Electro Stimulation Ward > Signals and Noise
Your Experience With Contact Enhancement Products?
tmazz:
--- Quote from: rpf on August 23, 2021, 06:56:00 PM ---I remember reading that some contact enhancers were dangerous in some locations. Possibly tube pins among other spots. IIRC amp oscillation or shorting was possible. And IIRC, Walker's Silver treatment, while good for some places, was bad for others.
Jena Labs had a good and safe contact enhancer. Don't know if they still do.
I just clean everything with DeOxit, once a year for plated materials (and wipe it dry afterwards). Unfortunately a lot of my connectors are un-plated copper (like my 6 TWL power cords :rofl: ) and require cleaning 2-3 times per year. The un-plated copper does have a more natural tonality though.
--- End quote ---
Yes, there was a contact enhancer on the market back in the late 80s that was an oil based solution. I remember reading about people who used it too liberally on some tube sockets and the oils=d ended up sitting on top of the socket and forming a conductive bridge between adjacent pins which effectively formed a dead short between them. And when you are talking about tubes voltages that can run 200 - 400 volts or more, shorts between pins can cause quite a bit of damage. :roll:
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I remember it came in a hypodermic needle type dispenser, I I'll be damned if I can remember then name of the product.
Nick B:
--- Quote from: tmazz on August 23, 2021, 07:56:33 PM ---
--- Quote from: rpf on August 23, 2021, 06:56:00 PM ---I remember reading that some contact enhancers were dangerous in some locations. Possibly tube pins among other spots. IIRC amp oscillation or shorting was possible. And IIRC, Walker's Silver treatment, while good for some places, was bad for others.
Jena Labs had a good and safe contact enhancer. Don't know if they still do.
I just clean everything with DeOxit, once a year for plated materials (and wipe it dry afterwards). Unfortunately a lot of my connectors are un-plated copper (like my 6 TWL power cords :rofl: ) and require cleaning 2-3 times per year. The un-plated copper does have a more natural tonality though.
--- End quote ---
Yes, there was a contact enhancer on the market back in the late 80s that was an oil based solution. I remember reading about people who used it too liberally on some tube sockets and the oils=d ended up sitting on top of the socket and forming a conductive bridge between adjacent pins which effectively formed a dead short between them. And when you are talking about tubes voltages that can run 200 - 400 volts or more, shorts between pins can cause quite a bit of damage. :roll:
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I remember it came in a hypodermic needle type dispenser, I I'll be damned if I can remember then name of the product.
--- End quote ---
Years ago, there was a product called squalene oil that I’m quite sure was used for audio applications. Is that the stuff??
tmazz:
--- Quote from: Nick B on August 23, 2021, 08:27:41 PM ---
--- Quote from: tmazz on August 23, 2021, 07:56:33 PM ---
--- Quote from: rpf on August 23, 2021, 06:56:00 PM ---I remember reading that some contact enhancers were dangerous in some locations. Possibly tube pins among other spots. IIRC amp oscillation or shorting was possible. And IIRC, Walker's Silver treatment, while good for some places, was bad for others.
Jena Labs had a good and safe contact enhancer. Don't know if they still do.
I just clean everything with DeOxit, once a year for plated materials (and wipe it dry afterwards). Unfortunately a lot of my connectors are un-plated copper (like my 6 TWL power cords :rofl: ) and require cleaning 2-3 times per year. The un-plated copper does have a more natural tonality though.
--- End quote ---
Yes, there was a contact enhancer on the market back in the late 80s that was an oil based solution. I remember reading about people who used it too liberally on some tube sockets and the oils=d ended up sitting on top of the socket and forming a conductive bridge between adjacent pins which effectively formed a dead short between them. And when you are talking about tubes voltages that can run 200 - 400 volts or more, shorts between pins can cause quite a bit of damage. :roll:
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I remember it came in a hypodermic needle type dispenser, I I'll be damned if I can remember then name of the product.
--- End quote ---
Years ago, there was a product called squalene oil that I’m quite sure was used for audio applications. Is that the stuff??
--- End quote ---
I don't think so. I'll ask a couple of long time audio buddies tommorow.
P.I.:
Squalene oil is the major component of whale oil, but was first extracted from shark liver oil. It was used in the old famed formula of Ampex 456 recording tape as a plasticizer. It has a lot of uses in industry and is extracted from all types of sources.
Furutech contact enhancer contains squalene oil.
Jena Labs contact enhancer is a slightly diluted (using mineral spirits) silicon oil.
The advantage of these oils are that they are neutral oils (no petroleum) and tend to remain in place held by surface tension between the parts they are used with. They exclude air and prevent oxidation for quite a while.
Graphene in a non-drying oil 'can be' good as long as the oil is non-migrating. Graphene used with something like the base used in DeOxit would not be a good idea.
Oleic acid (olive oil) has been used with contacts, too. It polymerizes with oxygen and can create an air excluding joint over time.
Then there is Stabilant 22. It is a weird one in that it is non-conductive in the bottle, but conductive in thin films. It is non-migrating, but I've heard of conductive issues with it when improperly applied.
The most important thing to remember with any contact enhancer is to use the absolute minimum that gets the job done.
Nick B:
--- Quote from: P.I. on August 23, 2021, 09:28:05 PM ---Squalene oil is the major component of whale oil, but was first extracted from shark liver oil. It was used in the old famed formula of Ampex 456 recording tape as a plasticizer. It has a lot of uses in industry and is extracted from all types of sources.
Furutech contact enhancer contains squalene oil.
Jena Labs contact enhancer is a slightly diluted (using mineral spirits) silicon oil.
The advantage of these oils are that they are neutral oils (no petroleum) and tend to remain in place held by surface tension between the parts they are used with. They exclude air and prevent oxidation for quite a while.
Graphene in a non-drying oil 'can be' good as long as the oil is non-migrating. Graphene used with something like the base used in DeOxit would not be a good idea.
Oleic acid (olive oil) has been used with contacts, too. It polymerizes with oxygen and can create an air excluding joint over time.
Then there is Stabilant 22. It is a weird one in that it is non-conductive in the bottle, but conductive in thin films. It is non-migrating, but I've heard of conductive issues with it when improperly applied.
The most important thing to remember with any contact enhancer is to use the absolute minimum that gets the job done.
--- End quote ---
Dave,
I have a very vague recollection that it was also sold to “revitalize “ very old records. May have even tried it once for that application. If so, the result wasn’t good 😔 I’m talking maybe 35+ years ago…
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