Hi, I just bought a 1960 Fender Amplifier and the volume pot which is also the On/Off switch was turning fine. With anything I usually get I always clean it first so I thought I would clean the pot with some switch cleaner. Then I noticed after a while the pot getting really stiff and it felt like it was siezeing up... Never had a pot do this. SO I sprayed it again and it slowly loosened up again and seemed fine but then it dried and slowly seized up again?? (Never had this happen) Is there a Pot lubricant I can use that is OK to spray in it that is safe that might keep it lubricated but yet still keep it clean? THX

:Hi, I just bought a 1960 Fender Amplifier and the volume pot which is also the On/Off switch was turning fine. With anything I usually get I always clean it first so I thought I would clean the pot with some switch cleaner. Then I noticed after a while the pot getting really stiff and it felt like it was siezeing up... Never had a pot do this. SO I sprayed it again and it slowly loosened up again and seemed fine but then it dried and slowly seized up again?? (Never had this happen) Is there a Pot lubricant I can use that is OK to spray in it that is safe that might keep it lubricated but yet still keep it clean? THX

:Not sure what your using but radio shack STILL believe it or not, sells television contact and tuner cleaner, and it is lubricated. Thats what I use. You might be using something that is softening up the old grease/oil long enough to make it work until the stuff you are using evaporates. Is there a lubricant in it?
::Hi, I just bought a 1960 Fender Amplifier and the volume pot which is also the On/Off switch was turning fine. With anything I usually get I always clean it first so I thought I would clean the pot with some switch cleaner. Then I noticed after a while the pot getting really stiff and it felt like it was siezeing up... Never had a pot do this. SO I sprayed it again and it slowly loosened up again and seemed fine but then it dried and slowly seized up again?? (Never had this happen) Is there a Pot lubricant I can use that is OK to spray in it that is safe that might keep it lubricated but yet still keep it clean? THX

I have a 'miracle lube' foaming graphite spray rust penetrant that I have used when working on frozen automobile fasteners. It was used for freeing heat control valve shafts in exhaust manifolds. It doesn't conduct and I've used it on frozen controls that a silicone based lube wouldn't touch. It hasn't harmed any plastics that I have seen and has an MS-3613 spec. It's becoming not avalible in all areas due to EPA restrictions. Read the label precautions. Try a dealership parts counter for avalibility. Mopar part # 4318039AB.

I WD-40 a horrible idea?

::Not sure what your using but radio shack STILL believe it or not, sells television contact and tuner cleaner, and it is lubricated. Thats what I use. You might be using something that is softening up the old grease/oil long enough to make it work until the stuff you are using evaporates. Is there a lubricant in it?
:::Hi, I just bought a 1960 Fender Amplifier and the volume pot which is also the On/Off switch was turning fine. With anything I usually get I always clean it first so I thought I would clean the pot with some switch cleaner. Then I noticed after a while the pot getting really stiff and it felt like it was siezeing up... Never had a pot do this. SO I sprayed it again and it slowly loosened up again and seemed fine but then it dried and slowly seized up again?? (Never had this happen) Is there a Pot lubricant I can use that is OK to spray in it that is safe that might keep it lubricated but yet still keep it clean? THX

Bubba- WD-40 may help if you apply it ONLY to the control shaft. Avoid getting it on the resistor shoe or wiper contact area. Keep it off any rubber parts also! I'm sorry but I've had horrible experiences with people who tried to fix their turntables and tape decks themselves by hosing down the innards with WD-40. That sweet smell still brings it all back to me. It will wick into everything and destroy more than it ever fixed! I'd rather try a drop of 3-in-1 oil and work it into the mechanism. Best of Luck.-Walt.

Deoxit is the standard for those, always works fine for me.

: Bubba- WD-40 may help if you apply it ONLY to the control shaft. Avoid getting it on the resistor shoe or wiper contact area. Keep it off any rubber parts also! I'm sorry but I've had horrible experiences with people who tried to fix their turntables and tape decks themselves by hosing down the innards with WD-40. That sweet smell still brings it all back to me. It will wick into everything and destroy more than it ever fixed! I'd rather try a drop of 3-in-1 oil and work it into the mechanism. Best of Luck.-Walt.

When I repair a potentiometer, I disassemble it and clean it. If possible, I remove the shaft from the bushing, and clean all gum from the shaft, if any is present. Then I apply a thin film of di-electric grease to the resistance band, and also apply some to the shaft contact area. The di-electric grease is silicon based, and will last a long time. It will also keep the control very quiet without causing leakage. WD-40 can make a control work very well in every way. However, it can also cause leakage problems with time. Since it is typically sprayed into the control, it covers everything. Carbon that works its way off of the resistance band gets into the film of WD-40, and causes leakage paths to the potentiometer's metal casing. In many cases this causes no trouble. In some cases it causes hum--audio circuits, and with video circuits it can cause instability, such as my vertical hold control that suddenly became unusable. A thorough cleaning and the application of di-electric grease as explained above cured the problem, and now the vertical hold control works perfectly.

If you really don't want to upset wiring, spray WD-40 into each of your potentiometers using the straw provided with the can. If hum troubles later arise, you should probably disassemble the controls and use the di-electric grease method of repair. You might not have any troubles at all, so if you really don't want to disturb wiring (especially if it is difficult to get through), give WD-40 a try. I'm not fond of it, but I have had good results with it. Spraying it all over RF coils and switches is surely asking for disaster. I had to wait weeks for my Crosley Super 11 (1117) to stabilize after I sprayed the band switch with WD-40.

T.