Cleaning Sticky Pots

[NaBo]

I don't mean sticky as in mechanically sticky when you try to turn them... i mean its like shaking hands with a 3 year old who just ate ice cream five minutes ago whenever you touch them.  i just bought a ton of these pots from supermetronic in toronto, cuz the ones i used in my ruby were cheap and work great...  but they're ALL like that.  sticky and gross.  im sure it won't be a problem once they're soldered, mounted, and adorned with knobs, but in the meantime, handling them is rather... unpleasant

any suggestions on how to clean them?  i imagine just dunking them in hot water and then waiting til they're dry to use them isnt a good idea huh? :\

[Hal]

use solvents on the outside - some isopropanol will probably do the trick.  If it doesn't come off easily with that, try acetone.

im not sure if i understand the post - is the outside of the pot sticky or the area that the wiper goes over...?

[The Tone God]

No water could be a bad idea.

I tend to be careful when using solvants, especially strong ones like actone, since it can melt plastic or dissolve the lube inside the pot.

You can try to clean it using something nicer like say alcohol or lighter fluid then finsh it up with a spray of cleaner/lubricant inside to make sure the mechanism is ok.

Andrew

[phillip]

The Alpha pots have a slightly sticky coating on them, too.  Not sure why that put that stuff on there...maybe it's a corrosion resistant coating.  I usually just leave it on unless I need to solder to the back of the pot, then I take some 220-grit sandpaper (or a higher grit) and lightly sand the back of the pot casing until it's silver instead of that goldish-green color.

Phillip

[NaBo]

hmm, corrosion resistant?  that sounds like a Good Thing...

well, i guess i'll just have to see how it goes on the next few builds.if i REALLY cant stand touching them while soldering and testing and using them before picking out knobs, i think i'll try my luck with a touch of isopropyl alcohol on a Q-tip, if only just on the shaft.

thanks for the replies!

[niftydog]

isopropyl is the go. You could dunk them in a small bath of it, provided you give them a bit of a scrub and sufficient time to dry out. Iso will dry FAR quicker than water, just so you know!

[Tubebass]

If the isopropyl doesn't work, try my fave.....wd-40!

[vdm]

ive always just used a little ball of steel wool, but i guess you then run the risk of getting small particles of it stuck inside the pot and causing more problems than they fix  :?

trent

[Hal]

i dont think its too off topic, how do you suggest cleaning sticky stuff off wood.  I'm kinda scared to use solvents on it, in case it gets absorbed and nasty.  Right now im attacking it with a file thing, and cleaning that occationally, but its pretty slow going.

[niftydog]

IMO, wd-40 - while being useful to temporarily fix the odd rusty gate hinge - is horrid, dust attracting, smelly crud in a can!  :shock:

isopropyl will evaporate completely leaving behind no residue.

WD-40 on the other hand is designed to penetrate and displace water... it is not designed as a lubricant. [WD stands for water displacement] It stays around for a (comparatively) long time and when it finally does evaporate you're left with sticky goo. This may continue to provide some corrosion resistance, but it's lubricating properties have long since evaporated.

For electroincs work there are plenty of better, more suited products.

Deoxit DN5 is good.
Electrolube products are generally pretty good.
etc.

As for WD-40 replacements; CRC 2-26 is just as smelly, but works  much better and won't turn into a sticky dust attracting mess.

[niftydog]

how do you suggest cleaning sticky stuff off wood.

if you've got a sander (orbital or speed controllable angle grinder) you can get these hoopy little sanding pads that look like plastic steel wool. Just the ticket for this kind of thing. They are also handy for stripping paint.

And, just to bring it on topic, I use mine everytime I revamp my pedal board to get the epoxy glue off the plywood that I use to attach the velcro. Works a treat and I have revamped the same piece of plywood about 5-6 times without damage to the plywood!

[1wahfreak]

The stuff is called cosmoline. It is used to protect metal from rust/corrosion. Machinery manufactures slap this stuff on there because sometimes the machinery sits in warehouses for long periods of time before being sold or delivered, especially if it's made in high heat/high humidity regions of the world. Im not sure if Isopropyl will work. I know for sure acetone works but don't over soak the rag, just dampen it.