[Vintage-Audio] Cleaning up old equipment

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Hi Lee,

It is true that lighter fluid will attack the rubber and cause damage. 
However, being the skilled pro that you are, you obviously had the good 
sense to use just enough to dampen a cotton swab, or whatever. Soaking the 
rubber with lighter fluid, more is better, will do damage.

I generally use either a clean piece of high grade white cloth or a two inch 
gauze pad on tape decks.

As you know Lee, but there may be some here who do not, sometimes having 
that initial coating on the heads is beneficial. Removing the new residue is 
good, but leaving the initial coating is good. Or so it is said, any truth 
here Lee?

I got a chuckle out of your contact cleaning procedure. I honestly do not 
know why this works, but the one dollar bill has been used for decades to 
clean dirty relay contacts in just the manner you detailed. It also works 
very good. Both your method and the old dollar bill one reflect a similar 
process, but what?

Why does that dollar bill work guys? Even better, does the new bill work as 
well as the old bills? If not, we best store up a stack of those old 
Washington greenbacks for the future!

Duane W8DBF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <LeeHazen at aol.com>
To: <vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: <LeeHazen at aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Vintage-Audio] Cleaning up old equipment


> 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
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