[AMRadio] Best product for noisy potentiometers?

[John Hensley]

I once researched what I could find on the old "Daven" oil and corresponded withnot a few contacts in the broadcast field.  Most thought it was actually sperm whaleoil.  Some believed it was simply mineral oil.  And almost all said they had used thosesubstitutes successfuly.  
I then drilled down on newer products and came across some of the reports of thegun oil made under the trademark "Break Free".  Noting the military requirementsfor non-corrosiveness, for non-gumming, for zero-breakdowns due to temperatureor heavy use, I ordered some and have been using it much like people who use theCAIG 100 oil.  A small drop is all you need.
I've found it absolutely satisfactory for pots from Daven to SHALCO to routine carbonfilm.  Like CAIG, when you use the minimum, you've probably put a little too much.But I have seen no issues or problems and when cleaning back to dry metal is needed,it cleans up nicely.  Some pots can be packed with grease such as the Nye Dampinggreases to achieve a silky feel, but I would only use that technique if I felt sure thatI could contain the grease in a sealed pot environment. On switch wafer or capacitor bearings, there is no substitute for tactile greases likesilicone grease.  For connecting cables together (cable end male to cable end female)where you want to prevent air or water from penetrating (such as submerged or deckside cabling), most offshore companies now use simple Vasoline.
YMMV, but it seems most pots will work fine so long as wiper to stator contact ismaintained.  How we clean and prepare that wiper to stator environment may or maynot be helping but in about twenty years of use, I have not found any issues withBreak Free.
73, John
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