Scratchy Pots - Contact Cleaner?

[Supernaut]

My Precision has scratchy pots so I'm hoping some contact cleaner should do the trick. 
 

Can anyone recommend one? Thanks. 

[Dad3353]

25 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

My Precision has scratchy pots so I'm hoping some contact cleaner should do the trick. 
 

Can anyone recommend one? Thanks. 

 

Amazon link to Kontact Cleaner ...

[neepheid]

Servisol Super 10

[BlueMoon]

Used sparingly and in the right location you should be fine.

[casapete]

I’ve used WD40 Specialist Elecrical Contact cleaner with good results.

Currently £7.99 at Halfords.

[funkgod]

If you have tried all that and its still crackly, then....

1, take it out,

2, bend back the 4 legs on the pot covering.

3, take apart.

4 clean the carbon track with a cotton bud and isopropinol or WD40 . ( then check it with a meter if you have one)

5 and again very carefully clean the wipers without bending them, if they are worn right down the the legs renew pot

6, again clean the carbon track with vasaline leaving the faintest trace on the track ( literally hardly anything)

7, put back together leaving some vasaline on the shaft ( acts a a dust trap on the shaft)

and you should be ok

[taunton-hobbit]

^ ^ ^    Better still, replace the bluddy thing -= about 3 quid on EBay ........

 

😎

[funkgod]

On 28/11/2023 at 20:48, taunton-hobbit said:

^ ^ ^    Better still, replace the bluddy thing -= about 3 quid on EBay ........

 

😎

haha there is that, sometimes if its say a date stamped pot like the 60/70/80 cts and you want to keep it original or an expensive pot then its worth the effort.

if replacing there are some very high quality pots out there that are worth looking at, im just working on some universal audio preamps and comps like the 1176LN limiting amp and they use PEC pots made in Canada, well impressed with them, and im very tempted to try some on a passive jazz.

Edited December 6, 2023 by funkgod

[Matt P]

I've had decent results with Servisol Super 10, which is the same as the Kontact one linked at the top of this thread, they are one and the same thing, servisol has been rebranded as Kontact

 

some music shops will have the servisol branded stuff, i picked up a couple of cans a month or so ago for 6 quid a can in a music shop in Carlisle.

 

my rule is that if a quirc squirt of servisol doesn't work then the pot is replaced with a new good quality one (usually CTS)

 

 

Matt

[itu]

52 minutes ago, Matt P said:

...my rule is that if a quirc squirt of servisol doesn't work then the pot is replaced with a new good quality one (usually CTS)

Quality and a carbon track pot in the same sentence? They are contradictory terms. You want quality, why not buy a plastic track Bourns instead? Or a cermet?

[KiOgon]

IME any aerosol/propellant/solvent etc. sprayed into pots does more harm than good - long term. Pots like CTS have a lubricant grease around the shaft when made, any solvent disolves the grease and make a horrible mess on the tracks and wipers. You might get away with a tiny squirt accurately placed but - - - 🤪

 

Just my tuppence worth!