Cleaning Chassis bits.

If you use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean parts, be sure NOT to use the cleaner from Harbor Frt. Tools if you are cleaning anything aluminum. Says not to use on Alu. right on the carton.
 I use Dawn liquid. Good luck so far....

I use the dishwasher to clean and dry my ceramic tube sockets. Oh, my wire does it for me.

sitn

I've thought about that too. Yes I have used Finish Dish washer soap and it worked very well. Didn't think about sudsiness with joy. But Joy is known to be gentle to the hands so why not Parts? Maybe hand wash with a brush.

So much for the dish liquids. How about using a pressure washer? Seeing you gotta remove most of the components, why not BLAST the thing?

ve1arn wrote:

Cliff, you mention Joy dish soap.

I'll relate a story that happened to a friend of mine a few years ago. It might have a bearing on this thread, so I'm posting it here.

I arrived at his house one Saturday morning to discuss radio stuff. He was mopping up the kitchen floor at double time. I gotta say that the floor had one Hell of a shine. This guy was good!

I remarked to him jokingly, that his wife sure had him trained good to have the floor done at such an early time. His reply was that he wanted it done before she got home.

I sensed a story here and I told him that. He stopped for a moment, looked at me quietly for a few seconds then spoke..........................

"Well............ you're a guy, so you might understand this."

I told him to go on.

"Do you know that a box of Spick N Span looks exactly like a box of Sunlight Dish Washing Powder?"

Apparently he found out what regular soap put into a dish washer does after it starts. He came down from upstairs and when he got to the living room, he was met with a wall of foam a foot and a half high coming out of the kitchen door. Remarking that it was something out of a science fiction movie........... "The blob was coming toward me!"

Ya can't put regular soap that foams into a dish washer, or bad things will happen.

Vern, you beat me to the punch on this. I speak from personal experience: DO NOT put soap, detergents, etc.- other than those intended for dishwashers- in your dishwasher. It makes a helluva' mess…

Cliff, you mention Joy dish soap.

I'll relate a story that happened to a friend of mine a few years ago. It might have a bearing on this thread, so I'm posting it here.

I arrived at his house one Saturday morning to discuss radio stuff. He was mopping up the kitchen floor at double time. I gotta say that the floor had one Hell of a shine. This guy was good!

I remarked to him jokingly, that his wife sure had him trained good to have the floor done at such an early time. His reply was that he wanted it done before she got home.

I sensed a story here and I told him that. He stopped for a moment, looked at me quietly for a few seconds then spoke..........................

"Well............ you're a guy, so you might understand this."

I told him to go on.

"Do you know that a box of Spick N Span looks exactly like a box of Sunlight Dish Washing Powder?"

Apparently he found out what regular soap put into a dish washer does after it starts. He came down from upstairs and when he got to the living room, he was met with a wall of foam a foot and a half high coming out of the kitchen door. Remarking that it was something out of a science fiction movie........... "The blob was coming toward me!"

Ya can't put regular soap that foams into a dish washer, or bad things will happen.

OK, then its not as easy as it sounds. Still interested though

cloth covered wires, transformers, power ,audio and I.F. and osc. coils, tubes, and wiring harnesses. In other words only things left are tuning cap and metal chassis. I would do circuit cards too. Then air dry or set in the sun to dry out. One trick I do is bathe everything that gets wet with Iso-alcohol to absorb excess water.

My goodness! This is scary!! But I have thought about it and read some articles on washing the chassis. What precautions should be taken prior to washing? And what components should be removed, if any? And the dishwasher thing? Are you for real? Can you really do this? I assume it would really clean things up but wouldn't it destroy some things in the process? You that do this really have GUTS !

You could use Joy dish soap and may not have any issues.

About the dishwasher... are you also using the dishwasher detergent? Or just straight water?
I was think that stuff was somewhat strong, 'specially for aluminum parts... ?
MD

Thanks Cliff, some good advice here, the naptha sounds good, anything to get a little sparkle back in to that old chassis...regards....Alan.

I have done that, (no shame at all), and also used a cheap ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight, I also Picked up a more commercial one ($10)but older, and they also clean very well. And of course good old 409 does wonders. If you want to clean teeny tiny parts in the dishwasher, find some copper screen and make it into a basket with a lid. I just cut the screen into squares and solder together. It to is very practical in an ultra sonic tank cleaner.

Quick and dirty cleaning for capacitors is to use naphtha or turpentine in a bucket and just let it set and soak over night. (out doors of course) not for plastics and such, just metal parts, and another cleaner for rusty parts is Naval Jelly, but extremely corrosive.

Hi guys, i use my dishwasher (shame) to clean tuning Condencer,s or any bits that will go in, they do come out clean. Remember if it has bearings to dry out totally then lubricate.....regards....Alan.