Cleaning gear

[The Dong]

Gorman, Declan wrote:
> who instructed me to use an alcohol based cleaner but I'm not sure what
> exactly to use.  Any ideas?

If it's buttons or switches, I always use something like servisol switch 
contact cleaner, an aerosol normally with a long nozzle attachment so 
you can direct it into nooks and stuff. With buttons and switches you 
can go a bit overboard without worrying about damage, it will make its 
way into even the tiniest gap and can be wiped off. The rest evaporates 
and leaves a lubricant residue.
I even apply this with gear switched on ;)

I'd be careful with slider pots or ordinary pots though.
The shafts are usually greased up with silicon grease or similar and 
this stuff will melt that away, leaving a horrible squeaky / scratchy feel.

At a push I might use lighter fluid and a small amount of silcon grease 
to clean up. Most of the time I need to dismantle equipment that is 
'gunged'.