Cleaning equipment

[Terry Perdue]

I don't remember if I mentioned this method here before, but something that
has worked well for me on really dirty gear has been the neighborhood car
wash. I remove or protect (eg. with saran wrap and a rubber band) anything
that might get damaged by water, and have at it with the hot soapy water at
high pressure. This cleans places that you can't get to by hand. Be sure to
rinse well to avoid water spots, blow out what water you can with an air
compressor, and let sit for a few hours in the oven at the lowest possible
temperature to bake the remaining moisture out of controls and anywhere else
it could accumulate. While spraying with the wand, use a toothbrush or
paintbrush on any stubborn areas.

This method may sound radical, and I can't guarantee that it will work on
everything, but it's worked wonderfully for me on dozens of pieces of test
and ham gear. Just be sure to 'bake' long enough to ensure that no water
remains in anything you couldn't remove or cover, like transformer end
bells. Before reassembly, lubricate any mechanical parts.

This method only got me into trouble twice - once in a chart recorder with a
gearbox that got water in it, and once on a Tek scope where some water got
into the power transformer through unused terminal holes in the end bell.
That one arced over on the outer (primary) layer, and fortunately was easily
repaired. I'm sure it wouldn't have happened if I'd let it dry out longer.

For what it's worth...

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