[Drake] B-Line chassis cleaning

[Ron N4UE via Drake]

John, I am an avid collector and restorer of both radios and test equipment.
Before you try to clean the chassis, procure some "Simple Green Extreme". I have spoken about this product before. It is NOT the green, smelly stuff. It's clear. Most importantly, it won't harm metal, even Aluminum.
As such, it has a Boeing Aircraft certification, for cleaning aircraft. As you might know Al can be attacked by harsh acetic chemicals.

Here's a quick example of how well it works....
I'll get in a new purchase (like the Drake T-4XB I just got) with filthy, nasty knobs. A dunk into a 50/50 mix of SGE and water and just place the knobs in fresh water, they look like new. If they are REALLY bad, you might have to use a toothbrush. Won't even harm the white stripes on the knobs, Turns them from yellow to white. 
I've used it on the Al chassis in both my Collins radios and my SX-117.

The only problem is, it's kinda hard to find. I'm sure you can find it on the web, but a local industrial supplier gets it for me, 2 gal at a time.

I know a collector up in Ohio that uses nothing but Windex on his radios......

YMMV

ron
N4UE

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: John Barnwell via Drake <drake at mailman.qth.net>
To: drake <drake at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sat, Jun 14, 2014 1:54 am
Subject: [Drake] B-Line chassis cleaning


I am finally getting around to setting up my B twins and am seeking some advice.

I have never cleaned the chassis on these pieces and there is only a very fine 
layer of dust/dirt sitting on pristine, corrosion free copper cladded chassis. 
With the C twins I simply used a mild solution of simple green on followed by 
quickly drying. I'm concerned that by doing this with the B twins on that 
copper, that I could start a corrosion process in doing so. Would someone please 
steer me towards the right product to accomplish this simple task, without doing 
harm to this beautiful copper? Also, did Drake use any type of conformal coating 
on this copper chassis, or is it simply naked copper cladding?

On another subject, the VFO knob skirts ride against a spring washer to maintain 
pressure. It would appear that this washer actually eats a groove into the 
backside of the skirt. I can imagine that decades of use might actually wear a 
very deep groove into the skirt. Again, on the C-Line they seem to have 
addressed this issue. Any elegant solutions to prevent this wear?

These pieces came from an original owner who apparently never used them other 
than sitting out for a while collecting that dust I speak of. They still have 
that "new electronics" smell.

Thanks for reading and any forthcoming advice,

John Barnwell KE7TPA
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