Variac Repair using DeoxIT

Disclaimer. I am not being paid by anyone to endorse this product. I was sent a sample pack to evaluate, and demonstrate the effectiveness or DeoxIT. The opinions formed here are entirely my own based on my experience with the product during this servicing.

[@alphabeets]

I'm a long time fan of Deoxit. The only issue I have with spraying dirty pots is that the spray tends to creep up the shaft and dissolve the shaft grease, and then the shaft loses its nice smooth feel and it becomes loose feeling. So I always try to use the dropper method with pots if at all possible instead of spraying into them. I can usually get some into the opening of the pot with the dropper bottle.

[@flatlander523]

Do us all a huge favor and remove ALL jewelry including watch when working around electrical equipment. That metal band would make a good bus bar across opposing terminals.

[@12voltvids]

Notice I do not wear a ring. Yes I have a real nice one with a bunch of diamonds in it and my wife has an even nicer one custom made by the same Goldsmith. This is for safety. I do remove my watch if I am working with that hand but generally my left hand is in my pocket if I am working on anything energized. I do take electrical safety seriously as I am an electrical worker at my day job. I work in proximity to utility voltage and climb likes to make connections on Telco plant. Many of the junior techs only work with fiber, but I work with both fiber and copper and have to climb to Ariel plant which brings me closer to electrical mains than most people get. I have to use lineman's gloves in some cases. If you see me working on a crt TV or microwave oven I do remove my watch. But I don't when the circuit is dead.

[@eddisc4205]

curious why you didn't use a soft (brass) bristle toothbrush to clean?

[@Sloxx701]

Been using Deoxit for about a year now for cleaning pots, it's awesome.

[@zachariahwallace7709]

Dont know if anyone gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me atm you can watch all of the latest movies and series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my girlfriend for the last weeks xD

[@raymondjaxton1663]

@Zachariah Wallace Yea, been using instaflixxer for years myself =)

[@TheDefpom]

I wonder if you need to give it a wipe to remove the gunk and then reapply it.

[@umajunkcollector]

Another solvent that I like to use for cleanup is NAPTHA AKA RONSONOL lighter fluid. A quart can be had at most stores in the paint dept, for under 10$/can. Some drug stores sell Ronsonol. It works very well for removing sticker goo from labels.

[@12voltvids]

One of the active ingredients in DeoxIT 5 is Naptha. That is the solvent they use according to the documentation that came with it.

[@ZenithClarity]

I have heard people rave about deoxit for a long time but never tried it myself. Have to try it now. I wonder if anyone has made a vid using just Naptha? Ive always used CRC.

[@BlankBrain]

I've been using DeoxIT for about six months, after seeing it on _Blueglow Electronics'_ channel. It works better than anything else I've come across.

[@umajunkcollector]

It's the best! But CFC FREON like stuff that was banned by the tree huggers was good stuff. Remember when Radio Shack sold CFC Color TV contact cleaner in those 4oz cans back in the 60s?

[@12voltvids]

Thats my feeling now from my first exposure. Now, the ORIGINAL Nutrol was dynamite for cleaning. It was developed for the telephone company way back when cross bar and stroger switches needed cleaning and lubrication, however the chemistry changed over 20 years ago to make it environmentally friendly. The original had Freon TF solvent as the cleaner, and a petroleum lubricant. Lets call it diesel as that is what it smells like. Newer formulation appears to be alcohol based, and I noticed that even though it does clean, the results were not as good or as long lasting as the original. (I have a can of original Nutrol that is at least 30 years old, and I have been using that on my equipment, but now I have something that so far looks superior.)

