Caig Deoxit and other Contact Cleaners... What's the difference?

[Sosabba]

Hi all

I've had a can of Deoxit D5 (D5S-6 to be precise) for a few years now and have always used it to clean/maintain contacts, for crackly pots, and that sort of thing. I've always thought it was just a good quality (and expensive!) version of the electrical contact cleaners you find in electrical supply shops, car spares shops and the like.

On a couple of my recent threads though, I've been told that it is NOT the same thing as electrical contact cleaners. Some have said it can be used as well as electrical contact cleaners, but not instead of. I have also been told it is not suitable for crackling pots (although it has always been good on my guitars).

So I wondered what people's thoughts on this are?

Cheers

Max

[IvanSC]

safest answer is to buy some switch cleaner/lubricant and reserve it for cleaning and lubricating switches, etc. Cheap insurance.

[Sosabba]

I'd rather use the Deoxit if I can... But only if it does the same job as contact cleaner....

[Chevytraveller]

The biggest problem with "other" contact cleaners is knowing what they contain.. most are isopropyl based but many contain other "things" that can leave residue on the contacts.
DeOxit's formular does a great job of dissolving built up oxide and just works effortlessly.. it is expensive, but is worth every penny as far as I am concerned

[zenguitar]

Deoxit is designed to remove the crap from contacts. Easy thus far. The problem is that pots and faders work best with a little lube to help them slip and slide and Deoxit does a great job of removing that lube as well. And that shortens the life of said pots and faders as well as making them crackly and noisy again PDQ.

So, you either use Deoxit and then apply a squirt of lube, or you use something like Super Servisol 10 which is a combined cleaner and lube. Deoxit is wonderful but expensive, and the separate lube makes it even more expensive. Super Servisol 10 is cheaper and whilst not quite such a good contact cleaner it's not far behind and comes with the lube as well, just what you need for pots and faders.

Andy

[Hugh Robjohns]

I agree entirely. Deoxit D5 for plugs and sockets, Servisol for pots.

H

[James Perrett]

If you buy a can of Deoxit then buy a can of Cailube at the same time. They're intended to work together.

[Sosabba]

Thanks for the tips guys. Seems I might need to revise my shopping list and rethink my tool box.

However, I was sure I had read somewhere that Deoxit was good for crackly pots:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul08/a ... 0708_2.htm

And like I said in my OP, I have a crackling guitar volume knob which I treated with Deoxit several years ago. It has never crackled since...

[zenguitar]

And like I said in my OP, I have a crackling guitar volume knob which I treated with Deoxit several years ago. It has never crackled since...

But it is quietly wearing out the track whenever you use it

Andy

[Sosabba]

But it is quietly wearing out the track whenever you use it

Andy

Because of the lack of lube?

[zenguitar]

However, I was sure I had read somewhere that Deoxit was good for crackly pots:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul08/a ... 0708_2.htm

To be fair, PW suggested that the ultimate solution to a crackly pot is to replace it, but using Deoxit or an off the shelf contact cleaner/lube will buy some extra time before it needs replacing. I can see his point about the dust building up and forming a sludge with the lube, but I find that is rarely an issue on guitar pots. For an amp or mixer that has ventilation where dust can get in easily I can see it might build up, but the vast majority of guitar pots are safely ensconced in a control cavity where there is no easy ingress for dust. However, I would still recommend Super Servisol 10 over Deoxit for pots. When you apply it there is always too much and that flushes away any build up. The benefits of lube far outweigh the disadvantages.

And PW does point out that prevention is better than cure, suggesting that equipment should be covered/cased when not in use to prevent dust getting in in the first place.

Andy

[zenguitar]

But it is quietly wearing out the track whenever you use it

Andy

Because of the lack of lube?

Yep

[Sosabba]

Hmmmm...

Martin Walker also talks about its lubricating properties and how it is better than other contact cleaners:

"Basically, if you've got crackly pots or faders, a quick squirt of a generic contact cleaner generally makes things better for a few days, but then the noises come back, while with DeoxIT the effects generally last for months or even years!"

http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/showf ... ber=717481

It's strange. The more I read about contact cleaners and Deoxit specifically, the more I am hearing differing and opposing views as to what it does.

Keep it coming!

Cheers

[Martin Walker]

Hmmmm...

Martin Walker also talks about its lubricating properties and how it is better than other contact cleaners:

"Basically, if you've got crackly pots or faders, a quick squirt of a generic contact cleaner generally makes things better for a few days, but then the noises come back, while with DeoxIT the effects generally last for months or even years!"

http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/showf ... ber=717481

It's strange. The more I read about contact cleaners and Deoxit specifically, the more I am hearing differing and opposing views as to what it does.

