[ARC5] Cleaning Capacitor Oil Leakage

[Geoff]

>> Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2012 12:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Cleaning Capacitor Oil Leakage
>
>
>> On 27 Oct 2012 at 11:07, Richard Knoppow wrote:
>>
>>> avoided.  A lot of bathtub type caps are potted with some
>>> form of wax. I don't know what exactly the wax was made
>>> from. It appears to be a mixture of paraffin wax and
>>> resin
>>> of some sort. I have not found a sure fire solvent for
>>> it.
>>
>> That which is used in the can-caps is beeswax, period.
>> Beeswax is extremely
>> difficult to remove completely. When I rebuild can-caps
>> (or "flower-pots" as
>> the Oz-ies call them) I first remove the capacitors, then
>> heat the pot to melt
>> as much of the beeswax as possible out of them. Then I use
>> Acetone to get
>> as much of the rest of it as I can remove. I have never
>> yet been able to
>> remove ALL of it.
>>
>> The trouble with Acetone is that it also takes off the
>> painted numbers and
>> names that are on the outside of the can.
>>
>> I wish there was something more effective against beeswax,
>> but I have not
>> yet found anything better than heat and Acetone.
>>
>> Ken W7EKB
>
>     What I've encountered doesn't look like bee's wax, its
> dark, almost like asphalt but isn't. The bee's wax I am
> familiar with is yellow or amber in color.
>     What mainly concerns me is the oil. The wax or potting
> compound has to be removed enough to get the new caps in but
> its pretty soft.  The oil is toxic and I am not sure how to
> deal with it safely.
>
>
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles
> WB6KBL
>

How do you know its toxic?

>From other, much larger forums with chemical engineers in the mix, the 
consensus is that PCB's were not used in bathtub caps.