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I have been trying to fix up my turntable but I can't get the potentiometers at fault replaced because the knobs are glued on.

I found online that the conventional solution for cleaning potentiometers is using contact cleaner. I stopped by home depot and picked up a little bottle of "CRC 2-26" electrical grade lubricant.

It worked like a charm for cleaning the potentiometers. Looking at the label it seems that it can also be used for pretty much any electronic device.

How does this work? It smells like WD-40, but I'm guessing that it does not have all the junk in it that WD-40 has.

TheLoneKing
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Sponge Bob
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  • from the datasheet: CRC 2-26® is a versatile, plastic safe, multi-purpose precision lubricant, penetrant and corrosion inhibitor. Its unique viscosity allows it to cover more surface area and penetrate deep into the surface of all metals, including steel, copper, brass and aluminum alloys. 2-26® displaces moisture and leaves a thin, long lasting film to protect against corrosion. – Chetan Bhargava Feb 07 '13 at 07:34

1 Answers1

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Audio switches and sliders have a problem with oxidation of their contact surfaces that higher voltage switches do not have. The usual solution to the problem is to give the audio contact surfaces a gold or other exotic metal coating, but that is expensive, so it might be too thin and wear out, or not even be there.

There are products to remove the oxidation and protect the surface from further oxidation. The one I use is DeoxIT.

You can also just exercise the pot, run it rapidly up and down a few times, I've seen that done and work.

For other solvent type cleaning operations (for instance, say, the contacts are in a midi accordion that has spent too much time in greasy bars), be very careful of things like rubbing alcohol or most solvents you can buy at the hardware store. Almost all of them have been denatured with some sort of glop. If you are bent on using a particular solvent, put some in a glass dish and let it evaporate, to see what is left behind. The only no-residue solvent I have found so far is Ronsen Lighter fluid.

Of course, aggressive solvent use is a touchy thing. Do not get it anywhere it does not belong.

Bobbi Bennett
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