Yep, it IS confusing, so here's a couple of quotes from that link of mine that came from Caig themselves:

"In practice, Caig recommend DeoxIT D5 as a routine alternative treatment for faders (so if you only buy one Caig product this is probably the one to go for), but DeoxIT F5 (formerly called FaderLube) is preferred when your pots/faders have a heavy contamination of dust or other dirt, if you've spilt beer or coke on your mixing desk, or for use on heavy-duty moving components in DJ and other mixing desks when the original lubrication has been worn away through extensive use or over-enthusiastic cleaning."

"In essence, D5 removes oxidation/tarnish on metal surfaces, improves conductivity, preserves and lubricates, as well as helping reduce radio frequency interference, while F5 won't deal with oxidation/tarnish, but instead lubricates faders, switches and pots with sliding surfaces and reduces future wear/abrasion.

Martin

[Sosabba]

Thanks for chiming in Martin. So unless I am mistaken, those quotes contradict some of the earlier made assumptions about Deoxit and its uses.

Confusing indeed!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Contacts on consumer-grade connectors like A-type jack sockets tend to tarnish or oxidise, causing high resistance and non-linear conduction problems. Deoxit is designed primarily to remove that tarnishing, and it does it very well indeed.

Pots crackle because dirt and dust are getting in the way or the wiper, causing variable conductivity. Different problem, needs a different solution. And proper lubrication makes a big difference in the long term condition and reliability. D5 might help in the now, but I'm not convinced the fix lasts well over time. YMMV.

At the end of the day you can use whatever you want for whatever you want, but personally, I only use d5 on connectors, and servisol on pots. Works well for me.

[James Perrett]

Yep, it IS confusing, so here's a couple of quotes from that link of mine that came from Caig themselves:

"In practice, Caig recommend DeoxIT D5 as a routine alternative treatment for faders (so if you only buy one Caig product this is probably the one to go for), but DeoxIT F5 (formerly called FaderLube) is preferred when your pots/faders have a heavy contamination of dust or other dirt, if you've spilt beer or coke on your mixing desk, or for use on heavy-duty moving components in DJ and other mixing desks when the original lubrication has been worn away through extensive use or over-enthusiastic cleaning."

"In essence, D5 removes oxidation/tarnish on metal surfaces, improves conductivity, preserves and lubricates, as well as helping reduce radio frequency interference, while F5 won't deal with oxidation/tarnish, but instead lubricates faders, switches and pots with sliding surfaces and reduces future wear/abrasion.

Unless the formulation has changed in the last few years, I wouldn't trust this explanation. I'm not a Caig user, but people who actually use the stuff professionally seem to use both products in tandem.

[Jay Menon]

I just bought a pair of used Mackie HR624 monitor speakers.

The right speaker was very noisy at rest when powered up, even without any input connected.

On the advice of the gentleman from whom I bought it (he seems to be a really decent chap) I tried moving the various switches around on the back and the sound disappeared.

Today, the other speaker is making a noise.

Seems to be I'm going to need to lubricate and/or clean the switches on the back.

Which product would I use please?

[resistorman]

I would use D5 if I can find a way to get it into the switch. Been using it for decades.

[Wonks]

I’ve found WD40 contact cleaner to be good (not standard WD40).

[Jay Menon]

Thanks resistorman & wonks.

I’m fascinated by the idea that DeoxIT leaves a residue that might be functionally beneficial.

Apparently, so, does Servisol Super 10
https://amzn.eu/d/1sDflHK

What about the WD-40 product?
https://amzn.eu/d/gJGumTi

[James Perrett]

I've always used Servisol (now Kontakt) Super 10 and I think many other experienced service engineers use it. The WD40 contact cleaner is fairly new so you probably won't find as many people with experience of it.

Be aware that, if you use D5 on pots or faders, you will need to spray them with a lubricant like Faderlube afterwards.

[Wonks]

Servisol 10 contains a lubricant, which the D5 and WD40 CC don’t. So Servisol is good for pots, whilst you need to use a separate lubricant with the other two for pots. In theory the lubricant isn’t what you want on switches, but it’s better to have cleaned contacts than uncleaned ones, even if they might get a bit sticky later.

[Jay Menon]

So how would I get the cleaner/lubricant into the switch please? They seem to be closed units from the outside…

[James Perrett]

So how would I get the cleaner/lubricant into the switch please? They seem to be closed units from the outside…

Switch cleaning isn't the sort of thing that a normal user would do. To use contact cleaner properly you need to get inside the unit and spray into any opening that you can find in the switch. You will often find that there is a small opening in the switch case that will allow the cleaner to penetrate.

However, some switches are totally sealed apart from at the front so you may have to just try a squirt of spray in the front - but I would only try this as a last resort.