[Collins] Re: {Collins} Cleaning off nicotine

Tue Apr 5 09:27:57 EDT 2005

I found that one part Windex and one part water works well and does not 
damage the lettering.  It also works well on the chassis.

73
Bob, K4TAX

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kurt Keller" <kkeller1 at comcast.net>
To: <jim.isbell at gmail.com>; "Collinsmailmanqthnet" <Collins at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 6:09 PM
Subject: [Collins] Re: {Collins} Cleaning off nicotine

> 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
>>Sponsored by the Collins Collectors Association 
>>http://www.collinsradio.org
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>
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