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Good electrical contact cleaners . Alternatives to Deoxit .

V

vintage4

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I went today to purchase some Deoxit to clean my receiver switches . Couldn't find the stuff nowhere in this small town . And don't want to order it . I did find a product at Walmart called CRC electrical contact cleaner . Is this a decent alternative to Deoxit . Has anyone used or heard of this CRC cleaner ? Would you use it to clean an amplifier . I found it in the automotive section . Just curious , if I should use this stuff . Chime in if you've ever used it . Thanks .
 

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I would try denatured or isopropyl alcohol in a squirt bottle or eyedropper before CRC. Not sure, but probably has solvents that might not be good long term.
 
Radio Shack sells a contact cleaner that works well. Agreed, though, not to use it on pots or other controls where a slider and carbon film is involved.

Also, DeOxit can be had at Guitar Centers. If your Smallsville is close to a Largeville, odds are there is a Guitar Cener. Go to the electronics/recording/PA section and it will be in a blister pack on the wall. While you're there, get some FaderLube for the pots and sliders.

Cheers,

David
 
I've used the above pictured CRC electrical cleaner on volume controls, switches, and connections and it seems to work pretty good. The function selector on my crappy old Lloyds console was so bad that it barely worked at all no matter how much you pissed with it, and this stuff made it work perfect. I've haven't tried deoxit yet (hard to find here too), but this stuff is good for the money.
 
I think the CRC is actually largely an aerosol alcohol. The list of stuff on the back includes methanol. I've been using that stuff for years, works fine. It does not lube controls though.
 
I use Electro-Sound Guitar Pickup and Electronic Cleaner but I got it off of Ebay. I'm betting that Guitar Center probably has it as well. Ebay is so handy for buying stuff simply because everything is at your fingertips and you don't have to drive anywhere.
 
I;ve been using the CRC for years on most anything electrical or electronic. It hasn't killed anything yet. The companion lube for this is the CRC 6-2-6 Electronics Lube. Get both @ Home Depot in the electrical Dept. The Cleaner is non residue so it can be used on the tuner cap if desperate.

Larry
 
The CRC doesn't seem to clean corrosion from contacts very well. I do use it to flush out grimy equipment.

The contact cleaner from Radio shack does work a little, but it makes a bigger mess than it is worth.

I finally ordered some deoxit through the mail last year and it works better than anything else I've used.
 
I use the Kontakt 60/WL/61 three step cleaning set.
It's a German brand, and it works just fine.
 
I also use the CRC to flush a receiver interior. As it evaporates, it takes all residues and lubricants with it but seems to leave the "embedded" oxides alone and....it will eat into slider controls and leaves tuners dry as a bone. (Just learning to work on this stuff and checked this out on an old "thrasher" early 80's Fisher that is my "schooling receiver".) Deoxit Red works best and lasts longest (it seems) in the lubrication department.

CRC "Plastic Safe" does amazing things in flushing funk out and off!
 
I've been partial for Chemtronics DPL since using it as a service tech in the late 70s. They still make it, and it's the best there is for pots.
There was another product called Ten-4 that was just as good, but it seems long gone...

The CRC product is more of a degreaser than a corrision/oxide remover, and will fog plastic windows, even if you only let the vapors linger, be careful where you point it.
 
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servisol 10is also good for pots and switches..servisol 40 is good for lubrication... (but avoid using either on equaliser sliders.:nono: they need a different type of lube (probably silicone) applied on the rear face of the opening and not on the carbon track or contact wipers directly ahead which should be spotlessly clean.
 
Deoxit really works. Use Deoxit. Should you use a substitite? NO...use Deoxit.

Radio shack sells Deoxit. Or just order it via a supply company on the internet.
 
While the topic heading is for alternatives, Deoxit products are acknowledged as working very well. Guitar Center is a good source for Deoxit. Either in person or online ordering. Their shipping rates are reasonable also.
Make sure you use the proper formulation for whatever you are cleaning/lubricating.
 
CRC is the cleaner of choice in industrial settings. Instrument Techs use it for cleaning purposes. It also is used in the AC/htg industry with great results.I've spent 17 years as a petro-chemical plant operator and was in the ac/htg field for 35 years.I never had a problem with it, Great product. But as always,this is a matter of personal choice.
 
I've used both Deoxit and CRC. What's nice about CRC is that it dries quick and doesn't leave a puddle of fluid in the bottom of your component. I make sure to use faderlube afterwards.
 
I like to start with low pressure compressed air and a soft brush. Then I use CRC for flushing stuff out, (inexpensive), and then precious little deoxit afterwards for corrosion removal and lubrication/protection where needed.

This one needed help bad.

Behold!
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Steve
 
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