 

[Whoops]

What product(s) do you recommend for:
- Potentiometers?
- Faders?
- Switches
- Edge connectors and molex (BTW, is it ever okay to LIGHTLY sand these?)

Potentiometers?  - DEOXIT FADER F5

Faders? - DEOXIT FADER LUBE F100 (needle dispenser or squeeze tube)

Switches and Edge connectors and molex - DEOXIT D5 , PHILIPS 390CCS, Electrolube EML 200F

Edge connectors and molex - if exposed you can use Isopropyl Alcohol



WD40 was invented to prevent and treat corrosion in Boats, it has no business to be in electronic components. It is a light/thin lubricant and anti corrosion , it's not an electronics contact cleaner

 

[scott2000]

WD40 was invented to prevent and treat corrosion in Boats, it has no business to be in electronic components. It is a light/thin lubricant and anti corrosion , it's not an electronics contact cleaner

I heard it was invented to displace water on rockets.....

Water Displacement 40.....  Same difference I guess....

 

[saint gillis]

Isopropyl Alcohol is the best.

AVOID a product called "kontakt 60", it provokes copper and brass oxidation !!!

 

[Whoops]

I heard it was invented to displace water on rockets.....

Water Displacement 40.....  Same difference I guess....

You are right

"The spray, composed of various hydrocarbons, was originally designed to be used by Convair to protect the outer skin of the Atlas missile from rust and corrosion."

 

[cyrano]

I've always heard  iWD40's main component is some sort of fish oil, according to lab analysis by competitors trying to find out what it exactly is...

Which isn't true, according to the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

According to the label, it contains C9 and C11 hydrocarbons

https://echa.europa.eu/substance-information/-/substanceinfo/100.130.209

and <2% aromates.

 

[CJ]

i use hash oil with my pot 

 

[Tubetec]

The 'unction' oil is good if you can get it alright , the stuff here arrived mostly from Syria and the Leb , but  it was reconstituted into block form and used (on the hush hush)to fund anti gov/state and paramillitary activities on the island Ireland .

Free the weed and stop gang bangers taking our children as mental slaves .

 

[mrclunk]

AVOID a product called "kontakt 60", it provokes copper and brass oxidation !!!

THANKYOU!
I'd had my suspicions about that stuff, i used it a lot at one point and i've notice weird green marks around pins.  Luckily i'd been flushing out with iso after on the most part.

Does anyone have a UK source for caig cleaners? I used to buy it from Farnell but they don't stock them anymore. Need a bucket of faderlube.

 

[Whoops]

I don't know in the UK,
but in Europe I buy that stuff from Banzai in Germany:

https://www.banzaimusic.com/DeoxIT-150ml-Pump-spray.html

https://www.banzaimusic.com/Caig-F100L-L2C-Fader-Lube-Tube.html

 

[gyraf]

I've always used kontakt60 - scary if it really causes excessive oxidation on its own..! Although I always rinsed with kontakt600 as instructed, which may be why I haven't seen any negative effects of the '60..

Jakob E.

 

[boji]

The ONLY thing safe for conductive plastic elements is water on a Q tip

Hello Mr. WIlson,
Would you mind expanding on this?  I've been gently wiping P&G tracks with iso and they look great afterwards. The only residue I get on the cloth is obvious cigarette tar (they are old), and oxidation off the silver connections coming and going to the main tracks.

Does it take a minuscule amount of carbon off the track that shortens its life or something? 

 

[saint gillis]

I've always used kontakt60 - scary if it really causes excessive oxidation on its own..! Although I always rinsed with kontakt600 as instructed, which may be why I haven't seen any negative effects of the '60..

Jakob E.

Yes I've always seen those green oxidation spots "mrclunk" is talking about when Kontakt 60 has been used on copper or brass. Often people bring me stuff to repair and when they have used Kontakt 60 on the pots and connectors I need to clean oxidation with isopropyl alcohol. The first time I've noticed this is when I cleaned the connector of the capsule of my akg C451's, 1 week later it made pops again, and when I unscrewed the capsule I noticed there were green traces, then I used a drop of isopropyl on an ctton bud and it was cool.

 

[waltzingbear]

Try cleaning the track of the P&G with just a dry qtip. You'll see it becomes as clean as your description using alcohol. Including the tarnish on the silver lead outs.

On rare occasion it has gunk that has worked thru the overhead deflector and gotten onto the track, then just water and mild dilute detergent  will take care of it. Often just water.

Slider bars are of course another thing, use whatever you want on them to get them shiny and clean. and don't forget to swab out the teflon guides.  Then relube with one drop of TriFlow on the slide.

The track wiper is the most fragile part of the assembly and needs VERY CAREFUL attention. I wipe the mating surface off with acetone, but I have very stable hands. YMMV

The Caig products used to be the best in the world, but that changed many years ago when they changed the formulation. Now its ok, but the spray bottle is a POS. If you must use it, please use it indirectly with something like a qtip soaked in it, or squirt it into a syringe.  The overspray their dispenser creates leads to dust and dirt collection in your equipment, not good.

I have been using Elecrolubes EML-200 for a number of years on switches and pots with excellent results and good control of the application.  The good news in the US is that it is now available in small lots from Newark and some other distributor (look at the Electrolube website for distributors). I used to have to buy it by the case.

If you use an ultrasonic bath, you will need to re-lubricate all the switches and pots as it removes the basic mechanical lube from the assembly, not good. For general cleaning its better to put it in the sink and use a low pressure (ie normal) flow of hot water over everything. I usually use a spray on citrus cleaner for general purpose cleaning in that situation (orange blast, orange whatever, etc)  and the grime comes rolling off, without penetrating the switch bearing surfaces. Then a good hot air dry til ALL the water is gone. I use a heat exchanger off my hot water heating system  (because I have it) Lots of air, lots of heat gets it dry in no time.

some useful ideas that have worked for me.

Cheers
Alan

 

[jdurango]

So it looks like there's really no general consensus on any of these. I think I'm going to go with:

- Potentiometers - If accessible, CRC no residue (for cleaning) followed by Stabilant 22 for enhancement followed by diluted CAIG F100 for lubrication.
- Faders - Follow manufacturer recommended procedure, but in general, and if track is easily accessible, distilled water + q-tip. If track isn't accessible, small shot of CRC no residue, lots of movement followed by diluted CAIG F100.
- Switches - If accessible, CRC, then Stab 22, then F100.
- Edge connectors and molex - CRC then Stab 22. If REALLY oxidized/corroded, very light sanding with 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper first.

I'll reserve the ultrasonic for smaller stuff that will fit in the bath and needs a lot of cleaning overall or for sealed pots that would be a bitch to replace.

This all seems to make the most sense to me.