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Old 28th Nov 2022, 11:58 am   #13
knobtwiddler
Octode
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 1,046
Default Re: Cleaning faders - TASCAM multitrack

You essentially need 3 different agents to do this (WD40 is the worst thing you can use BTW, as it dries up and leaves all manner of residue):

Deoxit D5 will dissolve the build up of oxide / detritus on the tracks / contacts themselves. I find it works wonders. Use either a dropper, or the shortest blip possible with aerosol (spray into a can lid and drop that way).

FaderLube - used very sparingly, this will reduce friction on contacts once they've been cleaned

Fader Bearing Grease. This is specifically for bushes in pots and runners in slider tracks, to ensure a 'viscous' feel. I was told by a pot maker that the longest lasting grease was discontinued a few years back.

I find that the best course of action is NOT to flush away the old grease. Just use enough Deoxit to break down debris, and a touch of fader lube afterwards. None of the Caig products I've tried have been vicscous enough for bearings. I find it best to clean contacts, but not flush away the old stuff where possible (unless old grease has broken down, which typically happens with AB pots, but not so much with Alps).

NB - when I get new Alps pots delivered, the bearing grease residue on the shafts sticks to my fingers. I find it hard to get off (IPA and soap does nothing). It's like a resin that sticks to your skin and is impossible to get off. I'd love to know what the product is.

I see more damage than good resulting from pots being cleaned on the whole. Some pots for vintage gear fetch over £100 a go now (!!), and people invariably ruin their old pots trying to clean them incorrectly.

edit - some contact cleaners dissolve certain carbon tracks. I only ever use Deoxit now. I once damaged a bunch of studio faders because of an Electrolube product. Only use products that are known to work. Be warned!

Last edited by knobtwiddler; 28th Nov 2022 at 12:04 pm.
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