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Post by cowboycoalminer on Dec 21, 2018 12:53:41 GMT -6
I've been reworking my studio. I use an old modified Soundcraft Ghost for a 24 channel console which is probably near 25 years old. I've had a couple cans of deoxit around for sometime to use on the scratchy buttons from time to time but it never occured to me until just the other day to use it on the pots and the jacks. I honestly can't believe the difference it made when I went through all the channels and sprayed them thoroughly. The pots feel like brand new and the audio path is better than it was. I used some 1/4 inch cables to jam in back and forth until there was no resistance (you can feel it when the jack frees up and is clean). Try it guys and report back.
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Post by jeremygillespie on Dec 21, 2018 13:15:51 GMT -6
It’s also great if you have an older patch bay. We have these TT jacks that you plug in, then attach the can via a straw and can give a quick squirt in there. Cleans thing out quite nicely.
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Post by Guitar on Dec 21, 2018 13:53:20 GMT -6
yeah deoxit is a great trick in general
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Post by drbill on Dec 21, 2018 14:31:05 GMT -6
Flitz on stuff you can get to easily. Like Brass TT plugs, AC prongs, etc..
Be careful on using some of the CAIG cleaners. Can be harmful to electronics if overused and/or not cleaned off.
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Post by winetree on Dec 21, 2018 14:52:13 GMT -6
Dioxin, chramlin, etc. I've tried them all. Eventually they turn the contacts green and sticky. They can also harm plastics.
I just rebuilt a Harrison Mr-3 console. Jubed all the IC sockets, molex connectors, edge card connectors, patchbay jacks with Stabilant 22.
An expensive contact enhancer with leaves a micron film which enhances electrical contact.
With reported lasting effects up to 15 years I'll only have to lube them once.
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Post by mulmany on Dec 21, 2018 15:18:21 GMT -6
I've been reworking my studio. I use an old modified Soundcraft Ghost for a 24 channel console which is probably near 25 years old. I've had a couple cans of deoxit around for sometime to use on the scratchy buttons from time to time but it never occured to me until just the other day to use it on the pots and the jacks. I honestly can't believe the difference it made when I went through all the channels and sprayed them thoroughly. The pots feel like brand new and the audio path is better than it was. I used some 1/4 inch cables to jam in back and forth until there was no resistance (you can feel it when the jack frees up and is clean). Try it guys and report back. Watch using it too much on the pots with out using the faderlube as well. The cleaner can cause trace issues unless it's flushed out with the lube. I will use regular cleaner then apply the fader lube, seems to work well. Not sure about longevity just yet. One issue with just spraying everything down with deoxit is that it's designed to not evaporate all the way. This trace amount can collect more dirt and dust and cause more issues down the road. It is the best at removing oxidation though. |
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Post by svart on Dec 21, 2018 15:27:56 GMT -6
I've been reworking my studio. I use an old modified Soundcraft Ghost for a 24 channel console which is probably near 25 years old. I've had a couple cans of deoxit around for sometime to use on the scratchy buttons from time to time but it never occured to me until just the other day to use it on the pots and the jacks. I honestly can't believe the difference it made when I went through all the channels and sprayed them thoroughly. The pots feel like brand new and the audio path is better than it was. I used some 1/4 inch cables to jam in back and forth until there was no resistance (you can feel it when the jack frees up and is clean). Try it guys and report back. There's a specific deoxit for pots that lubricates them. It's called DeOxit Fader. it's in a green can as opposed to the red can. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Dec 21, 2018 16:53:34 GMT -6
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Post by drbill on Dec 21, 2018 19:18:27 GMT -6
I remember an LA tech ruining a beautiful Quad 8 console with Deoxit or other Caig spray. Just sprayed with abandon and didn't rinse......  Worked great.....for awhile. Careful boys..... Use as directed and rinse off the excess. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Dec 21, 2018 20:02:33 GMT -6
Skip at Creation labs uses a whole other product: just not remembering its name?
