Pot Cleaner, How much, What brand and were do you get it?

[jh45gun]

That Peavey I got I figure needs some good cleaning on the pots and jacks. so what do you guys use for Pot and Switch cleaner where do you buy it and how much? Radio Shack has some stuff for Ten bucks a can maybe thats average but it seems a bit high to me. I would like to buy locally if I can as shipping always is a price factor. Just wondering what you all use and where you get it. I know for pots you should have a cleaner Lube and for Jacks a cleaner So I suppose two cans will be needed for each job or is there do all out there that works for general purpose? Used to be in the old days you could by Tuner Cleaner cheap for cleaning switches and jacks ect now it seems hard to find as there is not a such a animal as a dial tuner anymore least not on anything new.

[Wayne Alexander]

you need one with lube in it for pots, and a separate electronics cleaner with no lube/no residue for tube sockets, jacks, connections, etc. All electronics stores should have them. $10 is not expensive for them. I never pay much attention to the brands, I'm sure others can give you specific brand names to look for. Frys or Radio Shack should have them.

[ne4tt]

I like Caig products. Jamie

Caig Labs

Fader Lube

[EMan]

I use WD-40. Works for everyhting....pots, jacks, switches, tube sockets, the lawnmower, whatever.

When I post this rec., I usually get remarks about 'flamability'. However, the flashpoint of WD is higher than what solder melts at. Fundamentally, that means that if the the WD is burning, the amp is already on fire.

[PhatTele]

I use Craig Labs Deoxit 5 for everything. Though, I did find some non-lube contact cleaner at Lowes that worked really well for things like jacks and tube sockets. However, when that ran out, I just kept it up with the Deoxit.

[graphs]

i got Caig products on the recommend of TDPRIers a few months back and have been satisfied with the product. worth checking out.

[TeleSlim]

I suggested this on the ampage a while back and got my Butt blasted. I do electrical PM 40 hrs. a week and use CRC $20+ a can with MSDS lable on can.
But i'll swear by WD-40.
I had a 56 chevy truck and pulled the light switch out when i first bought it cause the dash lights would not work. It was rusted pretty bad so I covered it with WD and put it back in the next day. That reostat worked flawlessly till i sold the truck 8-10 yrs.

TeleSlim

[Tim Armstrong]

Caig products here.

Cheers, Tim

[Tele_MEL]

For what it's worth,

Aspen Pittman " The Tube Amp Book " goes out of it's way to say DO NOT USE WD-40 cleaning tube sockets, or anything that leaves a lubricant behind.

< the lubricant combined with high voltages present in tubes attracts dust and airborne contaminants, many of which are organic in composition. This means that their chemical composition are based on carbon < ... > which build up and bridge together adjacent pins on the tube socket, causing a phenomenon called " Arc " >

so it's not heat simply combusting WD-40

Sounds like others have used it with no problems, so good for them.

Me being a bit conservative, seems easy enough to spend a few bucks on some bonafide contact cleaner to avoid a problem ( especially on an expensive amp! )

He recommends Radio Shack 64-2322, Rawn contact clearner, or Caeon 27 ( which he prefers for some reason ).

Conversely, same tech tip says to NOT use tube cleaner on pots, at they NEED the lubricant left behind, preferably silicone. Recommends Radio Shack or Cramolin.

MEL

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

Caig products here.

Cheers, Tim

To be more specific:

Caig De-Oxit for contacts:



Caig FaderLube for pots and faders:



Cheers, Tim

[jh45gun]

TeleSlim the local hardware store sells CRC QD Electronic Cleaner for contacts for under 4 bucks a can I guess it must be a smaller can than you use or you use a different CDC product maybe? Anyway I had a can and it is now empty So I guess I will replace that to use for my contact cleaner and then If I cannot find a other electronic cleaner with lube I guess I will go with the Radio shack product. I see they now have Caig as a product but I did not see any there must not be on their shelves yet.

[Dacious]

I use CRC Contact Switch cleaner for the lube. It works fine on pots.

I believe the reason for not using WD40 or RP7 is that the 'lubricant' in them is a soluble oil which basically evaporates. It is also not rated to pass signal so if you use a heap may ground out and actually stop signal passing until it flashes off. It is designed to encapsulate water and then 'flash off' with it so your wet sparkplugs will fire.They will de-rust something temporarily but the rust will qucikly return once they dry off.

Once it is gone, it provides no residual lubrication.

Whereas true pot cleaner/lube leaves a thin greasy residue once it dries which both passes current, doesn't insultate and lubricates. Without the lube you're basically scratching your carbon track and probably prematurely wearing the pot.

Note that plastic pots like those in a mixer and some other modern audio stuff like a lot of FX pedals will often melt if you use ordinary pot clear with thinners on them. There is a third type of lube designed for plastic pots that is basically pressurised grease in a can with a different sort of cleaner. I use that for these.

[Rocks]

I've heard that Ceasar Diaz (SRV's amp tech) used gumout and we all know how hard SRV pushed his amps.

[klasaine]

I always cleaned my pot with either the Beatles 'white album' or Gino Vanelli's 'brother to brother'. Both were white, double albums and you could see what you were doing.

Sorry, couldn't resist.
Caig works best - don't spary it on your pot though ... sorry again. Lol!

[EMan]

I'll just add that when I worked for a Hammond Organ Service Center, Hammond rec'd WD40 for all their switches, drawbars, etc.

