Cleaning Contacts

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Since we brought up the subject of how well the AC receptacle grips the AC plug, let's talk about how each of us cleans those contacts.

My personal recipe is to start with Gorham Silver Polish (paste, not liquid variety) to clean the AC plug. Then I make sure to clean away the silver polish with a wet sponge/towel and then follow that up with Kontak. My feeling is that one needs to clean that oxide layer away with the polish before the full benefits of the contact cleaner is achieved.

I'll use a similar technique with tube pins. The one of word of caution with output tubes like 6550s is don't get the water in the tube base!!!

Anyone using any contact enhancers such as that from Walker, Mapleshade, etc.?
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
what's wrong with Caig's Deoxit

The one thing I would shy away from is Lloyd Walker's SST Extreme as I believe it cakes on the contacts and can lead to potential problems

I used to use deoxit, just felt the Ag cleaner did a better job. I also didn't like if I remember correctly that it left kind of an oily film?

As far as contract enhancers go, I think they all now come with a warning only to coat the upper 1/3 of the plug, tubes, male RCA, etc. What was happening was that if the contact cleaner migrated, it was causing shorts.

That said, I've stayed away from trying the AC contact enhancers because 1) they take a month or so for the compound to fully molecularize; 2)If it doesn't work, how do you remove it; 3) What happens over time? For instance, with the other old Sumiko contact enhance that went along with Kontak, it would over time with oxidation, turn brown. The sound would degrade and would have to clean the contacts and start all over again. Didn't too that too many times.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
I've read to never use contact cleaners on the pins or contacts of tubes/valves, the heat gunks them up.

I've never had a problem but I've been careful to clean the pins. I think the bigger issue were the contact enhancers that I noted earlier and to only use the past on the bottom part of the pin.

Only problem I ever had cleaning tube pins is when I let some water get into the base of a 6550 and it shorted out :( Never again! Small signal tubes no problem-just be careful not to "wipe" the branding off the tube!
 

kach22i

WBF Founding Member
Apr 21, 2010
1,591
210
1,635
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.kachadoorian.com
Contact Enhancers vs Contact Cleaners

As I've understood threads in other forums, the results when mixed with heat were similarly bad. I might have to go back and re-read those threads, think it was in the Audio/Tube Asylum.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
I started using Sumiko Kontakt which is excellent but I know use Caig Deoxit ProGold. A bit of a pain but I cleam them every month or two. Noticeable difference.

You need the high temp stuff from Caig if you are going to clean tube pins.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Myles,

I have had great luck with Flitz metal polish on AC prongs.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Oddly, I have not. I have heard good things but no first hand knowledge yet.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
I like to use this on cartridge pins:
http://www.2spi.com/catalog/spec_prep/Circuitworks-MicroTip-Conductive-Silver-Pen.php

.... but haven't used it on anything else lately. In my current systems, I plug and unplug things so often that the danger of a bit of silver flaking off and dropping onto an open trace on a circuit board is too real to take the risk. However, in my home systems of yore, I used to put it on almost everything - including tube socket pins.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
I like to use this on cartridge pins:
http://www.2spi.com/catalog/spec_prep/Circuitworks-MicroTip-Conductive-Silver-Pen.php

.... but haven't used it on anything else lately. In my current systems, I plug and unplug things so often that the danger of a bit of silver flaking off and dropping onto an open trace on a circuit board is too real to take the risk. However, in my home systems of yore, I used to put it on almost everything - including tube socket pins.

This is a new product to me. I may have to try it.

Has anyone tried Caig ProGold on cart pins?
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
This is a new product to me. I may have to try it.

Probably because it's not "audiophile approved". Too cheap!!

Has anyone tried Caig ProGold on cart pins?

I use Caig ProGold on almost everything else.... It doesn't leave a deposit, and it doesn't gummy up the works. But on cartridge pins, the silver works much better may be because most of my cartridge connections aren't as tight as I would like them to be.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
I would be very wary of coating anything onto tube pins:eek: The heat in that location can be substantial and IMHO, you are asking for trouble. A better idea is to remove and re-seat the tubes every few months-- that way you can check the basic fit in the system as well as increase the contact cleanliness.

I was reminded of this last week as one of my NOS GE 6FQ7's began to pop a little. The answer was to re-seat the tube and make sure that the connection was as tight as possible.

On all the other connections, i use Caig's. Not great stuff, IMO, but as good as it gets currently.
I would also keep away from silver polishes, as they are prone to leave residue behind and sometimes will actually aid in the increase of oxidization over time, due to their possible removal of the top layer of material.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
On all the other connections, i use Caig's. Not great stuff, IMO, but as good as it gets currently.
I would also keep away from silver polishes, as they are prone to leave residue behind and sometimes will actually aid in the increase of oxidization over time, due to their possible removal of the top layer of material.

I went through this disaster over 10 years ago when one of my audiophile friends recommended silver polish - the type that is impregnated on fibre pads. Sounds better when you first do it, but after a few times, I realized that it was taking off the gold plating on the connectors. That was an expensive mistake.

The silver conductive pen, though, is used primarily for circuit board repair, and it rated for quite high tempretures. But I won't use it for tube pins because when you remove the tube, the silver is likely to flake off and fall inside the amp.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Probably because it's not "audiophile approved". Too cheap!!

Nah, just an awareness thing. I try to buy what works, audiophile or not. Caig was far from audiophile when I started using it 20 some years ago.
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
I would be very wary of coating anything onto tube pins:eek: The heat in that location can be substantial and IMHO, you are asking for trouble. A better idea is to remove and re-seat the tubes every few months-- that way you can check the basic fit in the system as well as increase the contact cleanliness.

You need a special high temperature Caig to clean tube pins. The regular Caig formulation will cause problems.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/86688
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Lee, have you used this stuff? If so, your thoughts?

I have tried it once and it worked well. I find the Caig products in general are terrific.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
I have tried it once and it worked well. I find the Caig products in general are terrific.

I bought this expensive contact enhancer more than 20 years ago, and I have used it many times in hifi and also in some expensive laboratory equipment pcb connectors and edge connectors. Immediately after its use many faults disappeared and units became reliable for long time. It was really better than the classical electronics spray cleaners and degreasers that were used at the electronics workshop. As far as I know the active product of it was Stabilant.

I still have a few cc of the last bottle that I save for phono cartridge pins and tonearm connectors.
 

Attachments

  • img109..jpg
    img109..jpg
    28.8 KB · Views: 157

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing