# Deoxit on Pedals.



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm getting some loud scratchiness from an old MXR Microamp. If deoxit is the solution, where do I spray it?


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

You'll have to open it up and spray it inside the body of the pots. There's usually an open slot just below the tabs.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

cboutilier said:


> You'll have to open it up and spray it inside the body of the pots. There's usually an open slot just below the tabs.


Should I worry about overspray?


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

I put a paper towel around the area being sprayed as there usually is a bit of blow back. Use the red 'straw' tube for sure. Additionally, give the straw tip a squeeze with some pliers first ( you only need to do this once) to make it easier to get it right in the pot slot. You only need a tiny amount of Deoxit so be quick on the trigger!


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

cboutilier said:


> You'll have to open it up and spray it inside the body of the pots. There's usually an open slot just below the tabs.


I think it is better to spray in the small opening on the edge of the back of the pot if it has one. Angle the straw slightly left or right. Rotate the pot a dozen times to work the Deoxit around.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Often, it is quite possible to simply lift the tabs on the pot that allow the back cover to be removed, wipe the grime off the resistive strip, and put the back cover back on.

Pot scratchiness is produced by discontinuities of contact between the wiper and the resistive strip. Those discontinuities can come from multiple sources, only one of which is external dirt. If the pot is older (which yours apparently is), some of the discontinuities can come from a buildup of _internally-created_ grime, produced by the wiper rubbing and scraping against the resistive strip. Think of that grime as being equivalent to little bits of pebbles and the like being lifted off the top of an asphalt highway, that now sits like extraneous dirt and gravel. Of course, once you sweep all that away (which a schpritz of Deoxit will do), you're still left with all the pits and imperfections in the surface of the road and the resistive strip.

I'm a perpetual booster for a product that comes out of Thorn Hill called Stabilant 22 ( Stabilant.com ). It used to be sold to audiophiles under the brand name Tweak many years ago, but got repackaged and rebranded when it became apparent that it had much wider applicability than pre-amp/power-amp connections. Where Deoxit, and similar products are contact _cleaners, _Stabilant is a contact _enhancer_. It forms a viscous never-drying coat between two points of contact that function almost like a liquid solder joint. As I hasten to remind folks, in the world of electrons, a micron gap between two contacts may as well be the Grand Canyon. Stabilant fills that gap with an electro-conductive polymer. I use it on my pots, but have used it to rejuvenate all sorts of things where imperfect contact was being made: Nintendo cartridges, phone SIM cards, flash-drives, IC sockets, and old TV remotes. Truly remarkable stuff. My attention was drawn to it by my buddy Phil Bova, who runs a pretty busy studio in Ottawa, and has 6" analog faders on one of his boards that he has to keep dead quiet and crackle free. He swears by the stuff. I tried it out and was converted. A number of guys I've corresponded with who run pro repair benches swear by the one-two punch of a schpritz of Deoxit to remove the grime, and a dab of Stabilant to fill in the micro-pits.

It is NOT cheap, and not all that easy to find ( Stabilant.com : Distributors ), but a small amount will do you for years and years. It can be diluted with isopropyl alcohol so that it spreads more easily, and creates larger volumes. Amazon.com: Stabilant 22, 5ml Kit Makes 30ml of 22A - 22: Everything Else

I'll just add that, since it never dries, you can't build up layers to fill up large gaps. So a pot that has recently become scratchy is easily "cured". If one happened to be in a Cream tribute band and played White Room and Tales of Brave Ulysses on the same wah, thrice nightly for the last 40 years, Stabilant is not going to be enough, and the pot will need replacing.

Of course, sometimes it really IS cheaper and easier to just replace the pot.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

mhammer said:


> Often, it is quite possible to simply lift the tabs on the pot that allow the back cover to be removed, wipe the grime off the resistive strip, and put the back cover back on.
> 
> Pot scratchiness is produced by discontinuities of contact between the wiper and the resistive strip. Those discontinuities can come from multiple sources, only one of which is external dirt. If the pot is older (which yours apparently is), some of the discontinuities can come from a buildup of _internally-created_ grime, produced by the wiper rubbing and scraping against the resistive strip. Think of that grime as being equivalent to little bits of pebbles and the like being lifted off the top of an asphalt highway, that now sits like extraneous dirt and gravel. Of course, once you sweep all that away (which a schpritz of Deoxit will do), you're still left with all the pits and imperfections in the surface of the road and the resistive strip.
> 
> ...


I want to be in a Cream cover band!


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

I removed the back, and got right into the little hole at the back of the pot. Worked like a charm.

I also once had a pedal causing other problems. I sprayed the whole thing with Deoxit, pulled the cables and sprayed them too. Problems gone.


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## Business (Jul 30, 2013)

I try turning the knobs at least 100 times first 

But yeah, if Deoxit doesn't work, your pot is probably shot


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

DaddyDog said:


> I removed the back, and got right into the little hole at the back of the pot. Worked like a charm.
> 
> I also once had a pedal causing other problems. I sprayed the whole thing with Deoxit, pulled the cables and sprayed them too. Problems gone.


