Vintage Gear question

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Dabbler
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27 Oct 2020

Hey fellow enthusiasts.

I have a vintage pedal I bought back in the mists of time.

I hooked it up last night and it works but the pots are a little scratchy.

Is it considered bad-form to go thru it and clean all that?

Does it adversely affect the price I might get for it?

Would it matter to you if it had been cleaned?

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

Dabbler wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Hey fellow enthusiasts.

I have a vintage pedal I bought back in the mists of time.

I hooked it up last night and it works but the pots are a little scratchy.

Is it considered bad-form to go thru it and clean all that?

Does it adversely affect the price I might get for it?

Would it matter to you if it had been cleaned?
Nah man. If you can then open up the pots and blow out all the shit and then give them a bit of Vaseline and put them back together. As long as they haven’t corroded you’re good to go.
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

Dabbler wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Hey fellow enthusiasts.

I have a vintage pedal I bought back in the mists of time.

I hooked it up last night and it works but the pots are a little scratchy.

Is it considered bad-form to go thru it and clean all that?

Does it adversely affect the price I might get for it?

Would it matter to you if it had been cleaned?
just a quick spray of some WD40 on the pot and a few twists should get you back up and running. learned that little tip at the recording studio I interned at back in the 90s. very handy.
I write good music for good people

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

If you don’t feel confident opening them
Up you could try and get a bit of contact spray into them and turn the knob back and forth a load of times. That might be easier.
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Dabbler wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Hey fellow enthusiasts.

I have a vintage pedal I bought back in the mists of time.

I hooked it up last night and it works but the pots are a little scratchy.

Is it considered bad-form to go thru it and clean all that?

Does it adversely affect the price I might get for it?

Would it matter to you if it had been cleaned?
just a quick spray of some WD40 on the pot and a few twists should get you back up and running. learned that little tip at the recording studio I interned at back in the 90s. very handy.
WD40 corrodes them man. I’d get some sort of contact spray without oil.
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020


just a quick spray of some WD40 on the pot and a few twists should get you back up and running. learned that little tip at the recording studio I interned at back in the 90s. very handy.
WD40 corrodes them man. I’d get some sort of contact spray.
no.

seriously, there’s zero chance a professional recording studio would use corrosive stuff on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hardware.
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020


WD40 corrodes them man. I’d get some sort of contact spray.
no.

seriously, there’s zero chance a professional recording studio would use corrosive stuff on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hardware.
All I’m saying is WD40 works in the short term but it gunks them up. You’re better with an electrical spray that breaks down all the shit and then evaporates. I lost a vintage Wah to WD40.
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

WD40 and electrical spray without oil cost about the same. Guess you can decide for yourself haha :):).
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020


no.

seriously, there’s zero chance a professional recording studio would use corrosive stuff on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hardware.
All I’m saying is WD40 works in the short term but it gunks them up. You’re better with an electrical spray that breaks down all the shit and then evaporates. I lost a vintage Wah to WD40.
it was literally made to prevent corrosion.

I highly doubt your wah was destroyed by the WD40. there was almost certainly something else going on there.
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020


All I’m saying is WD40 works in the short term but it gunks them up. You’re better with an electrical spray that breaks down all the shit and then evaporates. I lost a vintage Wah to WD40.
it was literally made to prevent corrosion.

I highly doubt your wah was destroyed by the WD40. there was almost certainly something else going on there.
Sure. Probably. WD40s main use is for displacing water as far as I understand it. Putting oil into a pot which is already gunked up with shit will help in the short term but as said, it's oil. The WD40 evaporates but it leaves a residue which binds grit and dust so the pot will just end up worse. That's why I'd use a spray which dissolves all the dust and dirt and then evaporates and is designed for the purpose of cleaning pots. That's just me though. I'm not taking any chances :)
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020


it was literally made to prevent corrosion.

I highly doubt your wah was destroyed by the WD40. there was almost certainly something else going on there.
Sure. Probably. WD40s main use is for displacing water as far as I understand it. Putting oil into a pot which is already gunked up with shit will help in the short term but as said, it's oil. That's why Id use a spray which dissolves all the dust and dirt and then evaporates. That's just me though. I'm not taking any chances :)
yep, to each their own. never had a problem with it, and definitely never seen it gum anything up, but obviously go with what you’re comfortable with. :)
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020


Sure. Probably. WD40s main use is for displacing water as far as I understand it. Putting oil into a pot which is already gunked up with shit will help in the short term but as said, it's oil. That's why Id use a spray which dissolves all the dust and dirt and then evaporates. That's just me though. I'm not taking any chances :)
yep, to each their own. never had a problem with it, and definitely never seen it gum anything up, but obviously go with what you’re comfortable with. :)
I will admit that it works wonders on creaky door hinges :):)
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Dabbler
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27 Oct 2020

Thanks.

