[Collins] Re: {Collins} Cleaning off nicotine

[Kurt Keller]

Jim:

Sounds like you were able to get these nice and clean.  In using Windex one 
time on the face of a 75A-4 that had a lot of nicotine
I saw that it also started to remove the white lettering and I hit the unit 
fast with just plain water and saved the day. I had used
Windex on numerous units in the past with no problems.  What appears to 
have happened is it blended with the nicotine on contact
and then reacted with the lettering. From then on I kept anything other 
than water away from the lettering on the St James stuff that was
contaminated with nicotine.

I once tried to clean a 32S-3A that had been rack mounted and must have 
been in commercial use. It had like a brown varnish on it especially
on the underside.  I think there must have been a piece located below it 
that ran hot.  The Windex would not do anything with filth on this set.  I just
shot it with 409 and kept spraying it down and it all came off.  I then I 
flushed it with a hose and let it sit in the sun for a full day and did not
attempt to turn it on for a week.  It worked fine.  Also I checked it 
operationally before I did this to insure it was working first.  I would never
have done this till I knew the unit was working.

To sum it up be real careful with what you use around the white lettering 
on the St James stuff.

Kurt Keller



At 06:52 PM 4/4/2005, Jim Isbell, W5JAI wrote:
>About 18 months ago I got the first of my Collins equipment and the
>75S-1 receiver was impregnated with nicotine.  As I walked into the
>house with it my wife screamed from another room, "Get that thing out
>of the house!"  She hadnt even seen it but its odor preceded it into
>the house!!!
>
>I cleaned it off by spraying it with 409 and then hosing it off with a
>garden hose and then let it sit in the sun for 6 hours.  It worked and
>she allowed me to bring it into the house.  As I sprayed the 409 on it
>the brown nicotine flowed off onto the sidewalk in bright brown
>streams.  It was horrible.  I sprayed everything, chassis and all.
>
>A couple of weeks ago I bought a 30L-1 that was reported to be heavily
>encrusted with nicotine.  The seller was overstating (how is that for
>an exception) it as it really wasn't that bad...at least you could not
>smell it like I could on the 75S-1.  In the past week I have been
>getting ready to put the 30L-1 on that air.  I decided to take a look
>at the cap and diode boards before letting them go and was glad I did
>as I have now ordered a cap/diode board from W6WJN to replace the
>originals even though they did fire up and come up to voltage.  They
>were originals so as several of you suggested, I will replace them.
>
>But while I had the cabinet off I decided to clean the nicotine off
>it.  I used a product that is far cheaper than 409 and works better.
>It is available at the Dollar Store for $2 in a 40oz jug with a spray
>head.  Its called Thunder Blast degreaser.  NOW be aware that I did
>not try it on the chassis and circuitry, only on the cabinet.   The
>cabinet turned from a dirty gray to a like new Collins gray is seconds
>with NO scrubbing, just flowing on and washing off, and looks great.
>
>I am going to leave the circuitry alone as it doesnt smell bad and I
>am not sure what effect the Thunder Blast might have on labels etc.
>--
>Jim Isbell
>"If you are not living on the edge, well then,
>you are just taking up too much space."
>W5JAI
>UltraVan #257
>CAL - 27   #221
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