Fun with electrical contact cleaner! Please let this be "our little secret"!

@TheHorse (209227)
Walnut Creek, California
May 13, 2024 8:58pm CST
Please don't tell anybody this. Let it be our little secret, to quote the great Scarr, from Lion King: A lot of stereo (and mono) components from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the Sherwood S-7100A receiver, Marantz 2215 receiver, KLH Model 21 radio, and Fisher X-100B tube integrated amplifier, do not need expensive repair when you rescue them from that dingy basement or garage. Grandpa's spirit wants you to rescue them in an easy-peasy way . Many of them have a dead channel, or scratchy controls, or crunchy input jacks, simply because nobody has bothered to give their electrical contacts a good cleaning in 50 years. If you score some Electrical Contact Cleaner from your local Home Depot or Ace Hardware, you can give all of the controls, including knobs, switches and buttons, a quick bath with the stuff. Work them left and right, or up and down, or in and out (no, it is not quite as good as good sex, but it's close) and then see what happens! It even seems to work on the tuning mechanisms (move the tuning knob back and forth and see what moves) inside the case! Don't be afraid to give baths inside the case of these venerable old components. No water allowed, though. I just gave a bath to my 1971 Kenwood KR-5150 stereo receiver, and it sounds great in my main system. I then gave one to one of my KLH Model 21 radios. Same thing. Don't let the electronics repair people charge you $100 for what you can do for way less than the $10/can the stuff costs. Whee! Remember you read it on MyLot! I'll attach a photo of a late 1960s KLH Model 21 radio I restored a few years ago if I can find it. I'm going to order some sushi first.
12 people like this
11 responses
@kaylachan (60593)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 May
LOL, talk about having sfun and saying to hell with the mylot censors.
5 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
They wouldn't hate me for loving good music...would they?
3 people like this
@kaylachan (60593)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 May
@TheHorse You were having fun with it, and really, you were trying to be instructional, too.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
I did not realize how obscene I was being until I read what I written.
3 people like this
@just4him (311404)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 May
I'm glad you gave your receivers, amplifier, and radios a bath and they sound great now.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
@just4him Heh. I'm listening to classical music right now on my little KLH Model 21 radio. It sounds great! I hope I can save some people some money.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
More little projects to enjoy.
2 people like this
@just4him (311404)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 May
@TheHorse You're like a little boy with your new toy. Enjoy!
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (463155)
• Switzerland
14 May
We gave away two days ago an old radio. The man who got it was so happy, he will take care to clean the contacts, I do not know from how many years this radio has not been used.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (463155)
• Switzerland
15 May
@TheHorse I took a photo, it was a radio that a friend gave us, but it's too big for us to keep.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
I wish you had taken a photograph of it. I could probably "nerd out" over who made it, when it's from, etc. I am glad it made someone very happy.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 May
@LadyDuck Oh, that looks way cool! Maybe from the 1950s. Did it have tubes in it?
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (75082)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 May
Sounds like your're having great fun, Enjoy your sushi.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 May
I did. I really enjoy my sushi. I just got a California roll--nothing special.
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (19215)
• United States
14 May
cool secret.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
Get them old stereo components working!
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (161648)
• United States
14 May
I wish I knew what our speaker was. It's in a room with a ton of crap. I guess we must have pitched the matching speaker. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
Heh. Let me know if you find out.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (161648)
• United States
15 May
@TheHorse Will do. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 May
@LindaOHio If it's an Acoustic Research AR-3a, it's worth about $750.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45937)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
14 May
If I ever manage to find the stuff, it may just be what my old boombox needs, but I think I may have thrown it out.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
Heh. Some boom boxes deserve to be thrown out.
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (134833)
• Roseburg, Oregon
14 May
That sounds so easy. So glad you saved a lot of money by doing it yourself.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
Thank you. I hope i can save others money as well.
2 people like this
@xander6464 (41090)
• Wapello, Iowa
15 May
Do you get a commission for every can of Electrical Contact Cleaner you sell? Or did you make the same deal with them that you made with Guitar Center ((The "I do all the work and you get all the money" deal)).
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (98012)
• Marion, Ohio
14 May
Thanks for the info.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
You are welcome. You may not rush out and buy contact cleaner, but you can pass the info on to some old fart like me who is frustrated that "a channel is cutting out in his stereo."
2 people like this
• Indonesia
14 May
(Don't let the electronics repair people charge you $100 for what you can do for way less than the $10/can the stuff costs). That's very true. And it happens often. Thank you for reminding.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 May
There are sometimes simple solutions to what seemed like difficult issues.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (209227)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 May
@Charlesbronson And of course, sometimes it goes the other way.
1 person likes this
• Indonesia
15 May
@TheHorse Yes that's right. Sometimes before you do it, it seems difficult. After doing it, it turns out it's not as difficult as imagined.
1 person likes this