The final solution for scratchy wah pots

[lars]

Scratchy pot? The solution:
https://caig.com/product/deoxit-fader-f100l-l2c/
Deoxit fader lube is amazing. Works perfectly. Put it right on the carbon track. I resurrected and old wah potentiometer with it and now it functions better than it ever has. Not even the slightest hint of a scratch. Where has this stuff been all this time???

[jessenator]

Scratchy pot? The solution:
https://caig.com/product/deoxit-fader-f100l-l2c/
Deoxit fader lube is amazing. Works perfectly. Put it right on the carbon track. I resurrected and old wah potentiometer with it and now it functions better than it ever has. Not even the slightest hint of a scratch. Where has this stuff been all this time???

I must've been doing it wrong. I usually take CRC plastic-safe contact cleaner, but I don't know if that's the best thing for it. That stuff seems like it does a whole lot more. Sounds like a good bit of stuff.

[lars]

I must've been doing it wrong. I usually take CRC plastic-safe contact cleaner...

Yep. Same thing I used to do too, because we were all doing it wrong. Pots don't get scratchy from dust or dirt, it's from FRICTION. Ever run an engine out of oil? It fails. Pots need lube. Any moving part that contacts another surface needs lubricant of some type, or bad things happen. Electronics cleaner actually makes it worse.

[jessenator]

Pots don't get scratchy from dust or dirt, it's from FRICTION. Ever run an engine out of oil? It fails. Pots need lube. Any moving part that contacts another surface needs lubricant of some type, or bad things happen. Electronics cleaner actually makes it worse.

That totally tracks. Good find!

[Bret608]

Ah, thanks for the tip! I didn't know about the fader version. I was seriously about to order the spray. I recently got an Area 51 pot for an old wah I picked up on Reverb (soon to get a new PCB too, thanks to blackhatboojum), and I like that it's not sealed so you can use something like the Caig products on it without taking the whole pot apart.

[lars]

...without taking the whole pot apart.

I happened to take the whole pot apart for the one I resurrected, but I'm willing to bet that just adding the fader lube to the carbon track on most pots would fix any scratchiness, without having to douse it in cleaner. It still requires taking the back off though, otherwise you can't be precise with the application of the oil to the track. I'm guessing this stuff isn't designed to get all over the place. I think it does have some conductivity to it.

[jimilee]

Does t cost that much to just replace them, but I get it...


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[lars]

Does t cost that much to just replace them, but I get it...

The pots that actually sound good in wahs are basically irreplaceable, so anything that will extend their life is much needed. I've gone through 5 different pots of all types in my wah, and none have ever sounded as good as the one I recently fixed with this stuff. I'm guessing that a well-oiled wah pot will outlast any of the so called "boutique" expensive pots out there that are supposed to last, but always end up getting scratchy just as fast as the cheap ones.
And there's the real issue:  manufacturers want their pots to wear out, so that you keep buying new ones. That's why they don't lube them in the first place. There are sealed, oil-filled potentiometers out there...and they're ridiculously expensive because of that fact, you wouldn't end up replacing it every year.

[jwin615]

Fader lube is good stuff just be mindful of where it's being used.
If it's an area where dust can buildup, that dust can get in the pot and stick.  Think amps with fans, club mixing desks, etc. I wouldn't add it proactively in these situations. And it's not a bad idea tonuse deposit or crc first to clean a pot, then just a lil puff of fader lube. That way you don't get lube all over the place (insert joke about working the pot shaft back and forth).