Its not that I got a case of Cramolin. but its a case of not
getting anything.

I finally got an order out to Newark Electronics for some Farnell
Cramolin. After some hesitation, my rep said they would not
do it, but gave no reason. So I talked to Farnell and they gave me
a price of two cans of 200 ml spray. ABout $15. The cost to get it to me in Pittsburgh, Pa.,
$250.00

greg

So I talked to Farnell and they gave me a price of two cans
of 200 ml spray. About $15. The cost to get it to me in
Pittsburgh, Pa., $250.00

Priceless.

I'd go in on a case. I am sure a few other folks here would too.

Why is the original Cramolin preferable to what Caig sells?

William Sommerwerck wrote:
I'd go in on a case. I am sure a few other folks here would too.

Why is the original Cramolin preferable to what Caig sells?

I'm not sure it is, but it's definitely different. And I'd be willing to
invest a hundred bucks to find out why.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

My understanding is that Cramolin is an inexpensive vegetable oil in an
organic solvent. I don't understand why anyone would spend so much money.

By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The original red does a
great job on tin and similar metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold
(apparently a different formulation) is much better.

In article , "William Sommerwerck" wrote:
My understanding is that Cramolin is an inexpensive vegetable oil in an
organic solvent. I don't understand why anyone would spend so much money.

By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The original red does a
great job on tin and similar metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold
(apparently a different formulation) is much better.

Some say its oleic acid, and many have tried mixing their own concoction
of various solvents mixed in. Some use Naptha.

greg

Getting Older and Grumpier Gear Minion wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
William Sommerwerck wrote:
I'd go in on a case. I am sure a few other folks here would too.

Why is the original Cramolin preferable to what Caig sells?

I'm not sure it is, but it's definitely different. And I'd be willing to
invest a hundred bucks to find out why.

If it's a test quantity, could you contact a .de vendor and just order
2 cans and pay the shipping on the lesser weight.

Problem is that the shipping is about the same whether you order one can
or a case. It has to go air freight with a bunch of hazmat billing stuff.

If you can afford the case go for it :-)

The case is cheap. The shipping is the expensive part.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Preben Friis wrote:

I'd go in on a case. I am sure a few other folks here would too.

I can get as much as I want shipped for 8,75 eur from Conrad in Germany to
me. I wonder how much the shipment from Denmark to you would cost.

I'd be willing to act as a middle station if you want me to..

Please do let me know! If you can ship it for any reasonable cost, I would
be very interested.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

William Sommerwerck wrote:
My understanding is that Cramolin is an inexpensive vegetable oil in an
organic solvent. I don't understand why anyone would spend so much money.

Probably. The word is that it's just oleic acid and Sudan red, in a
solvent. I don't really know if this is true or not, though. I'd like
to find out.

By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The original red does a
great job on tin and similar metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold
(apparently a different formulation) is much better.

I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never have problems with
oxide layers?
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article , (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
Getting Older and Grumpier Gear Minion wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
William Sommerwerck wrote:
I'd go in on a case. I am sure a few other folks here would too.

Why is the original Cramolin preferable to what Caig sells?

I'm not sure it is, but it's definitely different. And I'd be willing to
invest a hundred bucks to find out why.

If it's a test quantity, could you contact a .de vendor and just order
2 cans and pay the shipping on the lesser weight.

Problem is that the shipping is about the same whether you order one can
or a case. It has to go air freight with a bunch of hazmat billing stuff.

If you can afford the case go for it :-)

The case is cheap. The shipping is the expensive part.

I would suppose someone living near the coast could intercept a boat shipment?

greg

Scott Dorsey wrote:
William Sommerwerck wrote:
My understanding is that Cramolin is an inexpensive vegetable oil in an
organic solvent. I don't understand why anyone would spend so much money.

Probably. The word is that it's just oleic acid and Sudan red, in a
solvent. I don't really know if this is true or not, though. I'd like
to find out.

By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The original red does a
great job on tin and similar metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold
(apparently a different formulation) is much better.

I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never have problems with
oxide layers?
--scott

That's fine if the contacts are hermetically sealed. IME, environmental
contamination is as prevalent as oxidation.

(Of course, I smoke; but....)

jak

By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The original red does
a
great job on tin and similar metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold
(apparently a different formulation) is much better.

I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never have problems with
oxide layers?

Never? Well, hardly ever.

There's no question that when you clean gold with Pro Gold, the surface is
shinier and _something_ comes off.

One of the guys at work had trouble with his SmartCard; Pro Gold on the
contacts fixed it. Why, I don't know. But it seemed to work.

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message news
By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The
original red does a great job on tin and similar
metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold (apparently a
different formulation) is much better.

I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never
have problems with oxide layers?

Never? Well, hardly ever.

There's no question that when you clean gold with Pro
Gold, the surface is shinier and _something_ comes off.

One of the guys at work had trouble with his SmartCard;
Pro Gold on the contacts fixed it. Why, I don't know. But
it seemed to work.

Apparently unanswered question:

Compare and contrast your choice of esoteric cleaning fluids with:

(1) Pencil eraser
(2) WD-40
(3) Radio Shack contact cleaner
(4) lens cleaning paper
(5) spit
(6) Mixture of olive oil and trichlor
(7) rubbing with copier paper

In article , "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message news
By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The
original red does a great job on tin and similar
metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold (apparently a
different formulation) is much better.

I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never
have problems with oxide layers?

