I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

A complete and thorough scrubbing with isopropyl alcohol.
The nicotine dissolves nicely in alcohol.

-Chuck Harris

lorentzson wrote:
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

In article ,
lorentzson wrote:
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Tobacco smoke?

Ammonia helps a lot, but honestly the best thing is just to let it air
out in a well-ventillated place for a couple months.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I have gotten a real nasty ones, the only thing that work's best way is to
carefully scrub with elecroststic smoke eater cleaner + final rinse with
distilled water and a good long hot air dry. Its not cheap, about $14 at
Sears.

I hear of some guys on the Heath reflector covering the cans, vfo's, etc and
using the dishwasher.
I have never done this, perhaps it was a joke.
However I do bake enamel on R-390 knobs in the toaster on 175 for a couple
hours

-Joe


"lorentzson" wrote in message
...
I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Hi Scott,

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.

If the radio is built with modern components, isopropyl alcohol can
be applied with a small paint brush and scrubbed around with no harm.
Waxed paper capacitors will not tolerate that kind of treatment, though.

Isopropyl will kill acrylic's, so don't let it touch dials, and windows.
It soaks in, and then forms quickly running cracks...zip!

Spray cleaners like 409, work too, spray liberally, and
scrub with a brush, and rinse with pure water, distilled is best.
Drying in a convection oven (fan circulation) at 140F finishes up the
job. A cardboard box with a fan, and a light for a heater works too.

I have a Tek 585A that is pretty clean inside, but has that o'de
trailer park smell... You know, tobacco, dog and Glade air freshener.
I thought it would "air out", but a year later, it still reeks. I am
going to have to give it a bath one of these days.

-Chuck Harris

Scott Dorsey wrote:
In article ,
lorentzson wrote:

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73


Tobacco smoke?

Ammonia helps a lot, but honestly the best thing is just to let it air
out in a well-ventillated place for a couple months.
--scott

Hi Joe,

It's not a joke! I have done this, and it works very well.
It is a bit aggressive on paint, though. It was a standard
treatment for old tube trunk mount 2-way radios.

Hams, being smokers of professional caliber, really wreck their
equipment with tobacco smoke. Sometimes a dishwasher is the best
way. When the chassis comes out of the DW, it is as pretty as when
it was new. Water isn't harmful to most electronic parts. You have
to bake the radio for 24 hours after doing this kind of treatment.

-Chuck Harris


Joe wrote:
I have gotten a real nasty ones, the only thing that work's best way is to
carefully scrub with elecroststic smoke eater cleaner + final rinse with
distilled water and a good long hot air dry. Its not cheap, about $14 at
Sears.

I hear of some guys on the Heath reflector covering the cans, vfo's, etc and
using the dishwasher.
I have never done this, perhaps it was a joke.
However I do bake enamel on R-390 knobs in the toaster on 175 for a couple
hours

-Joe


"lorentzson" wrote in message
...

I am wondering if there is a tried and true way of getting rid of the

smoke smell out of radios? Would appreciate any and all help. thanks
in advance. cl 73

Chuck Harris wrote:

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.

That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott

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

Hi Scott,

I thought we were discussing removing smoke smell? As long as the
brown tobacco stains remain on the radio, it is going to smell like
a chimney everytime it gets warm.

I forgot to mention the 409 vs bakelite problem. Most cleaners will
wash out the surface color from bakelite.

-Chuck Harris

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Chuck Harris wrote:

I have gotten radios that were used by hams that had chassis that
were stained yellow brown from the tar and nicotine. There is no
amount of airing out that will make that go away. With them, the
only answer is scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaning solution comes out
as brown as grasshopper spit.


That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott

Scott Dorsey wrote:


That's a different problem altogether. In that case, 409 is VERY effective
at removing the gum, as long as you keep it off of phenolic parts. It will
etch bakelite very quickly.
--scott



I've always found 409 to be pretty benign on Bakelite but Fantastic will
indeed go after it. When you think you're washing away years of dirt
and smoke its often the Bakelite itself that is washing away so do be
careful with either product!

-Bill

In article , - - Bill - -
writes:

I've always found 409 to be pretty benign on Bakelite but Fantastic will
indeed go after it. When you think you're washing away years of dirt
and smoke its often the Bakelite itself that is washing away so do be
careful with either product!

I've found Murphy's to be pretty safe for anything. However, you do have to
put more elbow grease into the job. Definitely the safest thing to use on
wood, and I doubt it would frost any kind of plastic. --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.