Paraffin as a switch cleaner

[diydidi]

Can anyone confirm whether paraffin could double as a cleaner for stubborn switches?
I have used it one or twice on some Behringer mixers, using it mainly on the pushbutton switches. Seems to work.
Just wondering if the "cleanness" will last month or two down the line.
Any thoughts?

[Mick Bailey]

It does evaporate, though slowly. I have quite a few oil lamps that use paraffin and they eventually evaporate all of the liquid out and leave a small amount of yellow tarry deposit behind. It's not something I'd ever consider for electrical cleaning, given the number of tried and tested products out there. I like a switch cleaner to leave a contact-specific lubricant behind to protect against oxidation.

[Leo_Gnardo]

For our 'Muricans/USA'n audience, kerosene = paraffin in UK English. diydidi isn't querying the use of candle wax, what we call paraffin over here.

Given some contact cleaners contain naphtha, in a pinch kero/paraffin could work OK, but I'd only use it, like WD40 or similar, if it was a do or die situation and there was nothing else available. If the idea appeals to you to use this kind of solvent, consider Ronsonol which is highly purified naphtha intended for use in cigarette lighters. Used to be in every grocery store, you probably have to go to your local tobacconists shop to find some now. It's good at de-gumming switches all right, also removing sticker residue and similar trouble spots, and surprisingly doesn't affect most paints & lacquer finishes BUT I'd be careful using it nonetheless. And no open flames please, the stuff IS flammable!

[J M Fahey]

I use and recommend kerosene/paraffin all the time.

It cleans very well, softens oxides and grime enoigh so mechanical friction (pushing switches or plugging or turning pots vigorously) does tha actual cleaning/polishing.
And I use it because it does NOT leave a residue behind, in fact removes greasy mud made out of evaporated and concentrated WD40 + lint/dirt/tobacco smoke/nicotine and other "ugh!!" contaminants.

It evaporates and does not attack plastics, what else can I ask for?

It only needs to be cheap and abbundant to be perfect.

Oh .... it is? ..... then it's settled

Hi Tech stuff (Deoxit, etc.) isn't available here, and kerosene is as good as the standard canned stuff, so ....

I often mix it with a little isopropyl alcohol for a double fist punch, and add a drop of oil IF I want it to leave a lubricant residue behind.
Not too often, in general I see more problems caused by customer over "cleaning and lubrication" than by dried stuff.

Sometimes I also use plain 94% ethyl alcohol, which degreses very well and dissolves stuff (salts) which dissolve in water but not in Petroleum distillates.

Ok, the 3rd World correspondent stops transmission now, the guy pedalling the generator is getting tired

[SpareRibs]

Hello,
For cleaning pots and switches I use Non Chlorinated Brake Cleaner. It dries without residue, and has been safe for all the plastics it has come into contact with so far. It comes from the Auto Parts store. I bought a 14oz. can and it seems it will last a lifetime. It may sound strange, however after reading about it on another forum and being unable to obtain Deoxit I decided to give it a try. Best $2.99 I ever spent.

[Enzo]

94% ethyl also has the benefit of dissolving well into orange juice. Helps the attitude after a long day.

Unless of course it has been denatured, in which case don't...

[Tom Phillips]

...For cleaning pots and switches I use Non Chlorinated Brake Cleaner. It dries without residue...

It does do a good cleaning and de-greasing job. However, it is better to use a product that leaves some lubrication behind. Otherwise you can end up with frozen pot shafts and faster wear on the moving contact. Something to consider...

[J M Fahey]

I wouldn't trust it on pots, deposited carbon of bakelite paper is a miracle of adhesion (as in I don't understand how the h*ck they stick together) but for switches (metal to metal contact) a friend of mine swears by carb cleaner.

Haven't checked it yet, I have the faint idea in the back of my mind that it might be somewhat alkaline, or contain some acetone or xylene, a big no no in my book, but someday I'll check and post results.
On doomed trashcan quality stuff, of course.

[dugdiamond]

No no no to brake cleaner and same for carb cleaner too. These products will in fact react, haze and deterorate many forms of plastics, and electronic component materials , especially carbon conductive materials used inside of potentiometers and such....
Ethyl Alcohol is ok but actually anhydrous isopropyl is the good stuff for cleaning electronics and has the traits of both polar and nonpolar solvents, or in other words it can dissolve oils and also salts too.

[diydidi]

JM, so can I assume what you're saying is that Paraffin is good to use?

