On 4/10/20 3:22 PM, n4buq wrote:
I may try prying them open as well so as to be a bit more careful about how I'm cleaning things in there.
I've had pretty good luck prying open variable resistors, but you have
to be very careful about breaking off the tabs. Only bend them out as
much as is absolutely necessary, and if possible, try to spread the bend
over a longer portion of the length of the tab to avoid creating weak spots.
What I try to do once I get them open is flush out as much of the old
shaft grease (heh, "shaft grease") as possible with a solvent,
relubricate, clean the (usually cermet) element very carefully with a
soft brush and a solvent formulated for the purpose, then coat with Caig
FaderLube.
This process will recover nearly all cermet-element variable resistors
unless the element is physically worn away. A can of FaderLube is not
cheap, but a little goes a long way, and it's a real life saver.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
Dave McGuire