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Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: Robbie010 on February 11, 2019, 01:32:08 pm

Title: preparing / cleaning / deoxidizing copper electrical contacts??
Post by: Robbie010 on February 11, 2019, 01:32:08 pm

Hello all,

I am about to start putting my project amplifier back together and would like to clean and deoxidize the electrical contacts where possible. A number of the connectors are copper ring type connectors like the below image and I was going to give them a good cleaning and then scrub them with a gentle copper wire brush to remove any old oxidization and help improve the electrical contact.

Is this advisable or would you deem it too abrasive?

Title: Re: preparing / cleaning / deoxidizing copper electrical contacts??
Post by: graeme.c.payne on February 11, 2019, 06:41:59 pm

If the ring terminals are plated like the ones in the picture (tin or nickel?) then they should not need much more than a quick wipe with alcohol. If they are bare copper then they probably do need cleaning. Clean copper looks like a bright new penny; oxidized looked like a penny that has been used for a few years.

If you have or can find a good electronics contact cleaner, try that. If it needs scrubbing, then use a woven fabricc scrubber (ScotchBrite, for example), or a copper kitchen scouring ball.) You want it clean, with minimal scratches, and no foreign metals in it (like bits of a steel scouring pad. Wipe with a soft cloth, and the try not to touch the copper with bare fingers.

If corrosion is Really bad, you could use fine grit garner sandpaper as a first step.



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