[@12voltvids]

I still have several large cans of the bad CFC Freon TF solvent that I purchased before the ban went into effect. I ordered a case of 12 cans from the supplier, and my old boss dam near shit a brick. He went totally ballistic. Those cans started growing legs and leaving with me once I became a disgruntle employee at the shop. Figured if the boss was going to accuse me of ordering in extra parts and taking them... (which wasn't the case they were backup parts for inventory added to an existing purchase order), but when he saw a part come on on a purchase order, and not be charged out on the invoice he basically confronted me and accused me of theft, and when I showed him the part was in fact inventory backup, he proceeded to ship the part back, and as a penalty to me, deducted the restocking charge and freight from my pay cheque. That was the beginning of the end for me. Lost all respect for the man I had basically been a slave to for 20 years. I helped build his business, and made him a ton of money. He did pay me relatively good for several years and that is why I stayed, but in the last few years he became more miserable, and confrontational. One day that was it, I had enough and walked over a 5.00 dispute. He was going to deduct 5.00 from my pay cheque because in his eyes I didn't charge enough mark up on a part, so I was going to pay the difference from what I charged the customer, and what he felt I should have charged. Of well, Karma got him. He got caught with his fly open, and and ended up bankrupt a few years after I left the business.

[@dell177]

Replace the brush, it looks too small so it probably wears faster than the Staco or Superior brushes did. i usually just spry a little into the cap and use Qtips to clean anything out in the open like that - you use a lot less of the stuff by doing this.

[@dirtydon8661]

Wonderful product. I have a few diff flavors of caig deoxit and use it a bunch on navigational aid electronics that are used in the gulf of mexico. Looks like D-Lab on youtube also received some from Caig.

[@OmarMekkawy]

you can put a solder layer on the wiper to protect it and make a good contact.

[@FindLiberty]

15:55 "Beauty" - a real Bobby Dazzler!

[@tsfarken]

Have you got bubble wrap on your floors or what? Every time you walk what's all the noise?

[@12voltvids]

No bubble wrap. Tahts just my shoes on the concrete.

[@BEdmonson85]

"And it's not failed yet!" He says while vigorously scrubbing the contacts to clean & repair them. Haha, cracked me up 🤣

[@BEdmonson85]

By the way, dont' waste your money on Deoxit brand contact cleaners, the cheaper stuff you get at the hardware store works just as well, and costs significantly less. If the part needs lube just buy the lube separately, it'll save you a ton of money. There's no magic in Deoxit, just a cleaner and lube in the same can.

[@ronniezzzz]

did you unplug it there mate

[@andypalm7061]

I've been using deoxIT for many years,I really like it. Yeah it cost....but it works.

[@CondorAudio]

I don't recall you using an air-compressor to remove the sandpaper dust , the last time you had it open........ For removing that oxidation, if you thought that DeOxit was great, you will be astounded by Brasso. Brasso, Brasso, Brasso - and no, I have no connection to the makers of Brasso. And you should NEVER use a screwdriver or file to get rid of anything. The correct stuff to use is 1000 grade Steel Wool. The correct equipment makes all the difference between the repair standards of a hobbyist, versus those of a professional.

[@johnbellas490]

Yes deoxit is GREAT STUFF, they also make and sell FADER LUBE / Cleaner also, made exclusively to clean and LUBRICATE SLIDER type potentiometers like you find in mixing consoles, tone controls, equalizer units, Etc WD 40 is a Water Displacement compound that was designed to coat aircraft structural parts made out of aluminum and it can HARM switch wafers like phenolic and some other stuff and plastics !! --------------- John A Bellas KC2UVN

[@12voltvids]

I was reading the testimonials in the Literature that they sent me, and major hi tech companies, like Boeing, Bose, Dibold, GE, HO, Honeywell, Tektronix and Xerox all rave about it.

[@HDXFH]

Worked quite well

[@bikematt5781]

Try Deoxit brand Fader Lube. I believe that is available in 25mL blunt needle applicator plastic bottles. I prefer the blunt needle applicator plastic bottles to the aerosol.

[@MidnightVisions]

Am I seeing broken and missing coils? Well yes, that's why its arcing. You should have this immersion cleaned and lacquer re-coated. BTW you did not unplug it when you were spraying solvent on it.

