Members milesdf Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 Hi guys, I have some connectors from some older whirlwind medusa snakes (originally 8x3, switchcraft connectors). Im redoing both snakes, I got some great new ewi cable mount connectors for fanouts, but unfortunatley a higher up stopped my connector buying spree because apparently they cost too much, the old ones look fine, he doesnt have any clue how evil old connectors are, etc, so i didnt get to get any new connectors for the boxes. Does anyone have any idea how to make older panel mount switchcraft connectors look new? im thinking about maybe soaking the lot of them in a really light acid (vinegar?). also hitting the shells with a toothbrush then spraying them black. thanks everyone, and stay tuned for a thread with the end results, i dont know how the boxes are going to turn out but the fanouts are pretty sweet already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 No to acid or vinegar... you will damage the plating, The silver oxide on the older connectors isn't all that bad as silver oxide is conductive. Best thing to do IME is to use a little Caig DeOxit. A little goes a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members milesdf Posted November 15, 2006 Author Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 Originally posted by agedhorse No to acid or vinegar... you will damage the plating, The silver oxide on the older connectors isn't all that bad as silver oxide is conductive.Best thing to do IME is to use a little Caig DeOxit. A little goes a long way. hm ok, ive got some of that. im assuming that it doesnt matter what i do to the shell, does anyone have any recomendation for getting gunk off of a bunch of them quickly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Originally posted by milesdf im assuming that it doesnt matter what i do to the shell, does anyone have any recomendation for getting gunk off of a bunch of them quickly? Depends on the type of gunk. I suggest the following: 1) Windex for general light road grunge2) Castrol Superclean for oil & dirt & smoke gunk3) Goo Be Gone for tape residue and related sticky stuff4) Lacquer thinner or Acetone for really stubborn dried on petro based stuff5) Denture cleaner tabs in water for plastic knobs6) Really hot soap and water and a quick air blow dry for some stuff. It really depends on the type of gunk and what the item will withstand for cleaning without doing more harm than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 If you have access to a bench grinder, use a wire wheel the gunk will come right off. Just be careful of the rubber cable relief, it won't like the wire wheel. I clean up shells this way all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 Yikes... off comes the shell plating that's over the die cast zinc body on Switchcraft connectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 Are we cleaning the shells or the connector pins? If the shells are filfthy, it's a safe bet the pins and contacts are also filthy. And keep the wire brush away from the connector pins. The nickel plating is thin enough to be completely removed with wire brushes, and the remaining surface underneath will corrode in no time. Gold plating is extremely thin and should be cleaned with nothing but cotton and denatured alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 DeOxit on gold is no problem either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted November 15, 2006 Members Share Posted November 15, 2006 Sorry, my first post refered to cleaning the shells only, De-oxit for the connectors and maybe a soft toothbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.