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What solution to clean silver and gold contacts?

Hello!

          I am looking for a product to use to clean contacts in my audio system. Contacts are mostly gold plated, but some of them are pure silver on pure silver.
         I do not want anything that leaves any kind of residue / contact enhancement product. I read on forums that some members claim these products improve the sound at first, but later degrade it. So in the end, they removed all of the contact enhancement product from the actual contact.
         Right now I am mostly leaning towards using pure ethanol alcohol, as I think all of it would evaporate.
         Thanks in advance for all of your advices.
audiobb
williewonka
3,082 posts
 
Gold should remain bright it's entire life and not require cleaning - if it is dull it is not gold

Silver contacts just require re-seating to restore perfect contact.

I have had silver contacts on all my plugs/connectors and I am yet to see any signs of tarnish.

We have some silver ornaments that require constant cleaning and cleaning frequency got worse once we cleaned them.

My preference with audio connectors is to avoid cleaners completely -  I do not need shiny connectors

Just my approach - Steve

dweller's avatar
dweller
3,808 posts
 
Gold does not oxidize so wipe gently with a soft cloth (not paper towel). Silver? Use a product called "Tarn-X". This chemically changes silver oxide (tarnish) back into silver. Works well on copper too...
rodman99999
6,200 posts
 
Tarn-X will cause pitting of the object's surface. These surface defects will act like a sponge and more readily absorb tarnish-producing gases and moisture. The object will eventually require professional polishing to restore the original finish. Tarn-X is made up of acidified thiourea (a known carcinogen).    http://www.hermansilver.com/tarn-x.htm
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,808 posts
 
rodman99999: You may be right. I always clean off the tarn-x with alcohol when finished. I've been using 25+ years and have not seen any pitting. BTW, I'm pretty sure the air, in an urban environment, has cancer causing substances. I lived in a Chicago house for 35 years whose shingles were pure asbestos (and flakey too). I'm sure mine wasn't the only one. Not trying to scare you or anything...
rodman99999
6,200 posts
 
@dweller - My post was simply a quote, from the cited article(close to the end). Happy listening!
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