WD-40, CRC 'Lectra-Clean, Liquid Wrench, and Kroil

Which is why I use Kroil and don't waste my time on other products.

Jeff:

Using Kroil as cleaner/rinse would be wildly expensive! And of all the Dyna co products, the SCA 35 and ST 35 are amongst the lease amenable to going t hrough a dishwasher. Between the cloth-lead transformers with open bells an d fish-paper insulation and other issues, the risk is just too great - or t hat would have been my first choice in this case.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

I suggested nothing of the sort. You mentioned stuck controls. Kroil worked on the two that did not respond to the alternative "un stickers."

Hence my comment about why I use Kroil without wasting my time using inferior products.

as follows:

mixed with black grit similar to what landed on windowsills when I grew up in NYC, with regular dust co-mingled. To the point that individual compone nts on the boards were very nearly indistinguishable.

to near-concrete status.

hum-pots that had never been touched, and so remained operable.

ed via pressurized refillable aerosol can. Probably a pint used overall. Do ne over a trash-can with some kitty-litter on the bottom. This loosened the skunge. Rinse with CRC, over the same trash-can after 24 hours. This prett y much removed the _EXPOSED_ skunge on the controls, switches and boards. A ll of a sudden individual components became visible. Flushed the controls w ith WD and CRC - amazing the amount of waxy crap that came out.

isopropyl alcohol.

I've got a jar of Kroil from my neighbor. I read somewhere about ATF* plus acetone and a third thing.. ethyl alcohol? that was 'better' for unsticking nuts and bolts. I never tried it.

George H.

all tube bases. Apply power, no tubes. All good. 40 minutes, no unusual he at signatures.

watts. 1 hour, all voltages stable and correct.

working properly.

I'm starting to think that penetrating oils don't help much with the initial torque required to break a fastener loose. But once even a little movement happens the oil can then act as a lubricant and help prevent galling as the fasteners are turned. But I am not convinced because of one particular case. An antique rifle of mine has a flip up peep sight. The peep sight can be adjusted by turning a knurled collar. When I got the rifle it was obvious that the collar was stuck pretty good because there was damage to the knurl from pliers. I tried various penetrating oil over the years and could never get the collar to trurn. Then a few years ago I tried using some Break Free on the thing. I wet the assembly in the evening and the next morning I was able to turn the collar with just my fingers. Not easily at first. But I was able to get the thing apart and it was rust that washed out of the collar and off of the screw. Eric

Waiting overnight or even 2 or so days making sure the part stay wet often works very well. Many will spray the part and expect it to be free in about 10 seconds.

I know about the waiting bit. I had tried that several times on the sight. Then gave up for years. Then tried the Break Free stuff. I'm not sure why it wouked when nothing else did. Eric

I've always had reasonable success heating the part, then as it cools applying PB Blaster. Time. Then applying mechanical impact -- that seems to be the trifecta.

A few taps with a hammer, or an impact wrench, or the back of a crescent wrench, almost without fail will loosen the suspect nut or bolt.