smoke smell delete how??
 

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

A complete and thorough scrubbing with isopropyl alcohol.
The nicotine dissolves nicely in alcohol.

-Chuck Harris

lorentzson wrote:
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

In article ,
lorentzson wrote:
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Tobacco smoke?

Ammonia helps a lot, but honestly the best thing is just to let it air
out in a well-ventillated place for a couple months.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I have gotten a real nasty ones, the only thing that work's best way is to
carefully scrub with elecroststic smoke eater cleaner + final rinse with
distilled water and a good long hot air dry. Its not cheap, about $14 at
Sears.

I hear of some guys on the Heath reflector covering the cans, vfo's, etc and
using the dishwasher.
I have never done this, perhaps it was a joke.
However I do bake enamel on R-390 knobs in the toaster on 175 for a couple
hours

-Joe


"lorentzson" wrote in message
...
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Hi Scott,

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.

If the radio is built with modern components, isopropyl alcohol can
be applied with a small paint brush and scrubbed around with no harm.
Waxed paper capacitors will not tolerate that kind of treatment, though.

Isopropyl will kill acrylic's, so don't let it touch dials, and windows.
It soaks in, and then forms quickly running cracks...zip!

Spray cleaners like 409, work too, spray liberally, and
scrub with a brush, and rinse with pure water, distilled is best.
Drying in a convection oven (fan circulation) at 140F finishes up the
job. A cardboard box with a fan, and a light for a heater works too.

I have a Tek 585A that is pretty clean inside, but has that o'de
trailer park smell... You know, tobacco, dog and Glade air freshener.
I thought it would "air out", but a year later, it still reeks. I am
going to have to give it a bath one of these days.

-Chuck Harris

Scott Dorsey wrote:
In article ,
lorentzson wrote:

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73


Tobacco smoke?

Ammonia helps a lot, but honestly the best thing is just to let it air
out in a well-ventillated place for a couple months.
--scott

Hi Joe,

It's not a joke! I have done this, and it works very well.
It is a bit aggressive on paint, though. It was a standard
treatment for old tube trunk mount 2-way radios.

Hams, being smokers of professional caliber, really wreck their
equipment with tobacco smoke. Sometimes a dishwasher is the best
way. When the chassis comes out of the DW, it is as pretty as when
it was new. Water isn't harmful to most electronic parts. You have
to bake the radio for 24 hours after doing this kind of treatment.

-Chuck Harris


Joe wrote:
I have gotten a real nasty ones, the only thing that work's best way is to
carefully scrub with elecroststic smoke eater cleaner + final rinse with
distilled water and a good long hot air dry. Its not cheap, about $14 at
Sears.

I hear of some guys on the Heath reflector covering the cans, vfo's, etc and
using the dishwasher.
I have never done this, perhaps it was a joke.
However I do bake enamel on R-390 knobs in the toaster on 175 for a couple
hours

-Joe


"lorentzson" wrote in message
...

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Chuck Harris wrote:

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.

That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Hi Scott,

I thought we were discussing removing smoke smell? As long as the
brown tobacco stains remain on the radio, it is going to smell like
a chimney everytime it gets warm.

I forgot to mention the 409 vs bakelite problem. Most cleaners will
wash out the surface color from bakelite.

-Chuck Harris

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Chuck Harris wrote:

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.


That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott

Scott Dorsey wrote:


That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott



I've always found 409 to be pretty benign on Bakelite but Fantastic will
indeed go after it. When you think you're washing away years of dirt
and smoke its often the Bakelite itself that is washing away so do be
careful with either product!

-Bill

In article , - - Bill - -
writes:

I've always found 409 to be pretty benign on Bakelite but Fantastic will
indeed go after it. When you think you're washing away years of dirt
and smoke its often the Bakelite itself that is washing away so do be
careful with either product!

