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what's the best way to clean old oxidized RCA jacks

N

Normo

Well-Known Member
I picked up an old mcintosh mx113, and the jacks are all oxidized. I don't want to strip them down to bare metal. Is there a good way to clean them yet still have good physical contact with the male rca plug, or is it better to upgrade them. Thanks Norm
 
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I haven't found any chemical that will completely remove the oxidation. I did a test of the following on oxidezed jacks:
De-Oxit
WD-40
Isopropyl Alcohol
Freon TF cleaner
Rawn Contact Cleaner

The De-Oxit was the only one that took any oxidation off. You could see it on the Q-Tip. So if you want just a cleaner you could try that. I didn't have any silver polish, that may work better. A buffing with 600 grit sandpaper does the best job. A choreboy scouring pad would work, I just didn't have any.
 
Not as well as emery cloth or sandpaper.. Chrome is different than metal that RCA jacks are made of.. .. and aluminum will scratch chrome.. makes it look like paint over time.. kinda spider webby..

Just take some find sandpaper or emery cloth to the jacks and you'll be good to go.. or as mentioned, a scotch-brite pad..
 
The red deoxit stuff that you brush on does a pretty good job of removing thin oxidation. If it actually looks like rust, it's not going to look nice again but you can use stronger chemicals like naval jelly or CLR.
 
if you could somehow rub them with a pencil rubber it would clean them real well ..trouble is doing it .. next best would be pad that's intended for washing up cooking pans .
 
I've used Brasso metal cleaner. Put it on with a Q-Tip, wait 'till it dries, then buff it off. My jacks came out spotless.
 
Everytime I clean RCA's I wonder why there isn't a special brush for this that you chuck in your drill? Something along the lines of a battery post brush would be cool. Maybe a cup that is filled with a magic eraser donut with a small gun bore style brush in the center. I use 0000 steel wool and or 1200 grit SC paper strips, dry either way.
 
Sandpaper, emory cloth and skotch brite are all too abrasive for all but the cheap cables you don't mind replacing. Doesn't take much to strip some of the high tech coatings used on the good ones.

3M makes some 00 cleaning pads (#46) for Evo cooktop ranges. Very mild, yet effective on most any surface, even chrome if you use a light hand. Unlike steel wool and such, it doesn't break up and leave any metallic residue. I keep a few laying about for this and that.

For RCA jacks, cut a thin strip, put a couple drops of DeoxIt on it, then just run it back and forth around the jack in a sawing motion. Once that's done, a drop of Deoxit Gold will keep it from tarnishing again and vastly improve the connection. Keep the pressure light and watch carefully so you don't over do it. Moderation is the key here.

Don't forget your interconnect plugs ... Most neglected part of any stereo. A strip wound around the center post will also clean the inner surfaces of the ground flange, then a few quick twists around the outside and you're done.
 
The tips above work well for the outside of the jack. I soak a pipe cleaner in Deox and run it back and forth to clean the center contact inside.
 
I appreciate the good ideas. Since I am into records I am familiar with magic eraser for cleaning the stylus. That's the the plain one without any chemicals in it. Has anyone used that on the outside of the RCA jacks? Just wondering. Norm
 
elcoholic said:
Everytime I clean RCA's I wonder why there isn't a special brush for this that you chuck in your drill? Something along the lines of a battery post brush would be cool. Maybe a cup that is filled with a magic eraser donut with a small gun bore style brush in the center. I use 0000 steel wool and or 1200 grit SC paper strips, dry either way.
Click to expand...

There is a special chuck, it's a non-magnet 7/16 nutsetter with a terry cloth rag. I use Wenol, or Mothers metal polish on the jack, then cover it with a small piece of terry cloth, then stick the nutsetter on top and spin. The nutsetter turns the rag on the rca, and after just a couple seconds they look like chrome. For the inside, which is just as important as the outside, I use wooden stick or regular q-tips cut in half and chucked up in the dremel. You have to peel some of the cotton off depending what q-tips you use so it will go all the way inside. After proper cleaning, the only reason I see to replace them is to alter spacing so a larger selection of cables can be used.
 
I knew somebody had this figured out! Way to go J... BTW I just remembered using pipe cleaners for the innerds too.

The 7/16" nutdriver also works on the hex nut that I replace the ball nut my pepper mill with when I need a lot of fresh ground pepper. The other end of the nut driver gets chucked in my right angle Makita cordless drill.
 
elcoholic said:
I knew somebody had this figured out! Way to go J... BTW I just remembered using pipe cleaners for the innerds too.

The 7/16" nutdriver also works on the hex nut that I replace the ball nut my pepper mill with when I need a lot of fresh ground pepper. The other end of the nut driver gets chucked in my right angle Makita cordless drill.
Click to expand...

I had a freak out with my Makita right angle drill awhile back. I started to pull the trigger and it spun ok, but a big puff of smoke came out the cooling vent. I let it spin, and the smoke stopped, and it's worked fine ever since, so I'm thinking maybe a bit of metal got down inside there or something. I hope it's ok, I just spent a couple hundy on two batteries for it. I've had the thing for 20 years I bet, and it's always preformed flawlessly (like all my other old skool Makita cordless stuff).:yes:
 
I hope so. I know they are dated, but I love my (3) 9.6V Makita cordless drills, espicially the right angle one.
 
Dremel drill with the felt polishing accessories or the brass brush if it's really tarnished. Make sure you tape the areas that you don't want to affect.
 
If really bad, I cut a piece of scotch-brite scouring pad. Wrap around the jack, twist and scrub with Brasso or Deoxit. More control than drills. And I won't have to worry as much about any plating wearing off. Then after, wipe off any Brasso residue and apply Deoxit or Gold if handy.
 
jaymanaa said:
I had a freak out with my Makita right angle drill awhile back. I started to pull the trigger and it spun ok, but a big puff of smoke came out the cooling vent. I let it spin, and the smoke stopped, and it's worked fine ever since, so I'm thinking maybe a bit of metal got down inside there or something. I hope it's ok, I just spent a couple hundy on two batteries for it. I've had the thing for 20 years I bet, and it's always preformed flawlessly (like all my other old skool Makita cordless stuff).:yes:
Click to expand...

elcoholic said:
I hope so. I know they are dated, but I love my (3) 9.6V Makita cordless drills, espicially the right angle one.
Click to expand...
I'm in Makita Purgatory right now, my 18v. NiMH drill/driver set has bad batteries and the charger is shot. These two are like an extension of my arm, some days.
I'm shopping new Li-on sets because the batteries and charger replacement would be about half or better the cost of a new set. :sigh:

If I need a quick and dirty cleanup of chassis jacks, I hit 'em with Deoxit and finish with Deoxit Gold. Never had a problem after. For tools, I use a close fitting RCA phono male and/or a Q-tip.
 
I just bought a battery powered fingernail buffer at the flea market to polish mine for $1.
I'll be getting some Brasso soon to test it. We'll see what kind of torque it'll put out.
 
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