Refurb/Recondition pedals

[gilmour]

I've recently been rebuilding my pedal board and digging out a few older pedals that I haven't used for some years. 

I'm happy with the sound and setup, however a few of the pedals are quite crackly both on the pots and output sockets. 

 

Can i just squirt them liberally with switch cleaner, or is there a better process to go through to recondition pedals?

Ta

[T-Bay]

Ideally you need to get the contact cleaner into the pots as just spraying around won’t get it where you need it. It’s usually easy enough to get the backs off and gently move the board out of the way. On MOST old pedals the post are easy enough to change for anyone with a school project standard in soldering. The main switch can be a bit more tricky if straight into the board but still ok if you get something to wick the solder off once melted. There are professional products but I just use bits of scrap wire with the ends spread as it creeps up them nicely.

[OzMike]

You might find the crackling pots clean up with a number of rotations. For the sockets there could be a layer of oxidation on the contacts; inserting and removing a cable / plug a number of times could well take care of this also.

[rmorris]

I recommend taking a look at the Caig Deoxit product range. (No association).

Also if socket contacts have lost their 'springiness' the could try to push the contacts to compenstae. Else replace if possible ?