[Yaesu] Freezing Knobs

[Harold Mandel]

Horror-Stories!
 
My Word! People putting gas pliers
and Vise-Grips on tuning knobs!
 
These are delicate. If you foul these
up with force you will feel the
damage forever.
 
Before you need to destroy the
radio take the knobs off and
use WD-40 to penetrate the
bushing and then a dropper
with the heaviest (90 weight)
oil to follow. 
 
Don't leave the WD-40 to evaporate and
dry into wax. Don't use 3 - in - 1 oil: That
turns into thicker wax than WD-40.
 
Home Cheapo sells pump oil in the 
water pump aisle only. It's crystal
clear (very pure, no detergents).
 
Take all the knobs off.
 
Put the WD right to them pesky
knob shafts and work 'em good.
Wipe the mess up and put a drop
or two of lube oil on the shaft/bushing
junction and work that around. Do not
wipe up. A slight excess will creep into the
bushing over time.
 
Okay, so you've never lubed the controls
and now you've got a seized shaft.
 
Support the radio so the knob shaft faces
right up. Get a box of Q-Tips Go the the
local gun store and get a can of Break-Free
bore spray and a tiny bottle of Hoppe's #9
bore cleaner.
 
Use a hefty towel to prevent overspray
and give the stuck shaft a spray of 
Break-Free. Follow with a drop of
Hoppe's. No Break-Free? Just use
one drop of Hoppe's instead. 
 
Leave the radio and gun oil alone
while the Hoppe's creeps in to
the bushing. Use only one drop
of Hoppe's at a time: No need to get
five gallons and immerse the whole radio.
 
It might take a week, with drops every day,
but the oxide jam will break away and the 
shaft will turn normally. Once this happens
skip the WD-40 step and just use a drop
of gun oil or pump oil at a time and let it
work its way into the radio.
 
If these methods do not clear up the 
jam please do not force the issue,
but contact me off line for more
tips. 
 
All this is knowledge gained from
experience when Hurricane Agnes
destroyed ten counties worth of IBM
card readers, teletypes and computing
facilities in the telephone company in
1972.
 
Hal
W4HBM