John and all
I know the Deoxit is not conductive like Tweek seems to be but is more than
a straight solvent or lube.
We buy both the spray and the 100% liquid in the bottle (like a flux
bottle).
Sometimes the killer fix for pesky assign switches on mixing consoles) is to
dispense a little 100% (kind of thick), then 'chase' it with a little 5%
spray which carries it deep into the switch. You can see the results
watching distortion components THD from analyzer on a scope. Instantly gets
quiet. One time a local supplier sent us off brand Deoxid (instead of the
Caig Deoxit) and it just didn't work.
100% is also great for scope switches. Years ago I bought a batch of
Military Dumont scopes and it worked wonders on the switches. Even the nasty
cal and balance pots. Only caution is pots with HV in them like some focus
pots. Seems to make them a little cranky (low dielectric strength?).
Deoxit got a real bad reputation when music stores started selling it and
every DIY musician flooded his gear with it. Slimy mess.
I have a 20 yr old BMW and the Caig calube with copper particles it a
godsend for crappy German grounds (some painted from the factory).
Technician-in-a-can, we call it.
Funny about the red juice and blue juice. I read the speed cleaning book
years ago when they used that as generic name for off the shelf cleaning
aids. Apparently the book didn't stick with me, looking around the room
right now...
Peter
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-----Original Message-----
From: John Miles [mailto:jmiles@...]
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 7:26 PM
To: TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] Re: CONTACT CLEANER - note Cramolin Red is
'Tweek' (!)
Actually "Tweek" is an entirely different (and vastly more expensive)
substance, which is OEM'ed under the name "Stabilant 22."
()
Tweek/Stabilant is billed as a contact enhancer -- not merely a lubricant,
surfactant, or cleaner like DeOxit/Cramolin/WD40/whatever, but rather an
actual aid to conductivity. Supposedly, the idea is that
Stabilant behaves
as a good conductor across extremely small metal gaps -- on the order of
thousandths of an inch -- while acting as an insulator across
larger spaces.
This is what the guys on the Ferrari list say, anyway.... some of
them have
been using it on the badly-engineered fuse panels in the older cars with
good results. I haven't tried it myself, because the price ($20-$50 for a
couple of milliliters) and marketing claims make it sound like 99 44/100%
pure snake oil.
Now, I have taken Tek 7000 plugins apart and noticed a somewhat
gooey, clear
substance in the transistor socket pins that matches the look and feel of
Stabilant 22. Don't know if it was applied at the factory (which would
certainly lend a lot of credence to the snake-oilish claims above) or by a
third-party service person. Anyone have any knowledge of this stuff...
preferably accompanied by a few numbers? Ever heard of Tek using anything
like this on the production line?
-- jm
----- Original Message -----
From: <ashtonb@...>
To: <TekScopes@...>
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 3:05 PM
Subject: [TekScopes] Re: CONTACT CLEANER - note Cramolin Red is
'Tweek' (!)
That is: the active ingredient is same - made by Wright (audio type
and inventor? discoverer? of the phenom) in Canada. Tweek was first
and invented that T. They fought, and Caig was enlisted to catch
up in 'marketing'. Anyway it is the surfactant which produces the
long-lasting 'miracle intermittent' cures - whatever the label logo
or the diluent decided on. Sometimes brush applicator beats spray -
matter of choice.
FWIW.
Ashton
--- In TekScopes@y..., jstanton@v... wrote:
For many years we used a contact cleaner "Cramolin Red" which used
to be distributed by Caig. I went searching for new supplies and
discovered that Cramolin is actually German and that Caig's Deoxit is
actually their knock-off of Cramolin and is probably just as
effective.
We achieved miracles with Cramolin. Temperamental equipment that
was plagued with intermittent faults became totally reliable after it
was disassembled and all connectors and contacts treated with the
Cramolin Red. More recently I have been able to resurrect some Tek
plugins and frames that had been stored in a hostile environment by
first cleaning switch and other contacts with isopropyl alcohol to
rinse away water and alcohol contaminants and then applying Cramolin
to attack the oxides and leave a protective, conductive lubricant.
This process failed on equipment that had clearly been underwater so
dont expect the impossible.
I notice that Cramolin is still in business. I just ordered Caig's
sample kit and shall compare it to my Cramolin Red dregs and report
the result.
On the subject of cleaning used Tek equipment my biggest problem
has
been with labels. I find the following method works:
1. Heat the label and attempt to peel it off.
2. Use "Goo Gone" lemon oil solvent to attempt to
dislodge it. This is a mild solvent that seems to be kind to
plastics.
3. Add some WD40 if it is stubborn. This is a stronger
solvent so take more care with it.
4. Aged label adhesive sometimes still resists and then
I carefully use some nail polish remover if there is metal or
anodizing underneath, using a moistened pad like an art restorer.
5. On a painted or plastic surface where acetone cannot
be used remnants can be removed with a scraper using a similar
technique one might use to scrape a bearing or a lathe bed (i.e. no
gouging).
6. Finally clean with a pure water and "Red Juice"
solution. Red Juice is an industrial cleaner that we use and source
from "The Clean Team" in San Francisco. It is a detergent without
other additives and leaves no residue, no pine smell, just clean.
They also make "Blue Juice" which is great for cleaning glass.
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