Cleaning and Maintenance of Connections.....

Agree cleaning makes a big difference on RCA and speaker connectors and if you turn off the circuit breaker at the panel, you can spray Caig Pro Gold into your AC socket.

You might wait five minutes before turning it back on or you can speed the process and improve debris removal with one of those cans of compressed air sold at computer stores.

I love Caig DeOxit and Pro Gold, but I think connections sound better if you remove DeOxit completely with alcohol before applying Pro Gold.

That's also why I mentioned Pro Gold (only) and not DeOxit for AC outlets. Too difficult to remove the DeOxit in that closed space.

Calgarian, Yes, Pro Gold is in spray can, I use it for speaker, XLR, and RCA. I even apply a bit on cartridge pins with a toothpick and wipe off excess with a Q Tip.

I clean about once a year or anytime I'm working on the system, such as testing something or swapping tubes.

Oh, that reminds me, I use Pro Gold on tube pins too.

Dill,

Agreed, I use Flitz metal polish and also their lesser known product, Polier.

I've polished out power cord prongs with Flitz and then cleaned with Caig. For unplated speaker posts such as Cardas manufacturers, there's a copper cleaning gel containing Hydrofluoric Acid that works miracles. If the post is unmounted you can drop in the solution for 15 seconds, remove and wash with water. It literally looks flawless and brilliant.

If it's mounted on speaker or amp, apply the gel with Q-Tip and then wrap paper towel around the post and spray with water. I bought one of those spray bottles at Home Depot for the job, usually used to mist house plants.

Hmmm. Its been a long damn time since HS chemistry, but IIRC, hydroflouric acid is extremely corrosive (eats thru glass) and dangerous to handle. I know that you know what you are doing, Albert, but for non chemically savvy 'phile, here is what Wikipedia says:

I bought the cleaner from the well known tweak shop, Mike Percy Audio, several years ago.

I don't know the concentration level of Hydrofluoric Acid in this specific formula but I'm sure it must be at a low level since it qualified safe shipping via US Mail which have very strict standards.

As with all things, it's concentration that matters.

Swamp,

HIFI was suggesting no cleaners of any kind in AC outlets.

Caig Pro Gold is safe for this if someone is wanting to clean an outlet. If it's a concern, avoid it. It's only a suggestion in direct response to the topic at hand.

As for the copper cleaner I agree Hydrofluoric Acid is dangerous, but many products contain it such as rug cleaner (Whink), spray oven cleaner and wheel brightener for automobile mag wheels.

An episode of "Modern Marvels" talked about making soda cans. One of the key steps was a quick dip of the can in Hydrofluoric Acid.

Also, this from the EPA assessment in 1991, a report on safety in the aluminum soda can market:

Present Practice
The reagent used to treat the
surface of the cans contains 2%
to 4% ammonium fluozirconate

Proposed Action

Substitute a nonhazardous reagent that
contains nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid for the hazardous reagent currently used.

If this is acceptable around the food business then my suggestion that careful handling and the concentration levels are the deciding issue. I've used the product for twenty years and I've had no problems. My guess is concentration levels are very low. I have no doubt pure Hydrofluoric Acid is everything you stated.