An observation about tribal lore for cleaning pots

[Mike Sweeney]

The popular opinion is to soak the heck out of the pot with DeOxit, swish the control many times side to side, then rinse to wash out the "gunk". And to be fair, that does seem to work pretty well.

I now use a method told to me using the needle version of DeOxit and a more targeted way.

The soaking can cause unintended issues like "greaseicles" forming down from the pots over time. I had to take my 2285B apart a year after the rebuild to replace two pots.. ALL of the pots have grease running down the sides because they were sprayed and soaked trying to clean them. This softened the internal grease but didnt remove it. And it softened it to the point that some ran out of the pots over time. You can see this in the picture along with the phenolic boards of the pots still wet with DeOxit a year afterwards

IF I could get the pots taken apart easier, I'd put new DeOxit grease in them. In this case, since I had already used DeOxit spray, I used electronic connection cleaning spray then use FaderLube to put some lubrication back into the tracks

 

[Blue Shadow]

Using the needle dropper is probably a much better way many times, but did you see how much it costs and how little you get? That is not the AK way. 7.4ml in a bottle without the needle dropper for 17 bucks or 22 bucks for the 25ml with dropper or the 2 oz spray (that is not what you recommend) for 15 vs. about the same 15 give or take for the 5% stuff in a big spray can of 5 ounces.

It does make sense to use the needle dropper for much of the general control cleaning we do if we don't go with one of the other products.

 

[Mike Sweeney]

Its not about quantity.. it's about the mess the spray makes when you use the "soak it" method .. having runny grease dripping down out of pots is a not a good thing long term I will say my bottle of 7.4ml is lasting much longer than I originally thought it would.

 

[Blue Shadow]

I will say my bottle of 7.4ml is lasting much longer than I originally thought it would.

A ml can have plenty of drops and one drop can do the job inside a unit. Common conversion is one ml is 20 drops. Those small bottles is probably what many here should be using, avoiding the hose down effect of the spray as well as the delayed drippage of the grease.

 

[sKiZo]

I spray a bunch of D5 into a needle bottle and use that. I do the same thing with the fader lube.

Trick that seems to work nice is to center the pot before applying the cleaner, THEN work it side to side a couple times to spread the cleaner evenly over the friction surfaces. Wait a minute and then work it again to scrub the contacts after the cleaner's had a chance to loosen things up. Leave the control full on or off till the cleaner evaporates so you don't leave it in the travel path ...

 

[tarior]

I use the smallest amount of Deoxit that I can and still get the desired result. IME, if a little shot doesn't do it, then neither will using half the can. If I have a super cruddy pot, I'll use CRC QD Electronics Cleaner first, then follow that with Deoxit DN5. Switches that won't clear have to be taken apart and cleaned manually.
This is what has been giving me good, reliable results:
D5 followed by G5 on switches.
DN5 on pots sometimes followed with F100, but not always.
CRC QD followed by G5 or G100 and L260NP on tuning capsacitors.

All products always in the smallest amount possible. Except the CRC QD. I just hose that stuff in there.

 

[KingBubba]

I am also a needle bottle user. I use as little as needed to get the job done. D100 will remove less inside lubrication as the D5. If I run into a really cruddy pot or switch, I have a needle bottle with 50% D100 and 50% 92% isopropyl alcohol. This mix helps flushing out the deep seated crud and clean the contacts . With all cleanings, I will follow with Faderlube and then Caig Shield. Being in Florida, I am dealing with lots of humidity so the Shield help keep the devices clean.