[Boatanchors] Cleaning radio chassis

[Jim Wilhite]

I want to apologize to Mark for sending this message to him only.  I hit the 
reply button in mistake Mark.



I have been reading all the advice given in this thread and it has been very
good.  Everything will work to accomplish the cleaning.

But there is something that I would consider very carefully.  Using water to
rinse the chassis with transformers, particularly power transformers and
chokes that have the windings exposed might be eventually harmful.  Even is
you dry them sufficiently after washing, residue is left behind on the paper
are like spots on your car.  These spots, after a period of time, can
possibly help conductivity.

In some of the IF transformers with cardboard cores, the substance used to
seal them before winding is applied can be missing leading to saturation of
the cardboard causing them to misshape.  So I would recommend that if you
use water to do this trick, use distilled water which has less contaminants
to remain after the water has evaporated.

In past years I have used water to clean radios, but on parts that carry
current (particularly high voltage), I used WD 40 to displace the water
immediately after washing, then used a chemical cleaner to remove the WD 40.
If you spray a transformer with water and it soaks into the windings and
evaporates, then those spots will dissolve under high humidity and migrate
around the windings.  Then when you operate the radio the resulting heat
could cause the choke or transformer to experience flash over from one bad
spot on the enamel wire to another or to ground.

Just my experiences.

73  Jim W5JO

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Foltarz" <Foltarz at rocketmail.com>
To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 10:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Cleaning radio chassis


>
> Get non-pumice hand cleaner and apply a generous amount to all surfaces
> that
> require cleaning.
>
> With a soft tooth brush, gently work the hand cleaner into the surface.
> This is
> espcially useful for wrinkled enamel finishes. Let this sit for a little
> while.
> ( about 5 minutes )
>
> You now need to remove the goop. If the panel has been removed you may
> rinse
> directly with warm water. Otherwise, use a damp sponge and repeatedly dab
> and
> rinse the sponge until the panel is clean.
>
> Let dry or use a hair dryer if the electronics got wet.
>
> That's it. You'll find this method useful in restoring some incredibly
> dirty
> equipment and restoring it back to good condition.
>
> de KA4JVY
> Mark
>
>
> --- Dave Maples <dsmaples at comcast.net> wrote:
>> All: A friend of mine has a Collins 30L-1 that was apparently in a
>> smoke-filled environment (not a fire, just someone who smoked a lot).  He
>> wants to clean it up without leaving behind a residue.  What do you guys
>> recommend for this purpose?
>>
>> I used to use Freon TF for general cleaning and degreasing, but that's
>> long
>> gone...
>>
>> Dave WB4FUR
>>

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Troglodite at aol.com>
To: <lists at w1nr.net>; <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Cleaning radio chassis


> In a message dated 4/28/05 9:52:41 AM Central Daylight Time, 
> lists at w1nr.net
> writes:
>
>> I'll second the Simple Green recommendation.  I have even run 
>> boatanchors
>> that were really grungy through a dishwasher and they have  come out
>> sparkling clean.  Use an oven at low temperature (200F) to  bake out the
>> moisture.
>
> I've never tried the dishwasher, but I did bake my first SX-28 in the oven
> at the lowest setting after I cleaned it. A secondary benefit was that all 
> the
> food I baked for the next year had a slight SX-28 flavor. :-)
>
> Doug Moore
>
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>