It is not good however, for any gold, or gold plated contacts. In that case, Thomas Organ rec'd LPS1.

I've had my '62 Princeton since 1962 and have had to shoot the pots exactly twice since I've owned it .. :-) Two things in this world actuall work - duct tape and WD40 :)

There's nothing wrong with having an arsenal of clearners and lubes at ready, however, for the average guy, I feel it's a waste of money.

[JimiBryant]

Caig when I have it, or I go to my local auto parts place and get a can of PB BLAST (the stuff is like WD-40 on steroids!)

[photoweborama]

I use this stuff. I don't want any residue...

http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/409b.html

[danocaster]

Pot Cleaner ??

I used to use a album cover to clean my pot - ya know , the ones that folded open ? (I think they called them "gatefold" covers)

Kiss Alive II was the go-to cover until my mom found it

But I dont do that stuff anymore

[TeleSlim]

The CRC i use at work (or used as i've been off for 3 mounths now) has an MSDS sheet on the can which adds to the cost. I think the same can was $9.00 at home Depot without the MSDS lable.
I don't remember which one it is as they have many. They make an electro clean thats good on motors and grease also works good as paint remover the paint just runs off

We used one that would crack cube relay casings and melt some plastics. With another the vapor would explode or cach fire if you didn't give it time to dissipate. People would catch panels on fire and they stopped us from using it this was the best one.

I also have a 1966 GA-20-RVT amp which i have used WD on years ago only one time. I havn't used it for some time due to a problem with the reverb section butt the pots work great. The amp had me thinkin i was nuts using WD.

TeleSlim

[Bluesbob]

Somebody recommended brake parts cleaner to me without telling me it melts plastic. But it does do a great job on purely metal parts. I use it for connectors and to clean wires. Just don't get it on the insulation. For pots I like the Radio Shack tuner cleaner, which has a lubricant and I use Caig gold or cramoline oil made for slot cars (cheap source!) for cables with RCA or 1/4" connectors.

danocaster: I just knew somebody would suggest a gatefold LP cover. Remember those?

[Ed Bickert]

Most electronics cleaners (pot cleaners) will not only eat plastic, but they'll gum up a nitro finish pretty quickly too. That stuff MUST be used with care and caution. A working pot is no consolation when the finish has little soft spots all of the sudden where the spray hit the finish.

I do not like the radio shack tuner cleaner. I think it has too much lubricant IMO. And it's typical "radio shack" grade. Fine for radios, but for something as delicate as a 40+ year old pot I'd hate to spray that junk in there.

Worth noting is something the pot cleaners can do more harm than good. They can loosen up some oxidization and then send it around the brushes and eventually make a bigger problem than what you tried to rememedy.

I think the best thing to use is a product called, "Deoxit." it's expensive, but the only thinf I'd shoot into the pot of a prized guitar. And again...keep it off everything you can. It's been mentioned a few times in this thread already. If you want premium grade pot cleaner, then buy this. Period.

The radio shack tuner cleaner will leave an oily residue on anything you don't immediately wipe off.

WD-40 is the worst in my opnion. Yes, it works. But it's far too crude to dump into a pot. And after it cleans it leaves far too much low-grade lube behing for my tastes. But to each his own.

Brake parts cleaners, carbeurator cleaners, and other automotive cleaners is virtually suicide. That stuff is meant to aggressively attack the surface. Just far too caustic for this kind of work.

[Bluesbob]

but I never considered a 40-year-old pot as being delicate. And I was thinking of the OP, which was about an amp. The De-Oxit is a better cleaner, but does it have the lubricant? The Caig Gold is what I use on tube pins because it enhances conductivity and lubes them up good and comes in a spray can. But the main ingredient is cramoline, which you can buy cheap for model motoring usage. Radio Shack tuner cleaner is just fine for pots in an amp, besides if they're starting to get scratchy, they're already damaged internally. They'll get scratchy again and using cleaner and lube is just postponing the inevitable day when they need to be replaced.

[TeleSlim]

The one thing i should do more often is twist them pots on my gear. I feel letting them sit in one spot is what causes most problems aside from spilling your drink or God knows what else into them.

At work I have a lot of socketed components also and just rock/pull them out then pusht/rock them back in same as i do my tubes.
TeleSlim

[kdmerchant]

How much disassembly is needed to clean the pots effectively?

[CIM]

Originally Posted by jh45gun

That Peavey I got I figure needs some good cleaning on the pots and jacks. so what do you guys use for Pot and Switch cleaner where do you buy it and how much? Radio Shack has some stuff for Ten bucks a can maybe thats average but it seems a bit high to me. I would like to buy locally if I can as shipping always is a price factor. Just wondering what you all use and where you get it. I know for pots you should have a cleaner Lube and for Jacks a cleaner So I suppose two cans will be needed for each job or is there do all out there that works for general purpose? Used to be in the old days you could by Tuner Cleaner cheap for cleaning switches and jacks ect now it seems hard to find as there is not a such a animal as a dial tuner anymore least not on anything new.

I have used switch contact cleaner spray on pots with often good results - the biggest problem I have had though is taking lube out of the pot so that it becomes stiff to operate. This has happened a couple of times, perhaps due to using too much solvent and washing the grease out of the pot shaft bearings - necessitating a shot of WD40 to free it off.