Contact cleaners , the no's and the go's ?

[andre tchmil]

my question is simple : which ones to use , which ones to avoid?
I need to clean a lot of non sealed contacts .

 

[zayance]

I'd be curious too.
The ones i use usually (wich are speciallty for contact cleaning) seem to "lube" too much, most "soft" pots/faders turns out to go too loose, and sometimes feel more scratching the carbon too much after, if i'm clear enough?
I guess most will say "Deoxit"?

 

[tony hunt]

Deoxit is generic term and the company has a huge range of things to squirt at hardware and components
For cleaning contacts I use Deoxit D5.
For pots I only use Deoxit Faderlube now.

 

[zayance]

For pots I only use Deoxit Faderlube now.

Does Deoxit Faderlub, take the feeling of the pot/fader away if you see what i mean?


Sorry to hijack Andre Tchmil, if i am?


EDIT: With a little search found my answer on another forum but searching for what you use:

ALL cleaners will remove the silicon loading from the controls and that will make your control "feel" change from a nice smooth motion to loosey-goosey. In the case of a slide pot, the pot will become tight and you won't be able to move it without it "catching."

The cleaners that lube do not restore the "feel" and are not designed to do that.

 

[hymentoptera]

I always cringe when shopping for used gear and learn that the seller has recently "cleaned" the controls... : It's always pretty hit and miss with anything used I guess.

 

[mjrippe]

Yes, I've seen things "cleaned" with WD-40  :'(

 

[radiance]

This is the knowledge I've gathered over the years...but correct me if I'm wrong.
For metal contacts (switches, plugs, connectors etc) I tent to use deoxit or pro gold...or just pure alcohol...whatever works.
Mind you, deoxit and pro gold DO leave a little grease after use.
For anything carbon you can't use oily or greasy stuff cause this makes the carbon weak. Carbon should just be cleaned with mildly warm water and maybe a hint of mild soap...that's all.
So, faders (containing carbon) or pot's (containing carbon) should be disassembled and the carbon tracks should be cleaned.
The feel of a pot has to do with the shaft...it might contain (high melting point) grease (expensive stuff) which gives the pot the feel.