greatful wrote:
> Subject: Clean(ing) connections > > >Picked up a small, yet wonderfully eclectic, lot of SCSI cables [snip] noticed some >[snip] reddish/brown, granular... > > > > A big Thank You to David Wood for confirming a suspicion (and providing confidence) >to try Naval Jelly ~ worked like a charm!!! > > greatful greatful, I'm glad the Naval Jelly worked well for you, but I've gotta add my two cents worth. If you only have a small amount of oxidation on your connectors one of the best ways to clean it without damaging the cables/connectors is to soak the offending area in Coca-Cola over night. Then rinse well with clear water and dry thoroughly. The small amount of HP3O4 in the soft drink (along with the carbonic acid found in there as well) will remove the oxidation. Naval Jelly will clean the metal very well but it will also attack good metal so the parts should not stay in the solution any longer than is necessary. Naval Jelly's primary ingredient is Phosphoric acid but it is in a much higher concentration than in your Coke. Also, Naval Jelly leaves a phosphate coating behind that protects the steel, but is very bad for any plating on the surface. This coating is a by product of the chemical reaction created by the acid. Many connectors are plated to improve conductivity and Phosphoric will remove or convert most platings, except for gold of course. You can get basically the same effect by using muratic acid, the kind sold in paint stores for etching concrete. Dilute it about 4:1. Muratic acid is another name for plain old HCl (hydrogen chloride or hydrochloric acid), although reagent grade HCl is 37%, muratic acid tends to be much less concentrated. Be warned, HCl can cause severe eye, skin and respiratory irritation and inhalation of about 1500 ppm in air is fatal. Also, getting HP3O4 on your skin or in your eyes is no picnic either. Naval Jelly is thicker than HCl and therefore takes longer to wash off which means it has more time to do damage. When using any acetic or caustic chemicals for cleaning be sure to rinse very thoroughly afterwards to remove all traces of the chemicals or they will slowly continue to eat away at the metal Once the metal is cleaned it is best coated with something to prevent further oxidation. It has been my experience that coating the metal with n-propal or Iso-propal alcohol to remove any residual water and oil, warming with a hair dryer or heat gun on low settings (being sure not to ignite the fumes) to remove the alcohol and then coating the contacts with polyphenyl ether will provide excellent protection and maximum connectivity. A good source of polyphenyl ether is a product called Gold Guard marketed by Chemtronics. Okay, why is there phosphoric acid in soft drinks you want to know? It is used as a buffer to keep the pH low which enhances flavor and tartness. Class dismissed, David Culler -- Quadlist is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Quadlist info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/quadlist.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/quadlist%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