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

Dabbler wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Thanks.
Would you dare to open them up? That really is the best of the best. Blow out the stuff with compressed air and then fire in a dollop of Vaseline and close 'em up again.
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Dabbler
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Dabbler wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Thanks.
Would you dare to open them up? That really is the best of the best. Blow out the stuff with compressed air and then fire in a dollop of Vaseline and close 'em up again.
I would not open them but I'd spray Deoxt in them if I could borrow some from someone.

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selig
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27 Oct 2020

Everything I've ever heard about WD40 on studio gear is yea, it works but then attracts more dust/gunk than it would have done before treatment. No studio I've ever worked for or at would use it for dirty pots, especially as there are far better solutions specifically designed for the job such as Deoxit:
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/amp ... eaner.html
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

selig wrote:
27 Oct 2020
Everything I've ever heard about WD40 on studio gear is yea, it works but then attracts more dust/gunk than it would have done before treatment. No studio I've ever worked for or at would use it for dirty pots, especially as there are far better solutions specifically designed for the job such as Deoxit:
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/amp ... eaner.html
Yep. Exactly that. Also, guitar fretboards should not be cleaned using furniture polish. They really should tell this stuff to kids in school.
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

wait, so we’re saying WD40 attracts dust, but recommend putting <checks notes> Vaseline on your pots? :?

uhh...how’s that work?
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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
wait, so we’re saying WD40 attracts dust, but recommend putting <checks notes> Vaseline on your pots? :?

uhh...how’s that work?
Here...read this.
https://askanydifference.com/difference ... -vaseline/
Vaseline is grease. You use it to lubricate the pots and prevent corrosion.
Again...open 'em up, blow out the shit, apply a little contact spray, grease 'em with vaseline and close them up again. Just like new.
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
wait, so we’re saying WD40 attracts dust, but recommend putting <checks notes> Vaseline on your pots? :?

uhh...how’s that work?
Here...read this.
https://askanydifference.com/difference ... -vaseline/
Vaseline is grease. You use it to lubricate the pots and prevent corrosion.
Again...open 'em up, blow out the shit, apply a little contact spray, grease 'em with vaseline and close them up again. Just like new.
huh? it doesn't say anything about how Vaseline doesn't attract dust, or about WD40. not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this?
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020


Here...read this.
https://askanydifference.com/difference ... -vaseline/
Vaseline is grease. You use it to lubricate the pots and prevent corrosion.
Again...open 'em up, blow out the shit, apply a little contact spray, grease 'em with vaseline and close them up again. Just like new.
huh? it doesn't say anything about how Vaseline doesn't attract dust, or about WD40. not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this?
Just use WD40 then :)
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

I'd love to see some actual science behind this claim, because as far as I can tell, this WD40 attracts dirt thing is an old wive's tale, and it doesn't look like there's much more than opinion out there in google land saying one thing or another. never had a problem with it collecting dust, as long as you wipe up any excess, which of course you should do no matter what you're using to clean your pots--and I kind of thought that was a given, but--maybe not?
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https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
I'd love to see some actual science behind this claim, because as far as I can tell, this WD40 attracts dirt thing is an old wive's tale, and it doesn't look like there's much more than opinion out there in google land saying one thing or another. never had a problem with it collecting dust, as long as you wipe up any excess, which of course you should do no matter what you're using to clean your pots--and I kind of thought that was a given, but--maybe not?
Just use it then :).
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guitfnky
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27 Oct 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020
guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
I'd love to see some actual science behind this claim, because as far as I can tell, this WD40 attracts dirt thing is an old wive's tale, and it doesn't look like there's much more than opinion out there in google land saying one thing or another. never had a problem with it collecting dust, as long as you wipe up any excess, which of course you should do no matter what you're using to clean your pots--and I kind of thought that was a given, but--maybe not?
Just use it then :).
it's just a general statement. I thought my opinion was already pretty clear. :?
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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MrFigg
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27 Oct 2020

guitfnky wrote:
27 Oct 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Oct 2020


Just use it then :).
it's just a general statement. I thought my opinion was already pretty clear. :?
I can only advise you man. Don't use WD40 on pots. My next door neighbour builds everything from amps to compressors. He renovates vintage amps and he uses the method I've outlined to save original pots. WD40 drives out water (WD=Water Displacement). It breaks down the dust and grime and works in the short term. It also however breaks down any lubricant and leaves an oil residue which in turn binds grime. That's why you should use an electrical contact spray without oil. WD40 does not conduct electricity. Contact spray does. If you need a lubricant then Vaseline is good as it also conducts electricity and also protects against corrosion. All that said, if you want to use WD40 then sure...I wouldn't.
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