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The Idiot's Guide to Using DeOxit (revisited)

jabbo5150 said:
So Fader lube then CRC then it sounds like, right?
Click to expand...

What makes Faderlube different from D5 is that Faderlube leaves a lubricant residue to help continued operation of the pot, so if you do use Faderlube, it should be the final product used.

If I had a troublesome pot, I would:

  • Deoxidize with D5
  • Clear away any debris with CRC QD
  • Lubricate with Faderlube

Many people, and me at times, just Deoxidize pots with D5.

Some people just use Faderlube. I might do that if I had modern gear that had not suffered much use yet.

The above is just what I do, my opinion. Hopefully you'll get a few alternate views here for you to learn and decide which is best for you.
 
dlucy said:
What makes Faderlube different from D5 is that Faderlube leaves a lubricant residue to help continued operation of the pot, so if you do use Faderlube, it should be the final product used.

If I had a troublesome pot, I would:

  • Deoxidize with D5
  • Clear away any debris with CRC QD
  • Lubricate with Faderlube

Many people, and me at times, just Deoxidize pots with D5.

Some people just use Faderlube. I might do that if I had modern gear that had not suffered much use yet.

The above is just what I do, my opinion. Hopefully you'll get a few alternate views here for you to learn and decide which is best for you.
Click to expand...
I know this stuff dries quickly. What is the amount of drying time needed before switching to the next spray and before plugging it back in?
 
So I sprayed DeOxit on the balance pot today. I used faderlube. This was the only portico’s get at as the Adcom has weird screws making it hard to take the top off. Anyhow I put it back together and heard something rattling and opened it up to find this ring. Doesn’t seem to be overly important but does anyone know what it is? Will test the preamp tomorrow
 

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So I got an Allen wrench and was able to get the Adcom open and sprayed the balance, bass and treble pots with Faderlube. I could not figure out where that other part went and it did not seem to be anything necessary to make the unit work so I left it out. Cleaned all the contacts and checked my speaker connects. Waited a day and powered it up and what was once a scratchy pot for the balance that you had to play with to get working was now dead silent and working properly on the first try. Easy fix!
 
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jabbo5150 said:
So I got an Allen wrench and was able to get the Adcom open and sprayed the balance, bass and treble pots with Faderlube. I could not figure out where that other part went and it did not seem to be anything necessary to make the unit work. Cleaned all the contacts and checked my speaker connects. Waited a day and powered it up and what was once a scratchy pot for the balance that yo had to play with to get working wa snow dead silent and working properly on the first try. Easy fix!
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Excellent.

I still use the guide on the first page when I go thru a unit to clean. I have a Kenwood that I'm going to re-clean this weekend. I have it in an outside system in a shed that I use for the pool and deck. Left channel goes in and out sometimes. I think its one of the buttons like the Hi-Lo cutoff or Stereo/Mono. While I have it open, I'll just go thru the whole thing again. Been a few years. My son had been using it in his room, but gave it up about a year ago.
 
I am glad that I saw the title and got a chance to read this. I turned on my old tube amp after years of not using it and have loud crackling and crunching sounds. I watched to make sure my tubes were all lighting up and glowing equally (I don't have meters on the amp nor do I know how to bias the tubes) but I strongly suspected that I would need to try deoxying it first.

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with those of us that have never ventured into "that side of audio" :)
 
james1955 said:
I am glad that I saw the title and got a chance to read this. I turned on my old tube amp after years of not using it and have loud crackling and crunching sounds. I watched to make sure my tubes were all lighting up and glowing equally (I don't have meters on the amp nor do I know how to bias the tubes) but I strongly suspected that I would need to try deoxying it first.

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with those of us that have never ventured into "that side of audio" :)
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Caig has you covered.

caig.com

DeoxIT® Gold Vacuum Tube Kit, #SK-GxMD - CAIG

DeoxIT® Gold Vacuum Tube KitIncludes:DeoxIT® D100L-25C, 25 mL bottle,DeoxIT® Gold GXMD-2DB, Brush Applicator,B-SS116, stainless steel precision cleaning brush, 1/16" dia., 4" overall length, loop end,Lint-free swabs, brushes, cloths,Display box, (8.0 x 5.0 x 1.5")If purchased separately =...
caig.com
 
transmaster said:
Caig has you covered.

caig.com

DeoxIT® Gold Vacuum Tube Kit, #SK-GxMD - CAIG

DeoxIT® Gold Vacuum Tube KitIncludes:DeoxIT® D100L-25C, 25 mL bottle,DeoxIT® Gold GXMD-2DB, Brush Applicator,B-SS116, stainless steel precision cleaning brush, 1/16" dia., 4" overall length, loop end,Lint-free swabs, brushes, cloths,Display box, (8.0 x 5.0 x 1.5")If purchased separately =...
caig.com
Click to expand...
This is the kit I have. It will outlast me.
 
1763810950147.jpeg

This is not a pic of my unit, but this is the model I have. I just went thru the cleaning guide, but just the controls and jacks this time. I started out this time using CRC QD Contact Cleaner on round one instead of D6. I used pipe cleaners instead of q-tips as someone suggested in an ancient post on this thread. I've actually been doing that for some time... since I read that suggestion.

Anyway, went back thru on the second run with Gold on all the pots and jacks and FaderLube on all the buttons. This unit is pretty tight to work in without taking ton of screws out. And the old problem of carpet bombing with the DeOxit sprays came into play again. There is really no way to use the sprays, even with the extension straw/tube, to try to be more precise. There's no precision with the sprays, so I think my next cleaning, especially with this unit, is going to be the kit of squeezable DeOxit with the needle applicators.

Because I had scratchiness in the buttons, particularly the monitors or FM Muting button, I used the CRC first and really worked the buttons. For some reason, those buttons caused the left channel to get distorted, but working primarily the Monitor B button resolved it temporarily. There was no easy way to get to them, as they only had a small slot in the top of the button housing to get the spray into - hence the carpet bombing. I used canned air at the end to get the excess off and then sat the unit in front of a small fan for awhile.

Got it hooked back up the next day. Man! What a difference. I have it running in our shed out on our deck for football games while it's still not too cold outside. Got it all back together in time to listen to the test tracks I always use after a cleaning - Tom Petty, You Wreck Me and Wings, Band on the Run. Sounded great! Then put the game on the new tv setup I built and had a few cold Dragon's Milk Stouts to celebrate another successful cleaning. ;)

I'm going to start a different thread to show off the TV/Stereo rig I built that is my triumph for the deck and pool season. lol I'll post the link when I get it started...
 
Mark W. said:
ProGold is specifically formulated to improve conductivity, lubricate and protect gold, base metals and other precious metal surfaces. It outperforms all other contact cleaners, enhancers and lubricants. It deoxidizes and cleans surface contamination and penetrates plated surfaces and molecularly bonds to the base metals. Use on plated contacts and connectors for maximum performance and protection.
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This is another tack for this topic...can this stuff be used clean and protect my trailer harness connectors? I haven't ever really looked for cleaners like this...but since I have a corroded 4-flat I need to deal with, just made me think of it.
 
Firstoneman said:
This is another tack for this topic...can this stuff be used clean and protect my trailer harness connectors? I haven't ever really looked for cleaners like this...but since I have a corroded 4-flat I need to deal with, just made me think of it.
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Used D6 to clean the window and door connects on my 97 Ford F150's and it did the trick. No more issues. Locks pop up and windows are no longer jumpy.
 
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