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[locosoundman]

I recently recorded an outdoor concert.  Of course, a thunderstorm came up and some of my cables and connectors got wet.  I left them out in an air-conditioned room overnight to dry, but I am concerned about the connectors becoming compromised by oxidation.

Is it okay to use a general electrical-grade de-oxidizing cleaner, or must it be a more expensive thing like Caig's Deoxit?

Also, is there any sort of general connector-cleaning process that would be good to practice in general as part of routine maintenance?

Thanks.

[Barry Hufker]

If you use DeOxit, be sure to wipe it off right away after application.

Barry

[locosoundman]

Thanks for your reply.  Two more questions if you will indulge me:

If I am wiping off the "de-oxidant," is it then safe to assume that any general electrical-grade de-oxidizer (such as the $2 one available at any hardware store) will more-or-less do the job?

Also, is it preferable to use a solvent, such as 99% Isopropyl alcohol to remove the de-oxidizer?

Thanks much!

[Schallfeldnebel]

If XLR connectors had iron pins I would be scared, but most of them are silver or gold coated. I found out that the worst ever can happen to your XLR connectors is when sand particles come in the female connectors. Then you are in real trouble.

Schallfeldwebel

[Barry Hufker]

I'm afraid I don't know any more than I've said.

I wish I could help more.

Barry

[locosoundman]

Thanks anyway Barry - when/if you have used Deoxit, did you just wipe it off with a dry cotton swab?

I am pretty sure my connectors aren't sliver coated - that would be an oxidation nightmare I think.  Definitely not gold.  Mostly Neutrik connectors I am talking about - I think they make them out of nickel, although the female side of my Whirlwind snake has a yellow metal of some kind which I am not sure about - I am pretty sure it's not gold-plated.

Does nickel oxidize?

Edit - I just found the answer to this question.  Nickel does not oxidize easily - it is used in making stainless steel for precisely this purpose - RA

Should connector cleaning be done periodically as part of maintenance?  

We certainly pay enough for the mic's, preamps, converters and everything else - could dirty connectors compromise sound quality or is that just some audiophile myth?

[Schallfeldnebel]

I am pretty shure that most of my Cannon and Switchcraft connectors are silver coated. If they are not used for a long time, (10 years) they get black, but I have been told even then they have good contact. If they are really black I clean them with the finest sandpaper I have from a juweler, or I plug and unplug them with another connector twenty to thirty times. I rather do not use any chemicals. All my other XLR's are gold coated, these are the Neutrik black types, these have never changed in colour. I am not aware nickel is used for XLR's.

The only trouble I had was when I once recorded in a church where they still had the old fashioned tradition to have white sand on the wooden floor. I had to throw away those connectors.

Schallfeldwebel