General > General Technical Chat
Clean/Refurbish Oxidized Electrical Plug Prongs
Boris_yo:
Not sure where I would find proper plug with double braided nylon cord. I have a few from desktop computer lying around but all have black shielding and not double braided nylon shielding. We call these electric kettle cables here.
I also noticed there is a spark every time I disconnect the plug from wall outlet.
Is lubrication of prongs an option? I would apply let it dry overnight to form coating that would reduce mechanical resistance?
tooki:
The cord for an iron should be cotton-wrapped rubber. Not nylon, not PVC. The point is that it’s made of materials that can come 8th direct contact with the hot iron without melting. Nylon melts.
You can buy proper iron cords from an electrical supplier.
(Note that a true kettle cord is different from a standard IEC cord, in that the cable itself may not be totally heat resistant, but the plug on the kettle side is.)
Do not try and fix this corroded plug. It is a fire hazard. Either replace the entire cord assembly, or at minimum cut off the plug and install a new plug.
There exist special contact greases for electrical use. Do not, under any circumstances, use silicone grease (it burns into an abrasive, which means any arcing would cause abrasives to form), and you wouldn’t want anything flammable, so just buy something made specifically for use with live electrical contacts. However, arcing is what happens when you plug/unplug under load. So switch off your load. I’ve never seen an iron that doesn’t have a power switch or temperature control that lets you switch it off completely. Do that before plugging or unplugging. Not that the arcing has anything to do with the corrosion you experienced.
BrokenYugo:
Cut it off and install a new one, if you clean that up the plating will be gone and it will corrode again.
james_s:
Don't use an abrasive, use some metal polish and a rag, that will clean oxidation and crud off of most metals, I've used it to good effect on all sorts of stuff. You can buy it in supermarkets and hardware stores.
Boris_yo:
--- Quote from: james_s on June 11, 2022, 06:13:21 pm ---Don't use an abrasive, use some metal polish and a rag, that will clean oxidation and crud off of most metals, I've used it to good effect on all sorts of stuff. You can buy it in supermarkets and hardware stores.
--- End quote ---
Which reminds me how someone recommended I rub metal polish onto my toaster oven's housing which although appears to have it's body made of stainless steel, managed to get rusty spots. Sounds like 201 grade to me... Another reason for me to buy metal polish.
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