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,967 
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Post by ericn on Dec 21, 2018 22:06:22 GMT -6
Yeah you have to know what your faders & pots are made of and use the right formulation, spraying indiscriminately is a great way to ruin a nice piece of gear. All of us who have been around long enough have heard horror stories, do your research! When all else fails read and then read some more! The worst case is a board that has had some pots replaced over time and has a mixture of plasma s carbon, you just have to treat each individually.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Dec 22, 2018 10:36:24 GMT -6
Great info. Thanks guys. This place is a wealth of knowledge. I ordered some fader lube.
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Post by drbill on Dec 22, 2018 10:39:15 GMT -6
I used to use / spray Freon to get rid of excess. Completely illegal now that the ozone layer is torched and we have global warming. But it left ZERO residue.  |
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Post by johneppstein on Dec 24, 2018 20:20:07 GMT -6
Flitz on stuff you can get to easily. Like Brass TT plugs, AC prongs, etc.. Be careful on using some of the CAIG cleaners. Can be harmful to electronics if overused and/or not cleaned off. DeOxit can be good if used in VERY small quantities. However it contains a lubricant that can attract problem-causing dust and dirt down the line.
A MUCH better cleaner is Miller-Stephenson MS-530 Contact-ReNu. which contains no sticky lubricants, but it's really difficult to find. I got mine from my Studer tech (Kreig Wunderlich) who recommends it highly. Amazon carries some Miller-Stephenson products but not MSD-530. My tech orders it from the factory by the case, which is expensive. Kreig says that if you use DeOxit you should wash the contacts with MS-530 or some other non-lubricated cleaner that does not leave residue. Even 90% ethanol if no rubber or elastomers are around.
Dunno about Flitz - Far as I know it's for mechanics, car detailers, etc. Generally speaking I'd use DeOxit before Flitz.
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Post by johneppstein on Dec 24, 2018 20:27:00 GMT -6
I've been reworking my studio. I use an old modified Soundcraft Ghost for a 24 channel console which is probably near 25 years old. I've had a couple cans of deoxit around for sometime to use on the scratchy buttons from time to time but it never occured to me until just the other day to use it on the pots and the jacks. I honestly can't believe the difference it made when I went through all the channels and sprayed them thoroughly. The pots feel like brand new and the audio path is better than it was. I used some 1/4 inch cables to jam in back and forth until there was no resistance (you can feel it when the jack frees up and is clean). Try it guys and report back. There's a specific deoxit for pots that lubricates them. It's called DeOxit Fader. it's in a green can as opposed to the red can. And is even worse at attracting dust. |
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Post by johneppstein on Dec 24, 2018 20:28:18 GMT -6
Skip at Creation labs uses a whole other product: just not remembering its name? MS-530? |
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Post by kcatthedog on Dec 24, 2018 20:36:21 GMT -6
Not remembering I’ll check with him. He says it’s better than de-ox.
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Post by drbill on Dec 24, 2018 22:02:27 GMT -6
Flitz on stuff you can get to easily. Like Brass TT plugs, AC prongs, etc.. Be careful on using some of the CAIG cleaners. Can be harmful to electronics if overused and/or not cleaned off. Dunno about Flitz - Far as I know it's for mechanics, car detailers, etc. Generally speaking I'd use DeOxit before Flitz.
Check it (Flitz) out. One of LA's best tech's turned me on to it. But yeah, it's for physical types of connections like plugs, jacks, etc.. He meticulously goes around and Flitz's everything he can get to once a year. Works wonders but takes more elbow grease than spraying something. But you and I both know what spraying indiscriminately can do..... |
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Post by johneppstein on Dec 25, 2018 2:33:17 GMT -6
Dunno about Flitz - Far as I know it's for mechanics, car detailers, etc. Generally speaking I'd use DeOxit before Flitz.
