In praise of Stabilant 22 on Switchcraft contact points

[Notes_Norton]

I replaced my LP pup switch with a switchcraft. (OK, it's a faux LP and it came with the cheap Asian switch). The old switch broke at the rotation point for the physical toggle itself.

 

I was getting an occasional problem with either the high or low position not making good contact. Sometimes not at all. Flicking the switch up and down a few times solved the problem so I assumed it was dirty contacts.

 

Taking the switch out, I could see that the leaves of the switch were making and breaking contact well so it wasn't a mechanical problem -- again, pointing to dirty contacts.

 

Perhaps the switch stayed in the store too long and a little corrosion set in.

 

Normally a pencil eraser or a bit of very lightly abrasive material is all that's needed to clean a corroded contact, but the contacts in an LP switch are very hard to get to and easy to damage.

 

Enter Stabilant 22. It is a contact enhancer. An polymer that when electricity is applied to becomes a conductor. It supposedly also fills the pores of the metal to make better contact and has a mild cleaner. I use Stabilant for semiconductor sockets and also jacks/plugs that are hard to get to and clean periodically (it's a bit on the pricey side, but a little goes a looooooooong way).

 

Stabilant comes with a few tiny brushes. So I put some undiluted Stabilant on the bristles, opened the contacts, inserted the brush, closed the contacts and slid the brush out. Repeated it on the other pair of contacts.

 

As I figured, it cleaned the contacts and eliminated the problem. No more drop outs and static.

 

What I didn't expect is that my guitar is louder now. I have to play with the volume control down about 1/4 the way lower than I did before. Even with the old Asian switch.

 

Just thought I'd share this.

 

? Notes

[zigzag]

Pretty cool. Up until recently, there have been no polymers that are conductive and certainly none more conductive than metal. Does that stuff have an active ingredient listed on the label?

[L5Larry]

Stabilant 22

 

Where do you get this product?

 

Sounds like something I should have on the workbench.

[Notes_Norton]

No active ingredient on the label.

 

It's a product of Dayton Wright Research (D.W. Electrochemicals Ltd.) in Canada. I guess a google search could turn up something.

 

This was originally a product called Tweek and I used that as well.

 

If I understand it correctly, the polymer is not a conductor until electricity is applied, then it changes its characteristics and becomes a conductor. I don't really understand the technology, but I do know the results.

 

It's the only thing that I have found that works better than Caig Pro Gold for contacts. I life in Florida, near the ocean, and have always been plagued with contact problems. If the less expensive Pro Gold doesn't work, the Stabilant does.

 

I was really surprised with the volume difference on my guitar. I've never experienced that with any of the other contacts I've used this on.

 

? Notes

[Notes_Norton]

Where do you get this product?

 

Sounds like something I should have on the workbench.

I googled it.

 

Actually I was investigating what happened to a product called Tweek that I used to use for the same purpose. A google search on the subject turned out that what was called Tweek is now owned by a different company and called Stabilant 22.

 

So I googled Stabilant 22 and found a few places that sell it. I got it from http://www.micro-tools.com

 

It comes with a bottle and directions for diluting it, but I use it straight out of the bottle. Diluting it is for applying it to printed circuit sockets with the chip already installed.

 

I also use Caig DeOxit cleaner for badly corroded contacts (it's the best contact cleaner I've found) and Caig Pro Gold for phone plugs that get plugged and unplugged often (like my guitar cable). Pro Gold isn't as good as Stabilant, but it is much less expensive, and when my guitar cables are not in the guitar, the enhancer gets wiped off in the case. I play one-nighters so there is a lot of plugging/unplugging/packing/unpacking of my gear.

 

? Notes