Electronics Sprays Expiration

[sarakisof]

Recently found some NOS unused sprays at the local flea. They all came from an old shop's closing as seller had whole boxes of them unopened alongside with other nos components. Made a nice deal and grabbed many yummy things.

My only concern is about the sprays. That's why I didn't get the whole boxes (tens labeled Teslanol & 3M Deutschland).

I still use some Deoxit D5/Kontakt cans I've bought 15 years ago & I'm sure (am I?  ) they're doing their job fine.

Is there any issue I should worry about?
Could I still use them safely?

As you can see they're :

3 x 3M contact cleaners with no oil (red ones).
1 x 3M lubricant contact cleaner (orange one).
4  + 1 x Teslanol T71 x freeze sprays.

[Mick Bailey]

I would use them myself. I have some NOS products I've been evaluating from pre-barcode days (maybe 80s) - contact cleaner, electrical degreaser, penatrating lubricants etc., and they all work fine. In fact, mostly a lot more effective than new products. Some cans had de-pressurised, and the solvent is mainly trike, recently banned in the EU. The de-pressurised cans can be punctured and the contents decanted.

[sarakisof]

Glad to hear that. There were some degreasers in those boxes too but I didn't buy them as I tested in a small area (like I did with all the others before buying) and they smelled mostly IPAlcohol (main ingredient in those I guess). As I have access to tons of IPA for almost free & it has served me excellent for degreasing so far, I passed by.

One other thing that caught my attention is that those three red 3M contact cleaners weight a ton compared to modern Deoxit / Kontakts I've used so far. Or it could be my fault as I was holding the freezers in my other hand which are super light weight by nature.

[PRR]

Watch for rust. If the can bursts it is a mess. (Maybe a "clean" mess, but...)

I scored this weekend. I like Freon-12 for cleaning. Banned since 1996. I got, for $2, a 1970s ColdSpot dehumidifier. It works. It is full of R-12. Yes, I know, I know, I'm killing baby polarbears at the South Pole every time I clean.

[GibsonGM]

MMM, just like the stuff you find in grandpa's barn!     

Old 'weed and stump killer' (arsenic), different strippers and solvents all my painter buddies want to get their hands on, rat poison...

[amptramp]

The chemicals don't have an expiry date, so I think they can not only be used, they will behave exactly the same as when new.  There is no process of deterioration that can change the chemical makeup of the materials.

[sarakisof]

Perfect. One more question.
Can you tell any modern (Deoxit/Kontakt etc) equivalents to the three Scotch 3M 1613 "Spezial Kontakt Reinigungsspray" red cans? Not that I cannot guess but just to be sure what I can use them for.
Cannot find any info about it.
If you Google those German words mentioned in quotes above,  Scotch 3M 1625 appears to be its modern substitute, but I'm not sure.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_LB/p/dc/v000205923/

It's an Oil free (or little amount of it / non lubricant) contact cleaner I guess so similar to  D5 / Kontakt 60?
Pots, switches, relays, oxides around tape heads etc.

Finally, the big orange Teslanol M (stands for mechanic) special lubricant it's a WD40 kind of?
https://industry-electronics.com/pdfdisclaimer.php?url_pdf=/pdf/661103.pdf

[amz-fx]

Here is what the tech datasheet says about the Scotch 1625:

This product has a 2-year shelf life from date of manufacture, stated on the can, when stored in a
humidity controlled storage (10°C to 27°C and <75% relative humidity).

Years ago, I worked at a factory that made aerosols for 3M (and hundreds of other companies). The shelf life is most likely a disclaimer by 3M. With this type of aerosol, you would only worry about corrosion of the can internal surface, and whether the gasket in the valve has swollen enough to prevent it from spraying.

I have some special industrial lubricant sprays that date back to the 1980s when I worked there, and they are still completely fine. I used one this past weekend because it was close at hand when I need to lube something.

I would not worry about the lubricants but the contact cleaners are a different type of formula. I would use the lubes but I would not spray the contact cleaner into any precision equipment/components.

Best regards, Jack

[sarakisof]

Nice input Jack, appreciate it. Yeap I'm not going to use them into any precision sensitive stuff, but I guess they'll be fine for some guitars, organs, radio amateur, valve gear's switches and pots.