"bpnjensen" wrote in message
om...
Folks, advice if you please - When attempting to clean out pots,
switches, etc., is De-Oxit noticeably better than other similar
products, or would a Radio Shack (for example) product work roughly as
well? Any precautions necessary to protect equipment? I have an
MFJ-1026 Noise Canceller, works gangbusters, but has those scratchy
pots that I'd like to try cleaning before I have to perform surgery.

What sort of shops will carry De-Oxit be acquired locally? I am in
the "Big City" (SF Bay Area).

I welcome and appreciate responses.

Thanks,
Bruce Jensen

I've used several cans of De-oxit over the years and I think it's a good
product. I'm not sure it's all that much better than the Radio Shack
cleaner (If RS still sells the stuff). Some guys at radio phono newsgroup
are more enthusiastic about De-oxit. You might be interested in a
deja/google search of de-oxit in rec.antiques.radio+phono.

I've experimented with some of the less expensive electrical
cleaners/lubricants I see in the home centers. One of them is CRC 2-26.
I've had contact trouble on the bandswitch on my SX-62. It has something
like a dozen seperate wafers! Anyway, a de-oxit treatment would last a
couple of weeks or so. I tried the CRC 2-26 and it worked perfectly for at
least a couple of months. When it did get touchy, rotating the switch back
and forth restored normal operation. I haven't used this on a pot yet and I
have some reservations. This stuff leaves a much olier residue than
De-oxit. I don't know if that's a problem or not. The upside is that
almost half the money buys almost twice the product compared to De-oxit.

Some of those electrical cleaner solvents are really nasty. I had a can of
some other CRC product which had a very active solvent. It stank to high
heaven and would, I'm sure, blow a hole through the side of a polystyrene
radio case in about 15 seconds. Tiny droplets would strip paint down to the
bare metal. I loved that stuff.

As far a precautions go, most of the contact cleaners/lubricants will
indicate if they are safe on plastics. Most of them are, but if you have
any concerns, you could put a bit of cleaner on an out of sight area, and
see how it reacts. Most of them use some sort of kerosene weight oil as a
solvent and are pretty safe on plastics and paint. Be sure to let all the
solvent dry out, especially on AC powered equipment.

Frank Dresser