If you're fed up paying ridiculous prices for contact cleaners, here are some practical ways to clean sockets and pins for next to nothing.
DIY socket contact cleaner: For sockets, I mix a solution of 5% oleic acid and 95% naptha. This will do exactly the same job as DeOxit for a fraction of the cost. Oleic acid is a reddish oil, and available via mail-order for about $8 a quart. Naptha is available at hardware stores and big-box home centers in the paint department.
If you want a solution which evaporates more quickly, use 5% oleic acid, 90% naptha, and 5% acetone.
Most pharmacies carry very small dental brushes made for cleaning between the teeth. These are available in a variety of sizes and tapers, and are just right for scrubbing the inside of socket contacts with the liquid solution described above.
General component lead and circuit board cleaning😛lain old isopropyl alcohol works well, just be sure to get at least 91%, and preferably 94 or 99% pure (the remainder being just water). Do NOT use rubbing alcohol, which contains traces of lanolin or other oils, and will play hob with your attempts to solder.
Tube pin cleaning: I don't like to use any chemical cleaners on tube pins. Dipping pins in tarnish removers or contact cleaners can result in migration of the dilute acids into the glass seal, resulting in rapid deterioration. I prefer mechanical cleaning only.
The easiest method I've found is to cut a small section of an ultra-fine Scotchbrite pad (the gray ones), and insert into a small section of tubing or an expended pistol cartridge case. It takes a little fiddling to find just the right size to fill the inside periphery of the case. Once you do, though, all it takes is inserting the individual pins in the center of the Scotchbite insert- a few quick twists and the pin is polished. .357 Magnum cases work just right for octal pins, .22 Magnum for nine-pins and other smaller diameters.
Switch and Pot cleaner:A visit to the health-food store or pharmacy should yield a bottle of synthetic oil-of-wintergreen (methyl salicylate). It takes about a week to completely evaporate, but it leaves no residue, and is gentler on many plastics and plated finishes than some commercial cleaners.
Smells nice, too!
Hope these suggestions save you a few bucks.
DIY socket contact cleaner: For sockets, I mix a solution of 5% oleic acid and 95% naptha. This will do exactly the same job as DeOxit for a fraction of the cost. Oleic acid is a reddish oil, and available via mail-order for about $8 a quart. Naptha is available at hardware stores and big-box home centers in the paint department.
If you want a solution which evaporates more quickly, use 5% oleic acid, 90% naptha, and 5% acetone.
Most pharmacies carry very small dental brushes made for cleaning between the teeth. These are available in a variety of sizes and tapers, and are just right for scrubbing the inside of socket contacts with the liquid solution described above.
General component lead and circuit board cleaning😛lain old isopropyl alcohol works well, just be sure to get at least 91%, and preferably 94 or 99% pure (the remainder being just water). Do NOT use rubbing alcohol, which contains traces of lanolin or other oils, and will play hob with your attempts to solder.
Tube pin cleaning: I don't like to use any chemical cleaners on tube pins. Dipping pins in tarnish removers or contact cleaners can result in migration of the dilute acids into the glass seal, resulting in rapid deterioration. I prefer mechanical cleaning only.
The easiest method I've found is to cut a small section of an ultra-fine Scotchbrite pad (the gray ones), and insert into a small section of tubing or an expended pistol cartridge case. It takes a little fiddling to find just the right size to fill the inside periphery of the case. Once you do, though, all it takes is inserting the individual pins in the center of the Scotchbite insert- a few quick twists and the pin is polished. .357 Magnum cases work just right for octal pins, .22 Magnum for nine-pins and other smaller diameters.
Switch and Pot cleaner:A visit to the health-food store or pharmacy should yield a bottle of synthetic oil-of-wintergreen (methyl salicylate). It takes about a week to completely evaporate, but it leaves no residue, and is gentler on many plastics and plated finishes than some commercial cleaners.
Smells nice, too!
Hope these suggestions save you a few bucks.
Pretty detailed post. Thanks for the info.
For less serious jobs or after you have done the initial clean-up
Baby oil will work. Just dip the pins of 7 or 9 pin miniature tubes in it and plug them back into the socket and wiggle them aroud a bit. For octal or other large tubes use cotton swabs. Works good on pots and switches too because it will migrate were you can't get it to. Does basically what WD-40 does but slower and it smells nice too.
Jim
For less serious jobs or after you have done the initial clean-up
Baby oil will work. Just dip the pins of 7 or 9 pin miniature tubes in it and plug them back into the socket and wiggle them aroud a bit. For octal or other large tubes use cotton swabs. Works good on pots and switches too because it will migrate were you can't get it to. Does basically what WD-40 does but slower and it smells nice too.
Jim
I don't think I'd want to load up a socket with all the lanolin and stuff from the baby oil...
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I wonder if "plugging" your tube into a block of Magic Eraser a couple of times would clean up the pins pretty well.
mike
mike
For small 9 and 7 pin sockets 'piksters' sold at pharmacies make excellent cleaning brushes: on their own, or to deliver your favourite cleaning solution.
Get the larger ones if available.
Get the larger ones if available.
Baby oil is mineral oil and fracrance (perfum). It does two things: displace moisture and lubricate. Alcohol, Naptha and Acetone are used as degreasing solvents and do the opposite.