I've found Murphy's to be pretty safe for anything. However, you do have to
put more elbow grease into the job. Definitely the safest thing to use on
wood, and I doubt it would frost any kind of plastic. --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:30:09 UTC, Chuck Harris
wrote:

Spray cleaners like 409, work too, spray liberally, and
scrub with a brush, and rinse with pure water, distilled is best.
Drying in a convection oven (fan circulation) at 140F finishes up the
job. A cardboard box with a fan, and a light for a heater works too.

careful with 409, I've seen it degrade the panel lettering.

I de-smoked an SB-303 by hand wiping every exposed wire, part,
surface using a clean cloth damped with a very dilute detergent
solution. It took a lot of work but I was recovering from hand
surgery and needed a punishing amount of effort as physical therapy.

Gently and firmly rubbing small components for hours is excrutiating
pain but it really strengthens your fingers.

de ah6gi/4 www.kiyoinc.com/heathstuff.html

Hi,

I can't say that I have ever seen 409 damage anything, but I tend
to work on commercial gear. Ham gear often uses sub commercial
practices in its construction. I remember trying to deflux the boards
in a SB104 that I had just built. I tried isopropyl alcohol, like I
routinely did with commercial pc boards, and it started to remove the
solder mask! I have never seen anything like that before or since.

I can bet that hand scrubbing all those parts would do a great job of
punishing your poor fingers. Your PT would be proud!

-Chuck Harris

No Spam wrote:
On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:30:09 UTC, Chuck Harris
wrote:


Spray cleaners like 409, work too, spray liberally, and
scrub with a brush, and rinse with pure water, distilled is best.
Drying in a convection oven (fan circulation) at 140F finishes up the
job. A cardboard box with a fan, and a light for a heater works too.


careful with 409, I've seen it degrade the panel lettering.

I de-smoked an SB-303 by hand wiping every exposed wire, part,
surface using a clean cloth damped with a very dilute detergent
solution. It took a lot of work but I was recovering from hand
surgery and needed a punishing amount of effort as physical therapy.

Gently and firmly rubbing small components for hours is excrutiating
pain but it really strengthens your fingers.

de ah6gi/4 www.kiyoinc.com/heathstuff.html

I find the shower works well, but try and keep the coils dry. I spray
with PH balanced shampoo, let it soak and hot shower it out, a lot of
"it" comes out.

I remember an old TR7A that I picked up from a friend. He threw the dead
roaches and their droppings in for free.
First of all, I gave each of the boards a bath in soapy water. After rinsing
them in clean water, I gave them another soaking in Isopropyl alcohol. It
took 13 gallons of alcohol to clean that radio. There were even roach husks
enmeshed in the PTO gears. I had to complete dismantle that PTO.
After all of that effort, there were still some stains from all of the
droppings that had embedded themselves in the wiring insulation. Too bad
they didn't use teflon insulated wire. When I explained the history of the
radio to the buyer, he couldn't believe that it was ever in that condition.
Good thing that it is just smoke and nicotine, in your case!

Pete

"Ray Collins" *remove wrote in message
...
I find the shower works well, but try and keep the coils dry. I spray
with PH balanced shampoo, let it soak and hot shower it out, a lot of
"it" comes out.

Use sudsy ammonia solution from the supermarket. Doesn't appear to harm
anything and smoke stains just run away as does the odor. Rinse with water
when done!

John Lovallo w9gc

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Chuck Harris wrote:

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.

That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY
effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It
will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Kevin, VE1TV wrote:
I'm really surprised that no one has observed that smoke is actually the
reason radios work at all. I recall being taught that once the smoke is
released, the radio usually stops working. I'm pretty sure the smoke is
contained inside those little glass bottles...

This is all of course moot, if the smoke is known to have come from another
source.

BTW, Fantastik, Spray-nine, 409, and many others are mostly NAOH solutions

No, they are not. Read the ingredients list.

and are eschewed by the conservators. Murphy's is, I think, saponified
vegetable oil, and considered pretty safe.

Also known as soap.

-Chuck Harris

I use Simple Green - 100% strength. Spray, let sit, and rinse with
water. It's supposed to be non-toxic and biodegradeable, too.

