WD-40 to clean electric contacts?

[pfjw@aol.com]

** It is not possible to "lubricate" a sealed pot, you need to make a small hole in it first. Sealing a pot does not prevent it becoming noisy.

There are two basic ways to do this, and one semi-exotic way, the last being universally successful, but with lots of caveats. All but the first require removing the pot from the device.

a) A pressure pump - this will drive the lubricant down the shaft. A threaded tube connects to the pot with an internal sealing O-ring. It is then pressurized with the lubricant inside. In 80% of pots - including the likes of Revox - this works fine. I keep just such a device.

b) Removing the pot(s), warming it (warm, not hot) and dropping it in cold lubricant. The cooling action creates a vacuum and draws the lubricant into the pot. Works in about 75% of those pots that do not respond to the first method. Getting to 95%.

c) Using a small vacuum pump, create a moderate low pressure around the pot, while it is immersed in the lubricant. This will draw air out of the inside of the pot, which when the vacuum is release, will force lubricant into the void. For some hobbyists, especially those who do castings, this will be easy. For others, not so much. And caution is required as too much of a vacuum will entirely fill the inside of the pot. At which point, the process is repeated with the pot 'dry'. This will remove most of what is inside the pot.

Few things are "not possible", with care and attention.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Phil Allison]

pf...@aol.com wrote:

** It is not possible to "lubricate" a sealed pot, you need to make
a small hole in it first. Sealing a pot does not prevent it becoming
noisy.


There are two basic ways to do this,

** FFS you trumpet blowing, bullshitting IDIOT !!!

Drilling a 2m hole take only seconds.

A squirt of WD40 takes even less.

Take your stupid, OTT public waking a shove it.





...... Phil

 

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 9:21:08 AM UTC-4, Phil Allison wrote:



Evil Phil said:

** FFS you trumpet blowing, bullshitting IDIOT !!!

Reasonable Phil said:

Drilling a 2m hole take only seconds. A squirt of WD40 takes even less.

Evil Phil said:

Take your stupid, OTT public waking a shove it.

John says:

Some pots are held together with the four folded over tabs, and bending them up with a slight pry will allow access with a flattened spray straw. This will allow me to spooze the crevice but good with my favorite lubricant (I should write for Penthouse Forum.... ) Bend the tabs back tight and all is well.

Other than that, yeah, a small drill does fine and a dab of RTV will cover the hole nicely.

Either method take very little time.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:08:30 AM UTC-4, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 9:21:08 AM UTC-4, Phil Allison wrote:



Evil Phil said:

** FFS you trumpet blowing, bullshitting IDIOT !!!


Reasonable Phil said:

Drilling a 2m hole take only seconds. A squirt of WD40 takes even less.


Evil Phil said:

Take your stupid, OTT public waking a shove it.


John says:

Some pots are held together with the four folded over tabs, and bending them up with a slight pry will allow access with a flattened spray straw. This will allow me to spooze the crevice but good with my favorite lubricant (I should write for Penthouse Forum.... ) Bend the tabs back tight and all is well.

Other than that, yeah, a small drill does fine and a dab of RTV will cover the hole nicely.

Either method take very little time.

So, tell me, without removing the pot from the device, even with a good vacuum cleaner, would _YOU_ wish to use a drill and possibly let metal shavings into something? Or would you prefer to leave a pot in place and lubricate it with a rather simple tool that covers roughly 80% of applications?

And, if the pot is coming out anyway, why drill it if there are simple alternatives?

Worst of all, even if using a brass-bit, what about getting some shavings into the pot? Don't tell me that has never happened??

"First, do no harm". Applies here as well as anywhere else.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 9:21:08 AM UTC-4, Phil Allison wrote:

pf...@aol.com wrote:


** It is not possible to "lubricate" a sealed pot, you need to make
a small hole in it first. Sealing a pot does not prevent it becoming
noisy.


There are two basic ways to do this,



** FFS you trumpet blowing, bullshitting IDIOT !!!

Drilling a 2m hole take only seconds.

A squirt of WD40 takes even less.

Take your stupid, OTT public waking a shove it.





..... Phil

What happened to "NOT POSSIBLE"?

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:40:02 AM UTC-4, pf...@aol.com wrote:
Or would you prefer to leave a pot in place and lubricate it with a rather simple tool that covers roughly 80% of applications?

What about the other 20%? Not only does old man Murphy know me on a first name basis, I believe he's related to my wife..

> And, if the pot is coming out anyway, why drill it if there are simple alternatives?

Simple if you have the tool. If I had the tool you use in hand, yes I'd use it. I don't have one. 99.926 percent of the electronics I repair haven't had physical pots installed in them in two decades, so it's not a tool I need. Recurring problems motivate me to seek easier solutions.