I use and recommend kerosene/paraffin all the time.

It cleans very well, softens oxides and grime enoigh so mechanical friction (pushing switches or plugging or turning pots vigorously) does tha actual cleaning/polishing.
And I use it because it does NOT leave a residue behind, in fact removes greasy mud made out of evaporated and concentrated WD40 + lint/dirt/tobacco smoke/nicotine and other "ugh!!" contaminants.

It evaporates and does not attack plastics, what else can I ask for?

It only needs to be cheap and abbundant to be perfect.

Oh .... it is? ..... then it's settled

Hi Tech stuff (Deoxit, etc.) isn't available here, and kerosene is as good as the standard canned stuff, so ....

I often mix it with a little isopropyl alcohol for a double fist punch, and add a drop of oil IF I want it to leave a lubricant residue behind.
Not too often, in general I see more problems caused by customer over "cleaning and lubrication" than by dried stuff.

Sometimes I also use plain 94% ethyl alcohol, which degreses very well and dissolves stuff (salts) which dissolve in water but not in Petroleum distillates.

Ok, the 3rd World correspondent stops transmission now, the guy pedalling the generator is getting tired

[Mick Bailey]

I've been a keen paraffin enthusiast since childhood. Strange boy. Our house even now has a paraffin lamp for every room, as well as a superb workshop heater. I even had a Tilley domestic clothes iron that ran off an integral vapourizing burner. An evaporative Aladdin lamp with its cerium/thorium oxide mantle will give a 100W bulb a run for it's money.

Paraffin used to be pretty mainstream. Pink and Esso Blue brands used to be frequent advertisers on TV and most petrol stations also had a paraffin dispenser. We also used to get the 'Paraffin Man' who sold paraffin door-to-door every Friday evening.

It used to have a distinctive smell. There was (and still is) a British Standard - BS2869 C1 - which defined the composition and qualities. Pretty much everywhere these days paraffin is sold pre-packed in 4L plastic containers. I only know of a handful of places where it's still dispensed from a pump. This pre-pack stuff doesn't smell like it used to and when it evaporates out of a lamp it leaves a deposit. Only very slight and much like the varnish you get from petrol in a carb. I don't recall the old stuff doing this. Maybe it now comes from China, or gets contaminated and no-one is bothered because so few people use it.

Confusingly, here in the UK there's a form of paraffin also known as kerosene, but this is a heavier grade for domestic oil boilers (BS2869 C2).

[J M Fahey]

JM, so can I assume what you're saying is that Paraffin is good to use?

Yes, try it.
Inject a good squirt and work the switch in/out or turn pot shaft end to end to wipe away grit, then if stubborn inject another squirt to wash that grime away.
Put a folded paper napkin under the pot or switch to catch excess spills.
The cleaned part will be wet afterwards, but it evaporates relatively quickly with no residue and after 1 night or day, no smell.

[Leo_Gnardo]

It does do a good cleaning and de-greasing job. However, it is better to use a product that leaves some lubrication behind. Otherwise you can end up with frozen pot shafts and faster wear on the moving contact. Something to consider...

Some of my customers and other local techs tried brake & carb cleaners after Saint Cesar recommended their use in his early Guitar Player articles. Not long after, I noted a rash of amps with frozen pot shafts or otherwise damaged controls (knobs that just spin round & round & round...) brought to me for repair. Coincidence? And look what inhaling all those solvents did for Cesar's liver (amongst other things) and then his replacement liver... so if you MUST use them, lots of ventilation and no smoking or open flames or sparks.

[eschertron]

94% ethyl also has the benefit of dissolving well into orange juice. Helps the attitude after a long day.

Ethyl Alcohol is ok but actually anhydrous isopropyl is the good stuff for cleaning electronics and has the traits of both polar and nonpolar solvents, or in other words it can dissolve oils and also salts too.

I'm thinking... but probably not best used for dissolving the salt on the rim of my margarita glass, no?

[SpareRibs]

Hello,
You can use the brake cleaner for cleaning the pots and switches, however what happens afterwords may have something to do with the way the item is stored or misused. I have used it to clean pots that were scratchy or otherwise nonfunctional for lack of use. If there are concerns about lubrication you could put a drop of oil onto the shaft of a pot and let it wick down, same with switches.
It has yet to melt any of the plastics in close proximity to any of the parts I have used it on. I always check it first using a small amount on a paper towel to see if there is an adverse reaction.