[Vintage-Audio] Cleaning up old equipment

[LeeHazen at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/28/06 9:37:54 PM Central Daylight Time, 
dfischer at usol.com writes:

<< Does Radio Shack still have the good spray contact cleaner they used to 
 have? All I find has a lubricant in it, no good for tape heads etc. >>

Last time I bought Rat Shack's tuner cleaner spray was about a year ago.
It's about $8.00 .  I've used it in my MCI JH 416B console to clean schadow
switches and EQ switches.  I use it on tape decks  as well.

I use Ronsonal Lighter fluid for cleaning the tape path.  It is good for 
getting old
built up oxide off guides and pinch rollers.  Some have said that it attacks 
the
rubber in pinch rollers - but I have not found that to be so unless the 
roller is
already decomposing and getting soft and sticky.  

One new method of cleaning slide switches has been quite effective -
Wollensak uses a long slide switch and the blades get quite oxidised.

Cut a thin strip of 3M green scrubber and lay it in the area between the 
finger
contacts and exercise the switch.  The blades will clean up like new.  I then
spray them with the contact cleaner to preserve them.

The 3M scrubber also cleans up the brushed metal sides of a Wollensak very
nicely.  I've found it excellent for cleaning capstan shafts and rubber parts 
such
as pinch rollers.  It will scratch paint if a lot of pressure is used, but if 
used
sparingly with Windex with light pressure, it will remove all sorts of 
scratches
and smudges off the white Wollensak lid and deck face.  Better to use a well
worn scrubber for that.

I would not use the scrubber on plastic - it will scratch it.

The scrubber will actually remove paint and rust from the grilles of T 1500
Wollensaks greatly improving their appearance.

Lee Hazen