Hard to turn pots

[Robert Myers]

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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