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-   -   Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc (https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=167361)

vinrads 31st May 2020 8:43 am

Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
On finding a suitable vol/tone control for jeremy (Pamphonica) I noticed that I had drilled holes to squirt some switch cleaner in ,
To avoid slipping and drilling to far destroying the track ,fit a small tube over the drill bit, so you have only a couple of mm of the drill showing . Mick :thumbsup:

alanworland 31st May 2020 8:45 am

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Good idea - and have a magnet close by to catch the dwarf.

Alan

vidjoman 31st May 2020 8:59 am

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Can only think of one or two controls in the last 60 years of servicing that's fitted in domestic equipment that doesn't have some small access to spray cleaner in.

Paul JD 31st May 2020 10:54 am

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by alanworland (Post 1254261)
Good idea - and have a magnet close by to catch the dwarf.

Alan

The little beggars get everywhere - didn't realise you could catch them with magnets though! :)

ColinTheAmpMan1 31st May 2020 12:51 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul JD (Post 1254299)
Quote:

Originally Posted by alanworland (Post 1254261)
Good idea - and have a magnet close by to catch the dwarf.

Alan

The little beggars get everywhere - didn't realise you could catch them with magnets though! :)

Where I live, we employ Wombles to catch them.

Seriously, though, if the case is non-ferrous, a magnet won't help, but some grease on the drill might. There are a lot of old-style pots that can have their cases taken off by bending a few lugs.

Colin.

vinrads 31st May 2020 3:00 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by vidjoman (Post 1254266)
Can only think of one or two controls in the last 60 years of servicing that's fitted in domestic equipment that doesn't have some small access to spray cleaner in.

I agree but sometimes the hole is not accessible like on this one , Mick.

stevehertz 31st May 2020 4:41 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
I would drill a hole in a pot to clean it if I had to, but in 99% of cases there is some kind of manufacturing gap available, and even holding the switch cleaner's narrow tube right up against the junction of two different parts of the pot can force the stuff in there.

alanworland 31st May 2020 7:09 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
Sorry about the magnetic dwarf's!
But you get the idea.

Alan

paulsherwin 31st May 2020 9:59 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
I've always been a bit wary about doing this precisely because of the swarf issue, but on the few occasions I've had to do it there haven't been any problems.

G6Tanuki 1st Jun 2020 4:17 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
I've done it on a couple of sealed "Colvern" pots in the past, a 1mm drill and a hypodermic syringe/needle to introduce the cleaner to the correct place.

DMcMahon 1st Jun 2020 8:44 pm

Re: Drilling holes to clean vol control's etc
 
On my Grundig TK 819 R2R where the double pole on/off switch on the volume control was permanently made, I drilled a small hole in the body of the volume control near the switch contacts end (after being advised to do it) with the intent of putting some switch contact cleaner inside, but was very surprised then that the switch started working fine without having to use contact cleaner.

There was no obvious access without drilling a hole.


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