I air dry when it's nice and warm outside, or I put it on the sneaker
rack in the dryer, with the heat down way low, for about a half
hour/45 minutes/ or so.

I've found the dishwasher can be a bit too vigorous. Also, there's
something personally repugnant about cleaning crap-infested radios in
the same thing you use to wash your dishes and utensuils... (Or is
that vice versa :)

Danny


On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 07:35:53 GMT, (lorentzson)
wrote:

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

In article , "Kevin, VE1TV"
writes:

I'm really surprised that no one has observed that smoke is actually the
reason radios work at all. I recall being taught that once the smoke is
released, the radio usually stops working. I'm pretty sure the smoke is
contained inside those little glass bottles...

No, glass bottles are unique in that they don't run on smoke, unlike their
sorry-state and disintegrated-circuit replacements, which are notorious for
losing their smoke at just the wrong moment.

In BA radios, the smoke is held within the transformers and resistors, and
sometimes the 'lytic caps. I've been there when it escaped.

"In a vacuum, noone can smell your smoke ... " --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

"Danny Stone" wrote

I put it on the sneaker rack in the dryer, with the heat down way low,
for about a half
hour/45 minutes/ or so.

I've found the dishwasher can be a bit too vigorous. Also, there's
something personally repugnant about cleaning crap-infested radios in
the same thing you use to wash your dishes and utensuils...


***** And there's nothing repugnant about the stench of heated sneakers?
:-)

Brian Goldsmith.

Ah Brian,

Good point - but I do not dry my sneakers in the dryer :)

So far, the boatanchor drying is all I've used it for...Maybe Sears
can use this in their advertising?

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 07:12:51 GMT, "Brian Goldsmith"
wrote:


"Danny Stone" wrote

I put it on the sneaker rack in the dryer, with the heat down way low,
for about a half
hour/45 minutes/ or so.

I've found the dishwasher can be a bit too vigorous. Also, there's
something personally repugnant about cleaning crap-infested radios in
the same thing you use to wash your dishes and utensuils...


***** And there's nothing repugnant about the stench of heated sneakers?
:-)

Brian Goldsmith.

Mike Knudsen wrote:
In article , "Kevin, VE1TV"
writes:

I'm really surprised that no one has observed that smoke is actually the
reason radios work at all. I recall being taught that once the smoke is
released, the radio usually stops working. I'm pretty sure the smoke is
contained inside those little glass bottles...

No, glass bottles are unique in that they don't run on smoke, unlike their
sorry-state and disintegrated-circuit replacements, which are notorious for
losing their smoke at just the wrong moment.

In BA radios, the smoke is held within the transformers and resistors, and
sometimes the 'lytic caps. I've been there when it escaped.

"In a vacuum, noone can smell your smoke ... " --Mike K.

I'd always thought that with glowbottle gear, the smoke had to be
present, but kept out of the glowbottles. I suspect that's why so
many hams smoked, and how so many older rigs ended up with that golden
brown color distributed so evenly: they've supplied the magic smoke.

--
Another of my pet peeves is the use of random special characters in names,
e.g. SQL*Forms. I pronounce that one "squeal splat forms" - sort of sounds
like roadkill, doesn't it?
-- Charlie Gibbs

"Mike Knudsen" wrote in message
...
In article , "Kevin, VE1TV"
writes:

I'm really surprised that no one has observed that smoke is actually the
reason radios work at all. I recall being taught that once the smoke is
released, the radio usually stops working. I'm pretty sure the smoke is
contained inside those little glass bottles...

No, glass bottles are unique in that they don't run on smoke, unlike their
sorry-state and disintegrated-circuit replacements, which are notorious
for
losing their smoke at just the wrong moment.

In BA radios, the smoke is held within the transformers and resistors, and
sometimes the 'lytic caps. I've been there when it escaped.

You forgot selenium rectifiers. You *don't* want to be around when the
smoke escapes from one of those....

jak


"In a vacuum, noone can smell your smoke ... " --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.