Red Erasors, contacts, and gold revisited

From: Dwight Elvey <elvey_at_hal.com>
Date: Mon Oct 16 13:11:08 2000

"Bill Layer" <b.layer_at_vikingelectronics.com> wrote:
>
> >Anyone tried this snake oil^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hamazing substance?
>
> Quantum tunnelling eh? No comment :)

 What a bunch of sales hype!

>
> FWIW, I am still a big fan of LPS-1, I've used it for years to clean &
> restore some of the most inconsolable antique potentiometers & switches. I
> would think that a greaseless lubricant of that type would be very happy on
> computer connectors..

 This is mainly a cleaner and doesn't do much for long term
contact.

>
> As for erasers, I'm assuming that red pencil erasers are out due to their
> slight abrasive characteristics? what about the 'kneaded' erasers that
> chalk / conti artists use? (I'm not talking about Artgum )
>
> Please let me know if this is bad thinking...

 I really don't recommend any use of erasers. They remove
the plating and often leave corrosive material behind.
 As for the grease. The best stuff is made by Dow Corning.
It is called DC#4. Most electrical shops have it ( lights,
wire and conduit types ). McMaster Carr carries is as well.
When I ran out of my original tube, years ago, I started
using some stuff that I bought at an automotive shop. It
is called Sil-Glyde. It has a amber color instead of clear
like Dow Corning's but seems to work as well.
 As for normal contact cleaners, I have an old TV that
the silver had warn off the contacts in the turrets ( I said
it was old ). When I used the clear, it would work for about
a month and then got flakey again. I put some of the grease
on the contacts ( mostly bare brass ) and the set is still
working today ( done years ago ).
 Before putting it onto connectors, it is a good idea to
remove any soluble materials with alcohol. As far as I
know, the reason it works is because, unlike petrolium
greases, it has a vary low film strength ( poor as lubricant ).
This in combination with removing air from the surface
improves the overall contact.
 I'm sure the Canadian product uses some kind of silicone
oil. I have friend with a can of silicone oil ( like is
used in car waxes ). I'll have to try it to see if it
has similar contact improvements as the grease does.
Dwight
Received on Mon Oct 16 2000 - 13:11:08 BST