WD-40. DEE-LICIOUS! YOUR WEEKLY MIC MORSEL...

From time to time the question about cleaning and preserving volume controls (potentiometers) comes up. Volume "pots" present an interesting mystery as to their operation since you can't readily see what's actually going on inside of them and they're generally off our radar unless they get sonically "scratchy" or begin to seize-up. How best to treat the symptoms in the hope of holding off replacement of the offending component? WD-40?

WD-40 was developed in the early '50's as a corrosion preventative. The name stands for "Water Displacement - 40th Attempt". It's been used on everything from keyed locks and ignitions to Atlas rockets. I've heard of its use as fish bait as well as the rumor that it's fish-oil based. It is not, as it's base is confirmed to be petroleum. There was a time when it seemed EVERYBODY carried a can of WD-40 in their toolkit, even audio techs. I clearly recall seeing a soundman spraying virtually every control and connection on-stage with the stuff, chasing what was likely the hum of a ground loop.
WD-40 is wonderful stuff alright, but like any tool it has its limits. Which brings us to the world of scratchy harpmic volume controls...
While WD-40 and similar lubes will make the pot's shaft rotation freer and smoother, there are other products that will help clean internal contact points of light corrosion, moisture, and foreign particulates while smoothing out the pot's rotation and NOT attracting more dust. They're produced with an eye toward the component's conductive properties. For many years I've used a product by CRC called "Electrical Grade 2-26" for cleaning v/c's in mics and amps and related tasks. You can double-check with Skip if you like...
One thing to remember: ALL these products contain petroleum and are POISONOUS if taken internally. May I humbly suggest you NOT treat your harps with the stuff?