Never? Well, hardly ever.

There's no question that when you clean gold with Pro
Gold, the surface is shinier and _something_ comes off.

One of the guys at work had trouble with his SmartCard;
Pro Gold on the contacts fixed it. Why, I don't know. But
it seemed to work.

Apparently unanswered question:

Compare and contrast your choice of esoteric cleaning fluids with:

(1) Pencil eraser
(2) WD-40
(3) Radio Shack contact cleaner
(4) lens cleaning paper
(5) spit
(6) Mixture of olive oil and trichlor
(7) rubbing with copier paper

Any one of the above is likely to make his Smartcard work for a while.

I'll add some

(8) Alcohol
(9) Rubbing with finger
(10) Vinegar
(11) (Kim Wipe)

I Have been using CRC sprays as sold by The Home Depot. Very
cheap in big spray cans. No residue Cleaner, lubricant, separate cans. 2-26
a plastic safe lubricant I like very much.

When things get tough though, I go for my needle bottle of Cramolin.

greg

GregS wrote:
In article , "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message news
By the way, I've been using the stuff for 25 years. The
original red does a great job on tin and similar
metals. It does little for gold. Pro Gold (apparently a
different formulation) is much better.
I thought the whole point of gold was that you'd never
have problems with oxide layers?
Never? Well, hardly ever.

There's no question that when you clean gold with Pro
Gold, the surface is shinier and _something_ comes off.

One of the guys at work had trouble with his SmartCard;
Pro Gold on the contacts fixed it. Why, I don't know. But
it seemed to work.
Apparently unanswered question:

Compare and contrast your choice of esoteric cleaning fluids with:

(1) Pencil eraser
(2) WD-40
(3) Radio Shack contact cleaner
(4) lens cleaning paper
(5) spit
(6) Mixture of olive oil and trichlor
(7) rubbing with copier paper

Any one of the above is likely to make his Smartcard work for a while.

I'll add some

(8) Alcohol
(9) Rubbing with finger
(10) Vinegar
(11) (Kim Wipe)

I Have been using CRC sprays as sold by The Home Depot. Very
cheap in big spray cans. No residue Cleaner, lubricant, separate cans. 2-26
a plastic safe lubricant I like very much.

When things get tough though, I go for my needle bottle of Cramolin.

greg

In a pinch the other day, I picked up a can of LPS contact cleaner (not
the lubricant), which--so far--has done an exemplary job for me. I
wonder how long it will last on the extremely noisy pots on the Heath
AR1500a I picked up. It had been stored for at least 20 years in
(probably) a damp place. Some pots were so stiff as to be immobile.
All were extremely noisy. I had to do a couple of them twice, but
they're all quiet now and turn easily.

jak

jakdedert wrote:

In a pinch the other day, I picked up a can of LPS contact cleaner (not
the lubricant), which--so far--has done an exemplary job for me. I
wonder how long it will last on the extremely noisy pots on the Heath
AR1500a I picked up. It had been stored for at least 20 years in
(probably) a damp place. Some pots were so stiff as to be immobile.
All were extremely noisy. I had to do a couple of them twice, but
they're all quiet now and turn easily.

All of these products will do that.

The question is what will happen two years down the road. And having
not used the LPS stuff, I can't say. But if it has just freed the things
up by getting the existing lubricant into solution, they won't stay that
way. On the other hand, if it has some heavy stuff in there that isn't
so volatile, they'll be fine.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
jakdedert wrote:
In a pinch the other day, I picked up a can of LPS contact cleaner (not
the lubricant), which--so far--has done an exemplary job for me. I
wonder how long it will last on the extremely noisy pots on the Heath
AR1500a I picked up. It had been stored for at least 20 years in
(probably) a damp place. Some pots were so stiff as to be immobile.
All were extremely noisy. I had to do a couple of them twice, but
they're all quiet now and turn easily.

All of these products will do that.

The question is what will happen two years down the road. And having
not used the LPS stuff, I can't say. But if it has just freed the things
up by getting the existing lubricant into solution, they won't stay that
way. On the other hand, if it has some heavy stuff in there that isn't
so volatile, they'll be fine.

My thoughts as well. I was hoping someone would chime in with long-term
experience.

I guess time will tell...but by then I'll probably have picked up a can
of Deoxit....

jak

--scott

In article , jakdedert wrote:
GregS wrote:
In article , "Arny Krueger"
wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message news


In a pinch the other day, I picked up a can of LPS contact cleaner (not
the lubricant), which--so far--has done an exemplary job for me. I
wonder how long it will last on the extremely noisy pots on the Heath
AR1500a I picked up. It had been stored for at least 20 years in
(probably) a damp place. Some pots were so stiff as to be immobile.
All were extremely noisy. I had to do a couple of them twice, but
they're all quiet now and turn easily.

jak


Deoxit is not designed to be a lubricant. There are some other products to add
after cleaning, and regular oil type to add to the shaft.

greg

Compare and contrast your choice of esoteric cleaning fluids with:

(1) Pencil eraser
(2) WD-40
(3) Radio Shack contact cleaner
(4) lens cleaning paper
(5) spit
(6) Mixture of olive oil and trichlor
(7) rubbing with copier paper

Of those, the pencil eraser is probably the best bet.

Red Cramolin works very well -- much better than just rubbing the surface.
Pro Gold works better than Red Cramolin on gold, so it probably does
_something_. Anyhow, at a few cents per application, I'm not complaining.