[@12voltvids]

I most certainly did unplug it before spraying naptha on it. The variac is plugged into my isolation transformer, and I had that unplugged before working on it, except when testing the voltage output.

[@MidnightVisions]

ok just didn't look like it in the vid. Excuse my over safety salliness. : )

[@12voltvids]

I do "edit" my videos. Stuff happens when the camera isn't running.

[@Tobinindustrial]

Nice repair. I have tried the American Deoxit and the Canadian product NuTrol. I'd like to see more comparison but my brief test proved both work equally. They are not the same overall so there must be some difference in performance in different applications. Thanks for sharing.

[@12voltvids]

Yes totally different chemical make up. For years I used Nutrol, and it is a very good product, no question about that. Now that I have tried DeoxIT I have found a product that is equally as good on initial use, and perhaps better because they have different concentrations for different applications. I will continue to use both going forward, and perhaps do a long term test. The Variac will be a good test because I draw lots of current through that unit, and constantly abuse it. How that thing still works is beyond me as I have had the thing pretty hot. I had a plasma on there that draws 700 watts, and yes it did blow the fuse on the variac. I have had it hot enough to smell both it, and my isolation transformer getting very warm.

[@Tobinindustrial]

It would be awesome to see some long term testing on both products. That variac is a useful tool. Can you build one on a budget? I think I should add one to my collection of tst gear but the new ones are pricy and the old ones seem very old for the price so I never took the leap yet.

[@SDsailor7]

That brass ring was pretty nasty with all that gunk and corrosion, good ol Deoxit to the rescue.

[@Luke-12V]

Hello, what a penny and Amps, thank you

[@TheDefpom]

I've heard good things about deoxit, I haven't seen it in my country though, I would like to try it out too!

[@umajunkcollector]

ebay and Amazon sell it, as well as WD40 Contact Cleaner.

[@12voltvids]

I heard good things too, but as I said I never tried it, and then I got an offer to test it, and well I am now a converted customer just from this one test.

[@errol8000]

I would use a toothbrush. Does a good job.

[@markmarkofkane8167]

I was curious what was inside those. More interesting stuff!!

[@craneoperator4]

I used to use Radio Shack tuner cleaner years ago...now I use CRC and Deoxit

[@m.emrahozkaya9903]

I know it is not the right thing but I use WD40 if I have nothing else for these type of situations and it solved lots of problems for me.

[@johncunningham5435]

Excellent product!

[@12voltvids]

John Cunningham Works great. Variac is still working great. Better then the stuff I used to use.

[@martinda7446]

You need to grease it. EDIT: It probably had a smear of grease on it which dried up and now is eroding itself on every turn. Probably best not to use vaseline as it melts at low temps.

[@martinda7446]

PS the black crap is likely dried grease and carbon.

[@12voltvids]

Martin D A Deoxit has a lubricant in it. Working great now and has been over a year since I did it.

[@martinda7446]

Haha OK, that is one tough little unit. Great videos and sorry if I came across as a smartarse.

[@12voltvids]

That would have been the original stuff from when it was new.

[@khx73]

Was the DeoxIT that arrived the other week with a hefty customs charge? How'd you get that sorted?

[@12voltvids]

I refused the shipment, UPS contacted the supplier and they accepted the broker charges, and the package arrived no cost to me. So it all worked out, I got my free sample, and Caig gets some free advertising.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Rosie O'Kelly swears by DeoxIT and Rosie said in one of her videos never ever use WD40 as it would dissolve the insulation of volume and tone controls.

[@12voltvids]

I would never use WD40 an anything except for perhaps a squeaky door hinge. I remember one of the first VCRs I ever had to service the owner sprayed WD40 inside. What a mess. I had to disassemble everything, and wash it out and replace all the rubber idlers and belts. I remember charging the guy about 250.00 to fix it. Now, mind you this was 1980 and VCRs were over 2 grand back then. A month later it was back, and had WD40 sprayed all over inside again. The guy was a alcoholic dumped a rum-coke over his VCR, then figured WD40 would clean it out. It was an old top loader like that RCA I fixed last week. Actually it was a year older, as it was a VCT201 the same as my first machine.

