Evaporust gel on battery contacts.

[RobLaFreniere]

Coincidentally, I received both my order for evaporust gel and an hp 80 from ebay in the mail today. One contact was covered green crust. I tried contact cleaner, rubbing alcohol and 3000 grit sand paper to no effect.

I bought the evaporust for an automotive project and was curious to try it since it seemed the 80 was toast. A little swab of the gel took two minutes to eat away the corrosion leaving sufficient gold to contact the battery and it turned on after I washed and dried the contacts.

If this is common knowledge I apologize for polluting the forum.

[RobLaFreniere]

Before, from the ebay listing:

   

After:

   

[Garth Wilson]

The junk on contacts left from alkaline battery leakage is easily removed with a Q-tip and white vinegar.

[RobLaFreniere]

oh, nevermind

[vaklaff]

While battery goo can be removed quite easily by vinegar or baking soda (*), depending on the battery type, rust is less easy. I try to do it with sandpaper but I think it's too crude and mechanically risky. Are other approaches in wider use, e.g. gels like this one? And any suggestions on protecting against further rusting?

(*) any other tips, BTW?

[Garth Wilson]

Naval jelly removes rust.  I have not tried it on something small like battery contacts.

[Kiwi]

I had very good results using a Q-tip with wite vinegar and once it's dry lightly scrubbing with a fiberglass pen.

[rprosperi]

As mentioned by Kiwi, a glass pen works great for heavier oxidation residue. I usually use this first, followed by Vinegar on swabs. One of these pens is the best tool you can buy if you often work on old calc cleanup, they're cheap and easy to use:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019V18D2

[ctrclckws]

(06-16-2023 08:23 AM)Garth Wilson Wrote:  Naval jelly removes rust.  I have not tried it on something small like battery contacts.

Ages ago, I used naval jelly to remove rust on the wheels of my bicycle.
Pensacola, near the Gulf of Mexico, had salty air, according to my mom.

Anyone remember banana seats?

[mfleming]

(06-16-2023 12:26 PM)ctrclckws Wrote:  Anyone remember banana seats?

- or -
Monkey bars? Ape hangers?

[teenix]

Playing cards in the spokes.

[rprosperi]

Banana seats, monkey bars, cards in spokes... digging deep for all of these, but all good memories! These brain cells have not been stirred in quite a while... thanks for the stir.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

...coaster brake... and mine was a floral banana seat! :)

[teenix]

I do remember "dinking" someone around, (Aussie term for taking a push bike passenger) and coming into contact with the cross bar after a foot slipped from the pedal, not good for a growing lad.

[johnb]

(06-16-2023 12:26 PM)ctrclckws Wrote:  Anyone remember banana seats?

Oh, wow, that brought back memories!

I had a bright red Schwinn Sting-Ray 5 speed as a kid. Heavy as hell compared to my friends' bikes but practically indestructible (it survives to this day off in storage for reasons I have yet to fathom).

Farting around with basic radio electronics, I recall fiddling with a simple oscillator (in my "experimenter's kit") and discovering that at certain frequencies, it sounded to me like a motorcycle engine. Obviously, this demanded that I save my pennies, go out and buy new parts and a small amp and speaker, and jury rig a "motorcycle sound box" for that bike, complete with a lever-operated pot on the handlebar so I could rev the engine.

Later, I discovered a circuit that would make a decent siren sound... the old slow up-and-down whine that police cars used to make. Off I went to the Radio Shack again, to spend what little cash I had on the parts to add that to my bike "motor" box.

This, of course, virtually ensured that when we played "Cops and Robbers", I got to be on the side of the cops since I was the only one with a "Police Bike."

GOSH I was such a nerd!!

[johnb]

But I digress...

[rprosperi]

(06-17-2023 02:15 PM)johnb Wrote:  GOSH I was such a nerd!!

Was???

And the way you wrote it makes it sound pejorative... embrace it! You did back then...