Also, one doesn't necessarily have to remove a pot to drill it if necessary.. And again, on the small percentage of pots that actually have no open access, bending the fold tabs back gives me the access I need. Not only can I flush it but good with the pot opened, but it gives me enough access to add some viscous silicone slime if I want to restore that slick feel. It takes less time to bend tabs back than it does to pull a vacuum on it, and I don't have to unsolder it.

> Worst of all, even if using a brass-bit, what about getting some shavings into the pot? Don't tell me that has never happened??

Never happened...

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 15 May 2017 18:11:12 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

>Copy of the original kerosene and ATF article posted at...

Oops. That should be acetone, not kerosene.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Phil Allison]

pf...@aol.com wrote:

----------------------

** FFS you trumpet blowing, bullshitting IDIOT !!!


Reasonable Phil said:

Drilling a 2mm hole take only seconds. A squirt of WD40 takes
even less.


Take your stupid, OTT public waking a shove it.


John says:

Some pots are held together with the four folded over tabs, and bending them up with a slight pry will allow access with a flattened spray straw. This will allow me to spooze the crevice but good with my favorite lubricant (I should write for Penthouse Forum.... ) Bend the tabs back tight and all is well.

Other than that, yeah, a small drill does fine and a dab of RTV will cover the hole nicely.

Either method take very little time.


So, tell me, without removing the pot from the device, even with a good vacuum cleaner, would _YOU_ wish to use a drill and possibly let metal shavings into something?

** In most cases, one drills into plastic.

In other cases the swarf is easily removed.

And, if the pot is coming out anyway,

** Of course it is not coming out.

Forcing fluid around the shaft and its bearing is to be avoided - since it removes the layer of grease that gives pots their silky feel.

On trick I sometimes employ to save disassembly / reassembly time is to remove the knob and hex nut, then drip some WD-40 around the thread with the shaft pointing upwards. It soon find its way onto the track and presto.


..... Phil

..... Phil

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 16 May 2017 18:36:39 -0700 (PDT), Phil Allison
<pallison49@gmail.com> wrote:

Forcing fluid around the shaft and its bearing is
to be avoided - since it removes the layer of grease
that gives pots their silky feel.

Damping grease:
<https://www.nyelubricants.com/damping-greases>
I have some for lubricating microscope gears. Kinda expensive, but a
small tube lasts a long time. No way to re-lube a pot without
disassembly:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lubricant-Grease-Nyogel-50g-Tube-/401292936041>
The problem with re-lubricating pots on a hi-fi or whatever with
several pots on the front panel, I would probably need to re-lube all
the pots to make them all feel the same.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[whit3rd]

On Monday, May 15, 2017 at 1:05:38 AM UTC-7, GS wrote:

"pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com> wrote:

WD-40 is wonderful stuff if properly used and well understood.

How long have I used it on stuff? I keep wondering, at least over 40 years.
I know in the 60s I had some electronic cleaner that really melted some
plastics good.

Probably that was Freon TMC (the 'MC' was methylene chloride); it was the right
stuff for some gum removal, but not nice to paint or plastics.

 

[gregz]

whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com> wrote:

On Monday, May 15, 2017 at 1:05:38 AM UTC-7, GS wrote:
"pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com> wrote:

WD-40 is wonderful stuff if properly used and well understood.

How long have I used it on stuff? I keep wondering, at least over 40 years.
I know in the 60s I had some electronic cleaner that really melted some
plastics good.

Probably that was Freon TMC (the 'MC' was methylene chloride); it was the right
stuff for some gum removal, but not nice to paint or plastics.

I seem to remember the name, like swish or wissh. Wisshed I hadn't used it.

Greg

 

[marty]

On 02/05/17 10:09, Phil Allison wrote:

Micky wrote:


I have this vague recollection that WD-40 is good to clean electric
contacts?? Either that or it's bad for them.



** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


.... Phil

Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

 

CRC ELECTRICAL CLEANER

 

[John Robertson]

On 2018/03/09 11:28 PM, marty wrote:

On 02/05/17 10:09, Phil Allison wrote:

Micky wrote:


I have this vague recollection that WD-40 is good to clean electric
contacts??  Either that or it's bad for them.



** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

    Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


....  Phil


Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

WD-40 is a rust preventative tool only, anything else that it seems to
do is done better by products designed for the job. WD-40 usually gums
up after a year or so, so I can't imagine it will do your pot any good
in the long run.

Much like folks used to use carbon tetrachloride (or gasoline) for
cleaning stuff or lead to make paint white, solder for water pipes...we
have moved on.

John :-#(#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

 

[Fox's Mercantile]

On 3/10/18 9:56 AM, John Robertson wrote:

WD-40 is a rust preventative tool only, anything else that it seems to
do is done better by products designed for the job. WD-40 usually gums
up after a year or so, so I can't imagine it will do your pot any good
in the long run.

I have WD-40 in my shop.
The ONLY thing I use it for is removing label adhesive residue.

I once had someone tell me, "I use WD-40 on pots because they are too
fragile to use anything else." (With regards to antique radios.)

If they're THAT fragile, they should be replaced.