[@8953147]

I use Deoxit too!

[@royireland1127]

Would conductive grease work on the slip ring?

[@Moonlightshadow-lq4fr]

Well it didn't did it. :)

[@woodchuck8197]

Little steel wool real lighty

[@mitch19636]

I love the smell of ozone in the morning.

[@skycarl]

Really good stuff but I've always found it to be a bit overpriced.

[@12voltvids]

The way I look at things is you get what you pay for. Do you want to clean your controls and have them last years, or do you want to be cleaning them every 6 months?

[@caiglaboratories]

1 can of D5S-6 is good for about 1200 applications (more or less). If you are in US, you can get it for $9.98 at Parts Express : www.parts-express.com/caig-deoxit-d5s-6-spray-5-oz--341-200 , or Markertek for free shipping (no minimum order) : www.markertek.com/product/caig-d5s-6p/caig-laboratories-d5s-6p-60th-anniversary-deoxit-d5-spray-with-new-perfect-straw . If you are in Canada, please order it from one of our Canadian distributors: store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.15/category.5933/ctype.SS/SS.5933/.f

[@brich2929]

$9.98? I don't see those prices.

[@jlsagely6892]

And, it takes very little Deoxit to do the job. A little goes a LONG way.

[@obieewon]

will that stuff work for a radio tuner?

[@12voltvids]

I wouldn't spray anything into a tuner capacitor, compressed air is the best thing to clean those out, but for switches, and pots it works great.

[@umajunkcollector]

I heard that Radio Shack is having their annual bankruptcy sale. A tuber got some D5 for half price, about 8$! So off to the Shak, haven't been there since the last bankrupcy. Maybe THE DONALD will save the Shaak, if they're going to cost top dollar, at least sell quality rather than that cheap crap. I just got that new WD40 Electronic Contact Cleaner from epay. I cannot find that stuff anywhere locally. Have not used it yet, usually use CRC at WalMart for about 6$/can. DOxit is much better product. btw, tried WD40 Rust Remover (like Evaporust), 25$/gal. mrpete222 did a series on rust removal, and found that vinegar works better at 3$/gal. I avoid Naval Jelly, and vinegar did OK on some very usty bolts, plus I can use it on my ultra sound. Don

[@Sloxx701]

I just raided a local Radio Shack two weeks ago where everything was 50%-75% off, they were closing. Got the last two cans of Deoxit D5 and F5 for $11. Also grabbed a ton of knobs, jacks, magnet wire, etc. It was like Christmas. Check your local Radio Shacks!

[@umajunkcollector]

Sad to see that the old catalog days are gone, killed by the interweb. Ebay killed Radio Shack, plus crappy junk quality. If Trump gets the Asian mess fixed, maybe things will get better. But looks like China Shack killed the last of the electronics chain stores.

[@Sloxx701]

This pretty much applies to all brick and mortar stores though. Even Amazon is starting to sell groceries. I work for a shipping company that uses big trucks, and in a few months we are purchasing fleets of small trucks just to handle Amazon orders. It's inevitable at this point, and as a company if you don't keep up you will become obsolete as Radio Shack now has. It's pretty easy to avoid junk quality components, just buy from reputable vendors. (Stop shopping on Ebay, Amazon, AliExpress, etc for components.) This is what places like Digikey and Mouser are for, and their quality far surpasses Radio Shacks anyway. People are just cheap and lazy and/or uninformed. They'd rather buy a "repair kit" from ebay with crap components because Ebay is all they know and it's cheap.

[@jlsagely6892]

umajunkcollector Yeah....When has Trump ever, fixed anything? Everything he touches turns to shit. If anyone benefits, odds are it will be China. It’s history. It’s all there. Check it out...Everything he touches... End of opine...