Hi all,

Is it OK to put some thin oil on the wafer's contacts of the rotary wafer-type switches ? Like sewing machine clear thin oil.

The Bands rotary switch doesn't switch easily in my set.
I cleaned up the wafers with contact cleaner, then relubricated the shaft and the 2 ball bearings, but that didn't help much.

Are you using a specific dielectric grease for all the metal contacts?

Thanks

I would think the cleaning you have done should have loosened the control up by now. DeOxit5 usually does the trick. Sometimes there are dis-similar metals on the shafts that get oxidized over the years and make the turning very stiff. Sometimes heating the shaft areas with a heavy soldering iron can loosen it up if you can apply the heat, and turn it at the same time. Of course be very careful you don't melt anything! Keep spraying DeOxit on the shaft turning areas between heat treatments.

Using a petroleum-based lubricant on the switch contacts is not good practice. Its presence will eventually lead to degraded electrical contact by way of carbonization (for current-carrying contacts) and dust attraction.

Generally the reason wafer switches are difficult to turn is not the wafer contacts but the position-detent mechanism. When the lube dries up on these they can become exceedingly difficult to turn. Since this part is non-electrical it's OK to lube it with petroleum-based oil or light grease.

:Hi all,
:
:Is it OK to put some thin oil on the wafer's contacts of the rotary wafer-type switches ? Like sewing machine clear thin oil.
:
:The Bands rotary switch doesn't switch easily in my set.
:I cleaned up the wafers with contact cleaner, then relubricated the shaft and the 2 ball bearings, but that didn't help much.
:
:Are you using a specific dielectric grease for all the metal contacts?
:
:Thanks
:
Hi Vianny;

Often I use Jig-A-Loo and I have good results
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jig-A-Loo

Jules

You're welcome.