[Boatanchors] Cleaning a bandswitch

[McDonald, J Douglas]

I recommend Deoxit D-100 (comes in tiny bottle, or spray the D-5 into a bowl)
applied to microfiber lens cleaning cloth which is then inserted between the
contacts.

In dire cases I recommend Novus #2 plastic polish applied to the same cloth, then clean with an alcohol flood, and Deoxit on the cloth. Brasso used to work but was ruined by government regulations. Novus is harmless, its Cerium Oxide.

Doug McDonald
________________________________
From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net <boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Dave Sublette <k4to.dave at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2025 8:08 AM
To: Boatanchors Reflector <Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Boatanchors] Cleaning a bandswitch

My beloved Drake 2B has quit operating on a couple of bands.  I suspect
that a few positions on one or more of the bandswitch wafers need cleaning.
Q-tips, isopropyl alcohol and spray contact cleaner come to mind,  But is
seems to me that a very thin bladed burnishing tool for relay contacts
might also be called for.  I know caution is in order so as not to file
away the surface area of the delicat blades and fingers.  What other
techniques might you know of?  I am not anywhere near to being a
competent restoration tech.  I know there is a valued source of info here.
What say ye?

Thanks and 73,

Dave, K4TO
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