[Milsurplus] contact cleaners; vibrator contacts

[aGEnuine Ham]

Robert and group:

According to Mr. Mallory, vibrator contacts are principally Tungsten.  I
have never encountered an expert in Tungsten chemistry, but my experience
with used vibrators is that the contacts have to be cleaned manually when
they get that old.  Tungsten Sulfide (Sulfate?) appears to be a tough
material.  I am very familiar with the 40 watt light bulb method, having
learned that in the 50s, when we were already having the contamination
problem with commercial vibrators in consumer car radios.  My further
experience trying to optimize cleaned vibrators leads me to the
conclusion that all the parameters involved in vibrator operation aren't
fully covered in the books, as I have never been able to restore full
performance to even a simple interrupter unit after the contacts have
been accessed.  Timing is right, waveforms look like the design manual,
but the efficiency is never as good.  So, I am not sure what the effect
of adding a material with any viscosity to the contacts would be, as
contact pressure and resistance are apparently extremely critical.  At
least the silicone materials wouldn't carbonize as some of the old
cleaners we used to use certainly did.

73,
George
W5VPQ  

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