Hard to turn pots

[Gary H. Harmon Jr.]

It's most likely corrosion between the shaft and the collar it rotates in.
The best fix is to remove the pot, disassemble it, remove the corrosion, add
a little lube to the shaft and reassemble the pot, install it back in the
set and press on.  Sometimes you can drip some nut buster liquid on the
shaft with the radio sitting on its rear end, hoping it will work itself
down the shaft.  Once or twice heat from a soldering iron applied to the
shaft broke it loose.  The first solution is the best but also the most time
consuming.

73, gary 

===========/////===========
Gary H. Harmon, Jr.
K5JWK
6302 Robin Forest
San Antonio, TX 78239-1504
(210) 657-1549 home
(210) 884-6926 cell



-----Original Message-----
From: Heathkit Owners and Collectors List [mailto:HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV]
On Behalf Of Robert Myers
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 9:46 PM
To: HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV
Subject: [HEATH-TEMPE] Hard to turn pots

I have some old Heathkit gear and a few of the pots are almost rock solid.
They will hardly turn.   I have sprayed some 5% CAIG Labs Moving Contact
Lubricant ("Cailube" for carbon based controls) in all of them and it
doesn't make a difference.  I don't know how they got that way.  They were
like that when I bought the gear.  Could that be caused by the original
assembler over tightening the nut on the front panel?

 

I removed one completely, and I could barely turn it using a wrench around
the shaft and holding the pot body with my hand.  Obviously, that one has to
be replaced (and probably some others), but there are some others that are
stiff but not quite that bad.  Does it make any sense to add a drop of
Teflon lubricant , or light oil, to the steel shaft just where it comes out
of the front of the threaded bushing, or does that potentially get back into
the carbon of the pot?

 

Thanks,

--- Rob VE3JQL

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