Check it (Flitz) out. One of LA's best tech's turned me on to it. But yeah, it's for physical types of connections like plugs, jacks, etc.. He meticulously goes around and Flitz's everything he can get to once a year. Works wonders but takes more elbow grease than spraying something. But you and I both know what spraying indiscriminately can do..... You wouldn't by chance be talking about the guy who designed the burnishing tools for patchbays, would you? Charlie? He's the guy who turned me on to my Studer tech up here. |
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Post by svart on Dec 25, 2018 8:17:33 GMT -6
There's a specific deoxit for pots that lubricates them. It's called DeOxit Fader. it's in a green can as opposed to the red can. And is even worse at attracting dust. Than the grease already in the pots? |
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Post by drbill on Dec 25, 2018 11:47:06 GMT -6
Check it (Flitz) out. One of LA's best tech's turned me on to it. But yeah, it's for physical types of connections like plugs, jacks, etc.. He meticulously goes around and Flitz's everything he can get to once a year. Works wonders but takes more elbow grease than spraying something. But you and I both know what spraying indiscriminately can do..... You wouldn't by chance be talking about the guy who designed the burnishing tools for patchbays, would you? Charlie? He's the guy who turned me on to my Studer tech up here. Charlie is a great tech, but no, speaking of Ralph Skelton. Also a killer tech. Old school.... |
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Post by johneppstein on Dec 25, 2018 14:40:36 GMT -6
And is even worse at attracting dust. Than the grease already in the pots? So I'm told by somebody who is an expert on such things. It wouldn't surprise me at all - I've encountered lubricating cleaners with severe problems before. When I was a full time service tech back in the '70s there was a control cleaner/lubricant called "Blue Stuff" that was extremely popular with techs. It worked really great - at first. Fast forward a few years and there was an epidemic of catastrophic problems because over time the lubricant in it had thickened, hardened, and glued the pots together so they wouldn't turn. At all. Had to be replaced, because even if you could find a spray that would get them to turn the problem would return within a couple of months. So when a tech who's one of the top guys in Northern California for working on large format consoles and 2 inch tape machines tells me that there's a problem with some sort of control lubricating product I tend to take it seriously. He told me to use thje Miller-Stephenson MS-530 Contact ReNu. If it's necessary to use a lubricant he said to use the Miller-Stephenson MS-738 Contact ReNu & Lube. Sparingly. Since these are very hard to find at retail maybe we could work a group buy.
As far as the lubricant already in the pots there's very, very little of it and it's selected by the factory who, I would assume, know what they're doing.
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Post by svart on Dec 25, 2018 17:08:29 GMT -6
Than the grease already in the pots? So I'm told by somebody who is an expert on such things. It wouldn't surprise me at all - I've encountered lubricating cleaners with severe problems before. When I was a full time service tech back in the '70s there was a control cleaner/lubricant called "Blue Stuff" that was extremely popular with techs. It worked really great - at first. Fast forward a few years and there was an epidemic of catastrophic problems because over time the lubricant in it had thickened, hardened, and glued the pots together so they wouldn't turn. At all. Had to be replaced, because even if you could find a spray that would get them to turn the problem would return within a couple of months. So when a tech who's one of the top guys in Northern California for working on large format consoles and 2 inch tape machines tells me that there's a problem with some sort of control lubricating product I tend to take it seriously. He told me to use thje Miller-Stephenson MS-530 Contact ReNu. If it's necessary to use a lubricant he said to use the Miller-Stephenson MS-738 Contact ReNu & Lube. Sparingly. Since these are very hard to find at retail maybe we could work a group buy.
As far as the lubricant already in the pots there's very, very little of it and it's selected by the factory who, I would assume, know what they're doing.
It's usually just a purified petrolium jelly type. And no, it's not especially "special" by any means, it's just electrically neutral and it keeps the humidity from oxidizing the tracks. |
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Post by stratboy on Dec 25, 2018 21:12:23 GMT -6
Pacific Radio has M-S for sale in single cans. Pacrad.com. One of my favorite stores when I lived in LA.
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Post by bowie on Dec 29, 2018 16:57:31 GMT -6
I use Deoxit Gold every day on tubes and I'll echo what has been said about using small quantities. You don't want a lot of residue left behind as it can cause problems, especially if it collects debris. I use pipe cleaners and just lightly brush across the metal, allowing it to dry before letting it touch anything. I'd never just spray it in equipment. Pipe cleaners can get in most nooks and crannies.
Also, there is a version for long-lasting protection (forget what it's called), AVOID it. It leaves a tacky coating that you don't want in audio equipment.
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Worked great.....for awhile. Careful boys..... Use as directed and rinse off the excess.
