Deoxit D5

[lowell]

I have been using this for years. It works great and cleans up scratchy pots etc.. But it always leaves the pots feeling loose and cheap. I just sprayed some in some scratchy Fender Frontman 212r pots and they not only turn too loosely but they even wobble if I push side to side. The pots that I didnt spray do not do this. Is there something I should spray after D5 to tighten up the feel? Did the D5 just dissolve something crucial? Its does say safe on plastics so I'm not sure what to think here.

[52 Bill]

I have been using this for years. It works great and cleans up scratchy pots etc.. But it always leaves the pots feeling loose and cheap. I just sprayed some in some scratchy Fender Frontman 212r pots and they not only turn too loosely but they even wobble if I push side to side. The pots that I didnt spray do not do this. Is there something I should spray after D5 to tighten up the feel? Did the D5 just dissolve something crucial? Its does say safe on plastics so I'm not sure what to think here.

There is a thick lube inside of the pots, usually inside the back cover. The thickness of this lube is what gives the pot the smooth feel that you describe. When you spray too much cleaner into the pot, the thick lube thins out and makes the pot feel loose. Sometimes the cleaner will evaporate out and the lube will re-thicken to give the smooth feel again.

Sometimes the lube will harden to the point of freezing the control shaft. Back in the '70s Tapco had a big problem with this and had some sort of thinner to fix the problem.

I'd try and use as little cleaner as possible to make the control noise free, but not enough to dilute the lube.

[Helmholtz]

I have been using this for years. It works great and cleans up scratchy pots etc.. But it always leaves the pots feeling loose and cheap. I just sprayed some in some scratchy Fender Frontman 212r pots and they not only turn too loosely but they even wobble if I push side to side. The pots that I didnt spray do not do this. Is there something I should spray after D5 to tighten up the feel? Did the D5 just dissolve something crucial? Its does say safe on plastics so I'm not sure what to think here.

If applied excessively the solvents in contact cleaners may dissolve the sticky grease used in the bearing for smooth operation. The grease gets deposited somewhere inside after the solvents have evaporated.

[nevetslab]

Using the Spray version of Deoxit D5 can indeed cause that. I will normally remove/lift out the panel PCB, unsolder the pots carefully and either pry off the cover, and brush on the liquid version of Deoxit onto the resistive track & wiper wring mechanics so I don't upset the viscosity of the pot shaft/bushing. On pots that have the bushing assembly that will come off, I've been using Red bearing grease, applied with a shaved end of a wooden Q-tip. But, I haven't yet come up with a solution that you can spray into the shaft/bushing interface to restore the original viscosity. So, I too would love a solution to that. I've tried spraying DuPont's Teflon/Silicon lubricant into that joint, but have never been satisfied with the results. I haven't yet tried to heat some of the bearing grease to turn it into a liquid and try and seep it into the pot shaft/bushing joint, then exercise the shaft until it feels better. When it cools, you'd have a greased bushing. Maybe. That's as far as my thinking carries me this morning.

[drewl]

Moderation, just like everything else.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Moderation, just like everything else.

Exactly. I know it's hard to do, but the shortest possible burst of D5 is enough to work, that is, if it's going to work. We had a discussion here a month or three back, some shoot D5 into a little cup then dip a drop or two out with a toothpick or something similar and drop that into the pot. Also some folks, me included, make a sort of flow restrictor nozzle for the plastic spray applicator using a bit of heat shrink tubing. On spray cans of Cramolin, the predecessor of D5, was the manufacturer's recommendation: "The less you use the better it works."

[Helmholtz]

For some new friction you may use felt washers between knobs and faceplate

[Enzo]

I actually prefer the easily spun pots myself.


While I could remove the pots, open them, do service to them, reassemble them, an reinstall them, that adds an hour or more labor, whereas the spray Deoxit is done within a minute, literally.

[lowell]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Yeah I would go out of business if I had to disassemble pots to clean them! Sounds like it is, what it is. I'll try the less is more approach.

[xtian]

The manufacturers spec the shaft torque don't they? I mean, if you order a batch of pots from Alpha or whoever, you get to spec how much force is required to turn the shaft, right? I'm thinking the manufacturer does not achieve this by adding more or less grease into the can, but by some other, mechanical means.

For vintage 60s pots, I use F100 (fader lube) or F5 if some solvent is needed. The pots always loosen up when sprayed and worked, and I've always seen this as a major benefit of the cleaning--that it cleans and relaxes that 50-year-old, congealed, dirty grease!

[Helmholtz]

The manufacturers spec the shaft torque don't they? I mean, if you order a batch of pots from Alpha or whoever, you get to spec how much force is required to turn the shaft, right? I'm thinking the manufacturer does not achieve this by adding more or less grease into the can, but by some other, mechanical means.

Well, I guess they use greases of different viscosities. If you look at the assembly there isn't much more you could do to control torque.

[Leo_Gnardo]

For some new friction you may use felt washers between knobs and faceplate

That works too. In USA tubesandmore has the kind of washers you need, aimed at the antique radio collectors. They work fine on amps.

It is possible to have way too little friction. One of my customers, about 25 years ago when the Blues Junior was a new thing, thought someone was playing tricks on him when the knobs were turning themselves while he played. He thought he was losing his mind. One day he watched closely while he was playing and saw them jiggle into new positions, then he was sure! "I'm NOT seeing this!" Ah but he was... A set of felt washers did the trick and saved him thousands of dollars at the psychiatrist.

[Enzo]

The manufacturers spec the shaft torque don't they?

They might, but I don't recall ever seeing it as an item in their catalogs.

Look up the Alps catalog. Unlike say Mouser where specific items are listed as in stock, Alps provides a list of feature options, and you them make up a part number with the exact features you want. Thinks like threaded bushing or not, type of shaft, support brackets or not, etc. If that is an option, it will be in the catalog.

Actually, the Tapco affair points it out. If the knobs get too stiff, they offered a solvent to loosen up the goo in the shaft housing.

[Randall]

"Less is more" is pretty hard to do with these new "improved" dumbassed fire hose DeOxit spray cans. I often spray more than I intended to, even with their add on reduction tip.

[eschertron]

"Less is more" is pretty hard to do with these new "improved" dumbassed fire hose DeOxit spray cans. I often spray more than I intended to, even with their add on reduction tip.

I'll try to get a 'spritz' onto the end of a Q-tip, and 80% of it ends up as overspray on the floor, etc. I haven't tried the little cup/bottle cap trick. That should be an improvement.