Jim
moisture and lubricate
the sockets are not getting ready to have sex, they had that already now it's time to clean up???? baby oil??
the sockets are not getting ready to have sex, they had that already now it's time to clean up???? baby oil??
My fave to clean up contacts on electrical points is Boretech Eliminator, For those of you which have firearms you will probably know this product, I have used this successfully to remove carbon and oxide deposits from capstan motor contacts in my rebuild on my Revox B215s tape deck. Worked a treat, I don't suggest you go soaking your tube pins in this, just use a q tip apply to where the contact area of your pins are without going to high up the pin stem, leave for 5 mins, wipe off a give gentle rub with same q tip used for applying for stubborn areas, then rinse well with clean q tip soaked in alcohol several times, if you are unsure just try a small area first but it works for me.
Boretech Eliminator is a copper solvent, it removes copper. that's like throwing the baby out with the bath water. you would be pitting the copper? pins and sockets are plated copper? I do not know what to say, they make the proper compounds to use, there are no shortcuts to quality. I would not take chances with equipment I am repairing. am I misstating?
motor pin contacts on Revox capstan motors are nickel plated, yes it is a copper solvent, I don't have any unplated copper tube pins on my tubes, the harder plated surface material will protect the copper underneath and with the use I have had in this application using your brain I have not had any problems with this solvent eating through anything, sure it may do if you soak it for a week , aside from that any electrical contact point which has become oxidised is already pitted regardless of what you choose to clean it with, thus oxide being the product of chemical, heat and electron exchange so unless you want your pins to be perfect under a 80x stereo zoom microscope you are not causing more harm than already exists, you are removing the layer providing electrical resistance to contact, you do whatever you please, I hope I am not mis stating? Surely you don't think that using a mechanical abrasive is leaving whatever article you are working on any less pitted, scratched or otherwise, the opposite is true you are removing more with mechanical cleaning, the advantage of a solvent being you are only revealing a new molecular surface to provide contact.
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I'm not against trying appropriate things, but I personally would not use a gun barrel cleaner on electrical contacts and I never mentioned abrasive methods on capstan motor contacts? that would be a very bad idea? my concern is the chemical you are using would remain in the micro pitting further eroding the material and possibly transferring over to the motor side? hey I go with approved methods , there is no argument here, but baby oil, well do I need to say more?
Dallek I do not believe I have personally inferred that you have stated anything about mechanical cleaning at all, my comments are subjective relative to the entire thread, where certain acids, and mechanical cleaning methods have been mentioned, and there is nothing wrong with forum members coming forward with their own ideas and what they have used and has worked for them, this is the essence of a forum where free exchange of ideas and info can take place, take on board what you will and discard what you like if you do not feel its something you personally would do that's fine too.
Eliminator by bore tech is an ion charged solvent freely absorbing copper into solution, also a carbon cleaner, an acid neutralizer and non toxic. There are many barrel cleaners some of which are ammonia and acid based. Of course you are correct about any acid no matter how harmless will inherently be absorbed into the molecular structure of what ever metal it touches and possibly inevitably cause further oxidation and breakdown of the structure.
Hey.... What about putting tubes into a ultrasonic cleaner...... nah joking..... hmmm baby oil, making naughty thoughts of your Telefunkens maybe, yes we do love our tubes but personally I do have a place where a line has to be drawn. Good luck all.
Eliminator by bore tech is an ion charged solvent freely absorbing copper into solution, also a carbon cleaner, an acid neutralizer and non toxic. There are many barrel cleaners some of which are ammonia and acid based. Of course you are correct about any acid no matter how harmless will inherently be absorbed into the molecular structure of what ever metal it touches and possibly inevitably cause further oxidation and breakdown of the structure.
Hey.... What about putting tubes into a ultrasonic cleaner...... nah joking..... hmmm baby oil, making naughty thoughts of your Telefunkens maybe, yes we do love our tubes but personally I do have a place where a line has to be drawn. Good luck all.
do you have a spec sheet on this solution Eliminator, I either missed it or it was not there. I could not ascertain the properties of this cleaner. I do remember that most gun cleaners are formulated for gun metal. motor contacts need to be as slick and slippery as possible or you know the result? if it draws the metal from the surface using migration I'll get a bottle myself. when ever I think of any gun product I'm reminded of "blue" and I have used that before.
Spec sheets on this product are impossible to find due to its Patent applications. My personal experience with this product is with National competition .308 Win F class Target Rifle shooting for some time, nearly all competition barrels nowadays are S/Steel. You will need to do plenty of research to get the details that I have given. I think its industrial name is Otis 012-gp. In addition to what I have mentioned in ingredients, a large amount of Teflon is also added to the solvent.... yuck the old gun blue , gotta be the messiest stuff to ever have to deal with. Seriously though if you are into shooting Eliminator is the best or one of, another product by Barrett arms is basically the same. Its not cheap stuff over here in Oz but will be a affordable product in the mighty US of A. Sorry OP waaaaay off topic.
I use 320 wet or dry sandpaper. Tetious and time consuming but successful. Ya, I'm a cheap *** to.....
I would have thought that a MSDS would be available for the barrel cleaner. That's how I check out the formulations of contact cleaners and other substances.
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