Cleaning electrical connections how to ?

[spark949 24]

Just wondering how everyone cleans their electrical connections. I usually take a knife an scrape them clean. Or I'll sand them off with emery if I can. The female side of the spade connector is a little tougher though. I scape out what I can. I use Lubrimatic Electrical Contact Grease on the connections when I put them back together. I always think what I'm doing is kind of primitive and am looking for ways of really cleaning the connections. There has got to be a small tool set just made for that. School me please, I'm just a dumb fireman.

[rmaynard 15,937]

Most of the female connectors come out of their plastic housings by inserting a small screwdriver to release the tab that holds it in. After pulling it out, I cleaned it with a small brush with brass bristles. After cleaning, I coat it with a small amount of dielectric grease.

[SousaKerry 502]

There is an eraser used by model railroad hobbyists that has grit in it. It's intended purpose if for cleaning dirty track. Any hobby shop that caters to model railroaders should have them, usually called a track cleaner or a bright boy.

[shorts 182]

Bob beat me to it, I use a SS toothbrush, a sprits of electric contact cleaner and a gentle squeeze with pliers on the female terminal to tighten it up before assembly with a light coating of dielectric grease to prevent new corrosion.

[JackC 617]

In addition to the other things already mentioned, Sears sells a set of Craftsman minature files that I use for that kind of task. They are small enough to get to the contacts inside the conector bodies.

[spark949 24]

Thanks for the replies. I've been working everyday( my shift plus overtime) and am going on nights this week. Then I'll get a chance to work on it.

[tunahead72 2,518]

I've been a knife and wire brush kind of guy most of my life, but I don't need to tell you how slow and sometimes ineffective that method can be.

I've seen another procedure that involves soaking the connections in vinegar for a few minutes, and then rinsing in a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the vinegar. I haven't tried it myself, but it appears to work well, and quickly.

Here's a link from a motorcycle forum I belong to, but you'll have to become a member there to view it (no big deal), and you should know they're not nearly as family-friendly as RedSquare (this thread is pretty tame by their standards):

http://www.cb750c.com/modules.php?name=For...ewtopic&t=12457

Has anybody here tried this?