I opened up the back and shot the pot, the input/outputs, and the on/off button. All is good now.

Thanks everyone.


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## NorlinNorm (Dec 31, 2016)

*Is this Lubricant an acceptable alternative to Deoxit??*


*NEXXTECH CONTACT & HEAD CLEANER SPRAY*


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I suspect Deoxit will do a better job, simply due to the chemicals it contains intended to remove oxidation. If the problem is simple (i.e., simply a matter of "washing" out dirt), it will likely be enough. If the problem is more complex it _might_ be enough, but might not. Either way, the Nexxtech stuff won't hurt anything.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2017)

mhammer said:


> I suspect Deoxit will do a better job, simply due to the chemicals it contains intended to remove oxidation. If the problem is simple (i.e., simply a matter of "washing" out dirt), it will likely be enough. If the problem is more complex it _might_ be enough, but might not. Either way, the Nexxtech stuff won't hurt anything.


mhammer is THE DR. of pedals.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I'm not quite sure how to take that!  Do you mean that I actually DO know stuff, or that I put on a good front about knowing stuff?


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2017)

mhammer said:


> I'm not quite sure how to take that!  Do you mean that I actually DO know stuff, or that I put on a good front about knowing stuff?


Oh I never thought about that... you definitely know your stuff. Best ever!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Whew! Thanks Richard.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm sure any electrical contact cleaner will do the job and not harm anything


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I am too cheap for the fancy stuff. I use the 6 dollar Motomaster contact cleaner. 

Cleaning the pots brought my 1973 Pepco amp from unusable noise to a perfect running amp.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Would spraying Deoxit on just the volume control post and turning it a few time help at all? I have a few controls on my old Peavey PA that are a little noisy once in awhile.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Guitar101 said:


> Would spraying Deoxit on just the volume control post and turning it a few time help at all? I have a few controls on my old Peavey PA that are a little noisy once in awhile.


I've had that work for me sometimes. It's worth a shot (pun intended), Especially on electronics where overspray isn't a big deal. If it doesn't work, you haven't lost anything and may still have to open it up.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

High/Deaf said:


> I've had that work for me sometimes. It's worth a shot (pun intended), Especially on electronics where overspray isn't a big deal. If it doesn't work, you haven't lost anything and may still have to open it up.


Thanks. Worth a shot (pun intended)


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Often, assuming it is physically possible, the "best" solution is to pry the tabs on the pot up, remove the back cover of the pot, and wipe it clean with a suitable cotton swab. Admittedly, smaller pots don't make that easy, and a great many pedals and amps also don't make it easy to _get_ at the pots.

But consider this analogy. If you have a dishwasher, you will know that all the dishwasher can do is squirt high-pressure water jets, in conjunction with soap, to dissolve and rinse away any residue. If your dishes are stacked poorly, you may find upon emptying it that some dishes are still dirty, orthat a lot of water is trapped in little corners. 

Spraying contact cleaner is similar`/analogous. You're spraying a fluid from a high pressure can, that should both dissolve and rinse away any sludge coating the resistive strip and wiper. If the nozzle has been located well, the can's pressure high enough, and concentrated/focussed by the spray nozzle, AND you spray enough and it drains well, then the pot should be as clean as the dishes in your dishwasher. If all that has happened is that the sludge has been softened but not rinsed away, then rotating the pot simply spreads it around, and when the fluid dries, yu may be back where you started.

I am NOT saying that spraying does no good, any more than I'm saying that dishwashers are a scam of some sort. Rather, it is not the ACT of using contact cleaner but rather the MANNER in which it is used that matters and either eliminates the existing problem...or not. One of the reasons why I like to dry-wipe the resistive strip with a swab. You can SEE the grime you've wiped away, and the resistive strip is dry so it won't attract and hold any dust. But if you can't get in there, then effective shpritzing is good, too.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

For the record, DeoxIt is not just another simple contact cleaner
It does contain contact surface conditioners and non-drying lubricants.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I just used DeOxit on my old scratchy Bandit 65 a couple of weeks ago. The amp had been through hell and back at many many many High School basement jams, parties, gigs. Tried the outside method of pulling knobs first, didn't work. Did the pot hole lube with a few turns and she's quiet as a mouse now. Can't say enough good things about the DeOxit.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Just to drive a point home, some of the dirt that impairs electrical continuity in a pot comes from outside, and some comes from inside. The "outside" can be dust, cigarette smoke, or even rodents or bugs making a home for themselves in there. But even when a pot is hermetically sealed, merely rotating the pot enough can cause an accumulations of grime, simply because the wiper normally rubs up against the resistive strip, and that friction can scrape off particles from the resistive strip (which is simply compressed material). That is precisely why "scratchy" volume pots are generally scratchiest between the 7:00 and 10:00 positions. After all, one always has to go _through_ the lowest volume settings to get to higher ones, so that portion of the resistive strip sees the most "action" (and friction/rubbing)


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

So basically what you're saying is that the windows on the car I bought in 1986, that has never been washed, accumulated dirt over the last 31 years and it was time for a wash? I was wondering what that "window washer fluid" meant.

Now it all makes sense!


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