Today I finished restoring a JVC JA-S11G integrated amp. Beautiful sound. I did the
switches, knobs, Omron relay, the lot.
The switches were a beast though. Plastic covers them from end to end so I had to
prye them open and cleaned them _*thoroughly*_ and they now all sound like new.
Gawd I wish audio equipment still sound like the 70s but they don't and they break
much sooner than these aging.
I couldn't get the relays to work properly, they kept needing a certain amount of
volume to actually put sound through them. So I did what I usualy do. I heated the
component using a 40W Weller pistol, and after I cooked each pin from the underside I
let it cool and then went on to the next, on the 4 pin where the sound has to go. It
works like a charm now. Sometimes a little brute force when no one is looking does
wonders.

Also an Akai AM-35 went through some cleaning on selectors only and was vacuum
cleaned (a first for 14 years of service). Boy did it need that. I had dust in there
from my old room at my parents.... nostalgia almost got the better of me...

My oldest amp is an integrated NAD 3140 with busted phono input has had severe
problems selecting record and playback inputs the last 10-15 years, and has since
1989 been one doorstop close to getting the royal exile from my place, but a can of
videohead cleaner from www.studiosupplies.com and half an hour on the tower of power
took care of that.

I cleaned some faceplates and a lot of knobs and buttons on this two day tour through
past aquisitions, and apart from busting me fingers the hard work paid off.
It will take me a long time to go and buy something new. I usually buy second hand
and if it isn't 15 years old it is not getting into my place without a very good
excuse.

My oldest hifi component was a recivers with tape deck of japanese origin called
Action X9 or something, it was the most shortlived component I have ever had, it wore
down past useable condition from normal use in 4 years.

My open reel decks and cassettes are next on the cleaning list.

-breiler