Ultrasonic cleaner to clean power sockets for re-use

[markharro]

I have built up a collection of pre-used sockets and switches etc and am now thinking about the best way to give them a spruce up - any reason not to use an ultrasonic cleaner for this purpose?

[dpmiller]

you'd need to be using DI water else residues could cause tracking over. Then, you run the risk of pure water tarnishing componentry...

[markharro]

Hi @dpmiller I get the distilled water but I dont understand your second sentence. Do you mean if you use distilled water it causes tarnishing?

[dpmiller]

36 minutes ago, markharro said:

Hi @dpmiller I get the distilled water but I dont understand your second sentence. Do you mean if you use distilled water it causes tarnishing?

yep. DI and RO water can eat through some metals, even certain grades of stainless. Lab pure water systems use only plastics and high-grade stainless for this reason, we don't want any trace metals in the water...

[markharro]

Im assuming that the metal inside the typical socket is either copper or brass or similar. Would a 20 minute immersion in distilled water followed by drying really be an issue?

[markharro]

Thanks @dpmiller but given that these sockets are already old and tarnished would it be a problem for my intended use ie to clean the dust and grime from the sockets and initially at least restore the copper metal surface? My thinking was to remove the sockets and spray WD40 on the metal parts to displace the water as they dried. Is that not realistic?

[Thorfun]

32 minutes ago, markharro said:

My thinking was to remove the sockets and spray WD40 on the metal parts to displace the water as they dried. Is that not realistic?

Is WD40 the best thing to use here? Wouldn’t something like IPA be better as it evaporates and doesn’t leave a residue? 
 

edit. I now realise you weren’t using WD40 to clean. 🤦‍♂️

Edited December 5, 2023 by Thorfun
Daftness

[markharro]

IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol? 

[saveasteading]

5 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

Wouldn’t something like IPA be better as it evaporates and doesn’t leave a residue? 

I was going to say that It leaves a residue of sugars and hops. But that is too  obvious.

 

Wouldn't the physical contact resolve this...the prongs will touch where they touch, enough for conductivity? 

[markharro]

That was my first thought too! I suspect its not so much the plugs' prongs scraping the metal but rather the wiring terminals inside the sockets that could be the issue?

[Alan Ambrose]

>>> I have built up a collection of pre-used sockets and switches etc and am now thinking about the best way to give them a spruce up

 

Yeah no problem doing that, but I'm not sure it'll be worth your while by the time you've bought the solvents. It'll get rid of any dis-solvable contaminants but probably won't take off the paint and not the scratches.

 

You can probably put them through the dishwasher (they do that with PCBs using DI or distilled water - from memory, I think the former). You obviously need to leave them to dry out properly.