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Cleaning tube mech threads

Mechanical king

Bronze Contributor
I work in a auto shop restoring old Broncos. Theres a ton of dust in the air and it seems to make it's way into the threading of my mod. Literally takes me an hour to get the shit out of the thread. My daily is a purge so theres a lot of threads at that. What's the best way to clean them? It's getting to the point I dont do it as often as i should because it takes so long...
 

sr20vet

Bronze Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I feel you, I work for LKQ as a vehicle dismantler and the dust is something else. I normally use a little toothpaste and a tooth brush followed by ketchup afterwards. Works great for me.

Sent from my LM-X210(G) using Tapatalk
 

Mechanical king

Bronze Contributor
I feel you, I work for LKQ as a vehicle dismantler and the dust is something else. I normally use a little toothpaste and a tooth brush followed by ketchup afterwards. Works great for me.

Sent from my LM-X210(G) using Tapatalk
Toothpaste and ketchup? Truly? That sounds crazy lol. I'll have to give that a shot tonight
 

DaBunny

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Toothpaste and ketchup? Truly? That sounds crazy lol. I'll have to give that a shot tonight
Just ask da fellers in the paint booth to toss ya a FRESH tack cloth..
an try a Tack cloth over a Q-tip.
51cJcJOMTtL.jpg
your could clip a couple layers cuz its Like
a stickey cheese cloth..

and a Q-tip won't stratch or damage..
 

Mechanical king

Bronze Contributor
Just ask da fellers in the paint booth to toss ya a FRESH tack cloth..
an try a Tack cloth over a Q-tip.
51cJcJOMTtL.jpg
your could clip a couple layers cuz its Like
a stickey cheese cloth..

and a Q-tip won't stratch or damage..
I never thought of that. We got plenty of those lying around. Thanks!
 

BoomStick

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Toothbrush and soapy water for dirt. For removing tarnish, use vinegar on copper and ammonia on brass.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Soak in soapy water, followed by a rinse under the tap to remove debris ...dry it ...then Wright’s copper cream and a soft toothbrush... that stuff is the badgers nadgers a pot will last for a long time, it’s non toxic and brings everything up in seconds

I rinse after then dry and iso propyl the lot for a squeaky clean finish

Brass, copper even silver go careful on plated stuff though

Cape cod cloths are great as well just harder to get in the nooks smell nice though haha
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I've become fond of Connoisseurs Jewelry wipes for a quick polish. Then wash under warm water and dry. For anything more than a quick polish/clean up the Dremel comes out.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
For the screw threads, use only the type of contact spray that completely evaporates so it leaves no residue, as it contains only propene (used as a propellant) and isopropyl alcohol. So-called "protective", anti-oxidation and/or anti-corrosion types of contact cleaners are to be avoided on the screw threads excepting only after you have stored the parts unscrewed for so long that oxidation buildup needs to be removed from the screw threads prior to cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol. Be advised that these so-called "protective" layers of electrically conductive lube/grease need to be completely removed from the screw threads in order to help prevent corrosion. This lube/grease can be removed with isopropyl alcohol, but the best strategy is to always completely avoid having to remove it, i.e. by simply not putting it on there already in the first place, if possible. So avoid storing the parts unscrewed. If you're going to store the parts, just leave them screwed together tight instead. The screw threads will thank you for it.

That said, yes of course a tiny little bit of oxidation occurs each time when you unscrew the parts to change out the battery or when you switch atomizers, due to coming into contact with oxygen from the air you let in. But no, this does not normally become a problem in any way whatsoever. Because, by unscrewing and screwing back together, this tiny little bit of oxidation is effectively polished away, and, the resulting tiny amount of oxidised metal dust ends up along the side of narrow gaps that, due to tolerances in the machining, exist between the screw threads. This dust will remain inside these narrow gaps until it is removed with regular maintenance. The reason why it is perfectly harmless inside these gaps is simply because no electrical conduction happens across the gaps anyway in the first place, i.e. it is because narrow gaps filled with air do not conduct current regardless of whether the gaps contain small dust and air or just air. Finally, it should also be noted that frequent polishing of the screw threads by keep rubbing them with metal polish and polishing cloths or microfiber towels or etc. is never a great idea in the long run, either, as the excessive removal of metal through frequent polishing will widen the gaps between the screw threads until they no longer can provide contact properly... thus the voltage drop of the mod will only start to worsen faster─when compared to normal wear and tear alone.
 

dhomes

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
for all thread i use a dremel with an abrasive head: https://www.amazon.com/Rocaris-Abrasive-Buffing-Polishing-Dremel/dp/B075C72PGK

it's not how clean it 'looks' (polishing gets you halfway there), most important is how much oxidation/corrosion you have

the dremel takes <1 min for the threads in the mod and the switch to be ready

Alternatively, you can use a SS Mesh (300 through 500 grit mesh) and go to town.

This one is expensive https://www.amazon.com/Woven-Stainless-Steel-0-038mm-Filtration/dp/B01N5SZRS8 but is the type i mean, you can find better prices around the web with some google fu of your own
 

jwill

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Since I blast/bake a lot of stuff and the copper and brass discolors as part of that process, I use a jewelers compound and unstitched cotton wheel on low-speed Dremel, if doing a bare mod, I use a larger stitched cotton wheel on a bench grinder then use Homewood Metal Polish and a silver clothe for final wipe (which is also how I do my regular maintenance wipes). Works awesome, things shine, no squeak, no crud and it is non toxic.

The brown Jewelers compound from Harbor Freight works amazingly well on all vape metals and you can get the cotton buffing disks small enough to fit in most mods for the inside work. I have an attachment for my dremel that lets me work the whole inside of the mod and switch housing. You need a variable speed dremel for this work though and only use unstitched on the dremel, the lack of stitching allows it to deform better but the trade-off is shedding, so do it outside.

Sounds complicated but takes a minute or so, tops and looks awesome.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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just a quick clean up today 2 minutes roughly on the switch ...using wrights copper cream and a soft toothbrush, didn’t polish for long so not super clean but it’ll do (threads cleaned after with iso-propyl)

Before C2644A3F-274A-4C18-89E7-373002F6CF80.jpeg

after

24327FBA-5C34-4653-B868-165CD1232DAE.jpeg
 

Mechanical king

Bronze Contributor
Is that something that's available only online or do they got it at lowes or home depot? I'm gunna go look for some cleaning stuff today. Possibly pick up a cheap dremel
 

gopher_byrd

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Is that something that's available only online or do they got it at lowes or home depot? I'm gunna go look for some cleaning stuff today. Possibly pick up a cheap dremel
You should be able to find Wrights locally. I think I snagged some at Walmart once.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Is that something that's available only online or do they got it at lowes or home depot? I'm gunna go look for some cleaning stuff today. Possibly pick up a cheap dremel

amazon have it also
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Works well on brass as well (top and foot plate + screws inside) Roscco recommenced it ages ago as it’s non toxic for pots and pans, so gave it a go

...older photo from the spring

9BCE46F9-28C1-4047-BCC5-0E76FC032DDA.jpeg
 

Theboss

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I use special electrical grease on all of my mech contacts and threads, never have to clean them as it not only keeps everything spotless but also has the added bonus of conductivity meaning I have less voltage drop compared to not using it.

I wipe the grease off with a paper towel whenever I replace coils in a particular mod/rda and reapply a thin layer. I highly recommend it.
 
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