OK - this sounds a bit bonkers, but before I embark on this, I'm checking my cleaning materials before I potentially do something stupid. I'd rather look like a dumb ass, ask advice and do it right, than potentially do damage to all this. For the faders and things I would normally use the electrical contact cleaner, followed by the Deoxit F5. I'd also tend to use the same things for the pots as well. Is it really advisable to use DN5 for the pots instead? For the heads, is the anti-static cleaning fluid of use, or should I toss that and use unmixed isoprop/meth instead? Regarding the pinch rollers, I do have some platenclene and some rubber roller restorer that I believe are hung on from my days as a hardware techy, working on MFD's and the like. So, are they of use in boombox/walkman repair, or should I toss them out?
Not sure what the 'bonkers' word means, but it sounds like a solid description of your kit! Here is mine: Haven't used F5 yet, but I think it was @Longman or maybe @Mister X who said it must be used for the sliders instead of D100 so I bought it. Naphta lacquer thinner works magic on pinchrollers and rubber tyres, at least on those which still can be 'rejuvenated' What is anti-stat fluid for? To demagnetize cassette heads I use this cheap gizmo: Universal HEAD DEMAGNETIZER
That mostly describes me very well Some of these things are hang overs from my days on the road as a mobile engineer. I have thrown some of these things out, and I think the platen cleaner is likely to get chucked as it's cheaper to replace a printer than faff around with spare parts and getting toner all over the carpet. The anti-stat fluid ... that was originally used for the cleaning pads for floppy disk drives. These days I mostly use it to clean my glasses.
I just go by the manufacturers descriptions, FaderLube for anything that slides due to internal components and DeOxit for rotary and toggle switches. https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/the-idiots-guide-to-using-deoxit-revisited.207005/ I'd stay away from Windex, it can leave a foggy sheen. Initally try to use the lightest duty stuff, soap and water do wonders. I use Simple Green a lot for dirt and splatters and Goo-Gone for paint and sticker residue and finally IPA for the tape path. I posted some magazine articles with cleaning in the boombox tech section last year, there might be some more info.
... plus it will take a-while to clean bbox with a Windex! I use Windex for Discman's cases only. Not sure about the sheen, but you should never-ever use Windex on dusty laser lenses (if bbox has CD): any ammonia-based cleaners attack glass. I will try to find some of my photos taken under epifluorescent microscope from the slides I washed with Windex: instead of a black background you have a night sky with zillions of stars and nebulae as a backdrop for the sample A few years ago Leica rep left me a few cc of some household cleaner safe for optics, but since I did not catch the brand, I use Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Spray for my eyeglasses or any lenses
I use DeOxit D100 pure concentrate in a needle dispenser, because I can insert it into a tight pot which would otherwise be very difficult to clean with the typical spray. You can also get it in a brush bottle. You'll also need Q-tips to clean various crevices, including the creases around the chrome woofer caps.