--
"I am a river to my people."
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[John Robertson]

On 2018/03/10 9:00 AM, Fox's Mercantile wrote:

On 3/10/18 9:56 AM, John Robertson wrote:
WD-40 is a rust preventative tool only, anything else that it seems to
do is done better by products designed for the job. WD-40 usually gums
up after a year or so, so I can't imagine it will do your pot any good
in the long run.

I have WD-40 in my shop.
The ONLY thing I use it for is removing label adhesive residue.

Goof-off or Goo-Gone are probably cheaper per volume, and they can be
dripped on instead of sprayed so your supply lasts a lot longer.

John :-#)#

I once had someone tell me, "I use WD-40 on pots because they are too
fragile to use anything else." (With regards to antique radios.)

If they're THAT fragile, they should be replaced.

 

[gregz]

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> wrote:

On 2018/03/09 11:28 PM, marty wrote:
On 02/05/17 10:09, Phil Allison wrote:

Micky wrote:


I have this vague recollection that WD-40 is good to clean electric
contacts?? Either that or it's bad for them.



** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


.... Phil


Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

WD-40 is a rust preventative tool only, anything else that it seems to
do is done better by products designed for the job. WD-40 usually gums
up after a year or so, so I can't imagine it will do your pot any good
in the long run.

Much like folks used to use carbon tetrachloride (or gasoline) for
cleaning stuff or lead to make paint white, solder for water pipes...we
have moved on.

John :-#(#

Never seen WD40 gum up, but it dries with a film. One of the popular
cleaners is Nathpha, or like Coleman Fuel. It dries slow enough to use
mechanical switch action to clean. For lube I like CRC 2-26.

Greg

 

[Look165]

The right product is Siceront KF F2, an excellent contact cleaner. It
is either curative and preventive.

marty a Êcrit :

On 02/05/17 10:09, Phil Allison wrote:

Micky wrote:


I have this vague recollection that WD-40 is good to clean electric
contacts??  Either that or it's bad for them.



** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

    Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


....  Phil


Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

 

On Sun, 11 Mar 2018 08:42:37 -0000 (UTC), gregz <zekor@comcast.net>
wrote:

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> wrote:
On 2018/03/09 11:28 PM, marty wrote:
On 02/05/17 10:09, Phil Allison wrote:

Micky wrote:


I have this vague recollection that WD-40 is good to clean electric
contacts?? Either that or it's bad for them.



** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


.... Phil


Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

WD-40 is a rust preventative tool only, anything else that it seems to
do is done better by products designed for the job. WD-40 usually gums
up after a year or so, so I can't imagine it will do your pot any good
in the long run.

Much like folks used to use carbon tetrachloride (or gasoline) for
cleaning stuff or lead to make paint white, solder for water pipes...we
have moved on.

John :-#(#

Never seen WD40 gum up, but it dries with a film. One of the popular
cleaners is Nathpha, or like Coleman Fuel. It dries slow enough to use
mechanical switch action to clean. For lube I like CRC 2-26.

Greg

Aside from cost, I think Deoxit is the best spray to use. I'll continue
to use Deoxit, but I do wish I could find a cheaper product for
non-critical applications, such as the dashboard switches in cars. I
used to use Radio Shack's contact cleaner and it was a good product, but
now that R.S. is gone, I have not found any replacement. If anyone on
here knows of a cheaper contact cleaner that is worthwhile, I'd like to
hear about it. (and where ot buy it).

My personal opinion about WD-40 is not very good. PB Blaster is far
superior for loosening rusted bolts and it lasts a lot longer too. I
have not bought WD-40 in years, I have not found any real use for it.
Yet it costs more than PB Blaster, even though it's an inferior product.
WD-40 was more or less the first product of it's kind, and it gained a
reputation for its name, so now the name is what sells it, except for
people like myself who learned that it's not worth much. From what I
have heard, WD-40 is mostly just Kerosene.

 

[Phil Allison]

olds...@tubes.com wrote:

-------------------------

** WD40 is excellent at making bad contacts good again.

Switches, connectors and pots are all examples.


.... Phil


Last week I fixed a small pot on headphones with WD40.
Works perfectly now. The only problem was applying a small enough dose.
Thanks for the info.

Never seen WD40 gum up, but it dries with a film. One of the popular
cleaners is Nathpha, or like Coleman Fuel. It dries slow enough to use
mechanical switch action to clean. For lube I like CRC 2-26.

Greg


My personal opinion about WD-40 is not very good.

** At least that sounds honest.

I have not bought WD-40 in years, I have not found any real use for it.

** Hard to find uses if you don't have any...

WD-40 was more or less the first product of it's kind, and it gained a
reputation for its name, so now the name is what sells it,

** A trusted name plus stocked damn near everywhere is the real reason.

except for
people like myself who learned that it's not worth much.

** Same as your personal opinions ....

From what I
have heard, WD-40 is mostly just Kerosene.

** Like that stupid one.




..... Phil