Show us the dirtiest piece of gear you've ever seen on your bench!

[Omegaman]

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/mcintosh-ma230-and-mr71-barn-find.879407/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/dynakit-st-70-two-of-them.762930/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/eico-af-4-stereo-set-el84-amp.521362/

See the accompanying threads about how they ended up

 

[Catmanboo]

^^^ Should be criminal penalties for allowing such neglect of Mac gear. That thing looks to have had a salt-water bath on a recurring basis. As the saying goes, the end justifies the means, which you obviously had, great resto! A lesser person would've parted that thing out. Had to cost a small fortune in parts/supplies & most of all time.

 

[MegaHurts]

This is the dustiest that I have a pic of, but I had one with about twice as much before.

 

[kwayde]

Sherwood S-110CP. Most of the dirt is towards the rear directly under the vent. Not the dirtiest but a dandy.

 

[Catmanboo]

Sherwood S-110CP. Most of the dirt is towards the rear directly under the vent. Not the dirtiest but a dandy.

View attachment 2830212 View attachment 2830214

Hope you vacced & brushed in lieu of compressed air, the resulting cloud of dust from blowing would make quite the cloud of smog. That one's pretty bad, but one can still i.d. most of the parts.

 

[TPettenati]

Here's a Dynaco ST-80 I refurbished several years back.

 

[kwayde]

Hope you vacced & brushed in lieu of compressed air, the resulting cloud of dust from blowing would make quite the cloud of smog. That one's pretty bad, but one can still i.d. most of the parts.

I took it to the garage, tipped it on it's side and used a stiffer brush to loosen the debris which fell onto some cardboard. I had the overhead door open cuz it was real windy today. This helped move the dust away, plus I use spurts of canned air to get into the tight spots.

I don't like using compressed air on dust this thick. I once blew dust out of an electrical power bay using compressed air and a vacuum which caused many of the cards to fail from the static electricity that was produced.

 

[Catmanboo]

Here's a Dynaco ST-80 I refurbished several years back.

View attachment 2830809

Looks about identical to my sca-80q's innards, minus decades growth of fuzz. Just arranged a bit looser, on account of no preamp packed in there with.
Nice job on the renovation!

 

[Catmanboo]

Odd thing about mine as previously mentioned(a factory build) is the amp driver boards are physically bowed, as in squeezed into too tight between heat sinks. However, working fine, once I un-seized the treble pot, so not to fix what ain't broke.
Are your power supply resistors ( the ceramics) oem or did you replace? Thinking of upsizing mine watt-wise to tame the heat.

 

[twiiii]

I don't have pictures but if you can imagine a Mcintosh MC 2300, 2500, or 2600 with an 1/16 inch of dust and grime and a layer of fuzz bunnies about 1/2 inch thick on top you will have some idea. Living in a very dry desert climate means we don't see rust and oxidation which are ten time worse in my opinion. I use to hate having to service equipment from the Gulf Coast of Texas or the east or west coasts of Old Mexico. Equipment in cities like Chihuahua, Durango, San Miguel hold up well. Acapulco, Guymas, Mazatlan, Concun and other port Cities things deteriorate very quickly. We had equipment in other Central American countries and it was the same story. 10 years was about the life expectancy in a humid climate no matter who built the pieces or what materials they used.

 

[tarior]

A customer once brought me a Sansui quad that was chock full of mouse turds and mouse nest along with the usual 3" of dust and dog hair. I made him take it home and blow it out before I would even touch it.

 

[b_sdaddy]

Here's a tube amp that was lingering in a banana box for several years in some guys cellar!


and here it is, after several weeks work!

 

[MegaHurts]

Currently on my bench, the dirt/dust/fur would not vacuum or blow out. Likely humidity turned it all into a cementitious crust and couldn't read the board. Some resistor leads rusted/corroded straight through. Only option was full wash.

 

[Bruno Primas]

Pioneer SA-7500

View attachment 28325

 

[TPettenati]

Are your power supply resistors ( the ceramics) oem or did you replace? Thinking of upsizing mine watt-wise to tame the heat.

Originals were 7W, and I replaced with 10W. Also spaced them away from the board just a little more.

 

[Dudeman7]

No pictures but I once had an Akai receiver that was in someone's shed workshop.

A colony of mud wasps decided to make their home in it. Surprisingly, it still worked!

Got it all cleaned up and running good. My buddy is using it now.

 

[Catmanboo]

Originals were 7W, and I replaced with 10W. Also spaced them away from the board just a little more.

I thought so, but the dirt camo kinda hid the fact. Check out www.updatemydynaco.com for cool mods & updates for about everything dynaco.

 

[Greg Nal]

Before and after pics of a Fairchild 440 turntable I found at a picker's estate auction. It was sitting on the dirt ground in a metal shed outside in the elements, and yes, those are wasp nests underneath. After pics included. Price: $10.

 

[f0427ea]

Lafayette LR 200

 

[peteCWA]

Lafayette LR 200
View attachment 2833396

Well, the knobs still look good
Those receivers were rather robust. Try it; you might be surprised.
I worked on a Lafayette LR-1515 or 2020 that was in a house fire years ago. Covered in soot; heat melted some of the inside plastic, but I powered it up and it worked fine. Took me weeks to get rid of all the soot and smell.