Resistive track pot restoration?

[Paul Corusoe]

I would like to restore my old Icar pot in my wah. Isn't there a substance that I can apply to the track to give it new life? Thank you, Max

[colin trueman]

servisol super 10 switch cleaner and lubricant should do the trick

[Paul Corusoe]

Just to be sure, is servisol the same type of thing as deoxit or does it restore the track? 

[colin trueman]

servisol super 10 will clean and protect inside the pot i've used it on my old wah pot when it got to scratchy I don't know about restoring it.They're not to expensive to replace if it's that bad

[Paul Corusoe]

It's not a cleaning or scratchiness problem. It's worn out. I spoke with Geoffrey Teese last night and he thought he remembered a new product that would restore the track. He couldn't quite place the name for it. If there isn't such a product I will buy a Fulltone pot but I'm just trying to keep it as close to original as I can. Thanks 

[Processaurus]

I don't see how any product could magically restore a precision resistive track, as it would have to add material in a perfectly flat way, and in just the right amount.

You may be able to bend the little metal wipers over a bit so they get on a section of the wafer that isn't worn out though, if it looks like that is possible with your particular pot.

[Geoffrey Teese]

Found it.  Here's the cut & paste from Mark Hammer's 2005 post....

Mark Hammer
Posts: 10643


      Re: What to use on "dirty" pots.
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2005, 10:14:54 AM »   

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Pots can behave intermittently for a number of reasons:

intermittent contact between the solder lugs and the resistive element
Intermittent contact between the wiper and the resistive element
Intermittent contact between the wiper and its commutator (the metal thing the wiper touches as it moves around

Those intermittents can be caused by:

loose rivets holding the solder lugs to the resistive element
corrosion of the wiper
corrosion of the commutator
material/dirt/non-conductive deposits covering the resistive element

Clearly the causes of malfunctioning pots can vary, as can the "cures".  Here's what I started doing to rehabilitate my pots.
1) I pop the back covers, making sure not to bend the tabs so much that they isk breaking when re-assembling.
2) I wipe any grime off the resistive element with a dry Q-tip.
3) With a pair of needle-nose pliers, I give each of the 3 rivets holding the solder lugs a gentle-but-firm squeeze.  I suppose if you have the "right" pliers youcan do this without lifting the back off, but I find I can do it at a suitable angle in a less risky fashion if the back is out of the way.
4) If it's REALLY dirty I might apply some isopropyl alchohol and really give the resistive strip a good cleaning with a Q-tip.
5) I apply a few teeny drops of Stabilant ( http://www.stabilant.com/ ) contact enhancer.  I move the wiper so that it is at its "starting point" and place adrop just ahead of it then move the wiper back and forth so that the fluid spreads as far along the element as it can.  Then I move the wiper up to the dry spot and place another drop with the applicator.  Three drops (and these are VERY small drops) is usually sufficient for small pots.
6) In rare and extreme cases (e.g., VERY old pots), the wiper might need retensioning.  Here you might use some fine dissecting tweezers to slightly bend the "fingers" of the wiper towards the resistive element.  Keep in mind the wiper is essentially a leaf-spring that stays in pressure contact with the resistive element.  It has to "want" to press against the resistive strip.
7) Put the cover back on and away you go.

I am constantly surprised by how many pedals that had given me unending grief suddenly sprang back to life when the conductive weaknesses in the pot contacts were addressed.  A buddy with a very busy knob-intensive mostly-analog studio had recommended this Stabilant stuff to me, and though I used to be a contact-cleaner spray-can guy, I'm converted.  They oughta call it "Crackle-be-gone".  I buy it from a local electronics retailer in 50-cent "sampler" vials with 1.5CC or something like that, though you can get it in bigger containers for the price of perfume. I find one vial generally lets me repair about 20-30 pots.

[Paul Corusoe]

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!