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WD-40 for electronics

I forgot who said it, but Im sure it was said. So I will ask the question... for "OLD" screechy volume pots and connections is there a miracle grease, solvent, or lubricant? Or did I read or hear this in my dreams??? If not Lets create a snake oil of "Snake Oil's" and get filthy like Mike at My Pillow. To his credit its a great product. Much better than the 60 dollar "Audiophile 12 inch Inner-tube" I bought to go under my 5 disk carousel Carver CD Player.With My Denon 270 receiver and if Im not mistaken DCM Time Window Speakers along with the first pair of rosenut HSU 30 somthing inch tall by around 14 inches wide cardboard tube subwoofers with a black knit around them. God did I think I was all that... Haha I can laugh at myself I hope you guys can too!

But seriously if there is a spray or grease to help... Please chime in... I need it.
128x128haywood310
sfseay's avatar
sfseay
496 posts
 
WD-40 for electronics 

No it’s just Kerosene in a spay can and will dry things out even more and make those pots even more noisy once it’s dried out. 

😝 WD-40’s primary ingredient is fish oil...not kerosene.
teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
It was originally sperm whale oil, and that was a masterpiece of organic chemistry.

As you can imagine, we can’t get any of it anymore. For all the right reasons.

To give you an idea..I just pulled this off a gun forum, via a quick search for the wd-40 connection:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whale oil is actually a better lubricant than most petroleum products. It was used in gear lubes until the whale industry was reduced and the whales put on the endangered list.

It is very effective in limited slip differentials. Those clutches will chatter and cause a "walking" sensation when turning a corner without the whale oil in it. There are other higher tech alternatives.

As a matter of fact, the lubricant made by the human body to lubricate the shoulder and hip sockets is easily 6 times more effective than the best stuff mankind manufactures. Just a little FYI. 

(I don't agree or disagree with this clipped and posted bit, I'm just conveying a bit that is out there on the complex issue of lubes vs cleaners, etc) 

And that is also why getting the dog spit off the plate that you put down on the floor, for the dog to clean off, is such a total PITA. There isn’t anything better for the job than what the dog has naturally, no matter what a lab can concoct for millions in research and effort. (I just got a dog again after about 12 years without one. Hint, use a vinegar/water spray, soap will never work--wrong pH)

8th-note
408 posts
 
I use two products I picked up at Home Depot that have worked well.  Both products are formulated for electrical use.

CRC QD Contact Cleaner
CRC 2-26 Multi-Purpose Precision Lubricant

If you look up "CRC Contact Cleaner" on Amazon you will find a huge range of products. I'm no expert on this stuff but my guess is that whatever you are trying to do there is a product formulated for that purpose.

The other reason not to use WD-40 for this purpose is that WD-40 attacks rubber and plastic. I'm a big fan of WD-40 but not for electronics.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Radio Shack assuming they’re still in business sells a contact cleaner for volume control pots and similar things.
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
geoffkait: "One of the feeblest attempts to appeal to naive and gullible audiophiles in the history of audio."
ROTFLMFAO...

Tracks do wear out that no amount of cleaning or lube will fix. Wear is not usually a problem in HiFi, but can be in heavily use industrial components.

One problem is ’migration’ where an old piece has sat untouched for many years and corrosion has taken place at the wiper/track interface.

Another problem can be caused by DC through the pot, it will scratch when moved, but is not an issue when the pot is static. DC through a pot that is never moved can result in physical track damage as the track/wiper is EDM’d. Any time this point is traversed, noise occurs.

There is an old lubrication adage: If it rolls, oil it. If it slides, grease it. WD-40 is neither oil nor grease.
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