Freeheel Posted August 29, 2017 Report Posted August 29, 2017 I was pulling out some older cos 11 lavs that I haven't used for a while, and one of the mics' cable sheath has started to degrade. It looks normal, but the entire length of it has gone sticky. I'm going to try a few terrifying solvents I have lying around (start with citrus, then alcohol, then naphtha, then xylene, then acetone, then Methyl Ethyl Ketone) but wondering if anyone has come up against this and can recommend a fix? The mic works fine apart from the fact that I can throw it at the ceiling like a piece of spaghetti and it will stick... The one interesting thing about this mic is that it was bought second hand with a transmitter, and it's sheath always seemed a bit different than all my other Cos 11's, I not sure whether Sanken changed how they manufacture the cable at some point, or whether it got contaminated with something at some point in its lifespan. Any thoughts? Cheers, Brent Calkin Quote
Freeheel Posted August 29, 2017 Author Report Posted August 29, 2017 I started down the list (and added a few) 99% alcohol - no change Dish soap- no change Fast orange citrus with pumice- a little bit cleaner- maybe the pumice rubbed some stickiness off. Naptha (Coleman Fuel)- no change brake cleaner - no change Acetone- no change Xylene- This actually seemed to clean the stickiness off. It left the rubber sheath a bit soft though, so I rubbed on some 303 Aerospace protectant, which seemed to reconstitute the rubber a bit, and made it feel normal again- though now I'm noticing that 3M Transpore tape doesn't like to stick to the 303. Cheers, Brent Calkin Quote
Eric Toline Posted August 29, 2017 Report Posted August 29, 2017 Goo-Gone works pretty good but leaves an oily residue that can be removed with liquid soap & a paper towel. Quote
Jim Rillie Posted August 29, 2017 Report Posted August 29, 2017 I use Remove available at drugstores for sticky stuff. Ether is the active ingredient. Quote
Ty Ford Posted August 30, 2017 Report Posted August 30, 2017 WHAT! You disabled the ceiling mount feature!?!?!?!? ::joke:: Ty Ford Quote
Freeheel Posted August 30, 2017 Author Report Posted August 30, 2017 Yep, sorry Ty, the very effective ceiling mount was also acting as a lint mount, not to mention it's capabilities as a dog hair mount... Cheers, Brent Calkin Quote
Ken Wilkinson Posted August 30, 2017 Report Posted August 30, 2017 Not sure about your specific problem but I've used WD-40 to make mine like brand new. Takes a few applications and a bit of elbow grease. Quote
Glen Deakin Posted August 30, 2017 Report Posted August 30, 2017 15 minutes ago, Ken Wilkinson said: Not sure about your specific problem but I've used WD-40 to make mine like brand new. Takes a few applications and a bit of elbow grease. Not to mention that wonderful smell it leaves behind. Quote
Lachlan Coles Posted September 14, 2017 Report Posted September 14, 2017 I have a similar issue with the cable of a sanken cos 11d that got sprayed with diesel fuel during a reality shoot. I cleaned it initially with warm water and some washing up liquid and with tea tree oil later on. This helped a little but it still tends to develop a residue in the plastic case. It's my "sacrificial mic" now and gets used in any dodgy setups. Quote
Matthias Richter Posted September 14, 2017 Report Posted September 14, 2017 took out my 2 rarely used Cos11 and both got this shiny oily cable too. Where does this come from?? Quote
Rick Reineke Posted September 14, 2017 Report Posted September 14, 2017 I use surgical tape residue remover for Transpore goo, where the 'usual' solvents do not work very well on that. Unfortunately it's not available in the usual suspect US pharmaceutical stores (CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, ect). Quote
Jim Rillie Posted September 14, 2017 Report Posted September 14, 2017 2 hours ago, Rick Reineke said: I use surgical tape residue remover for Transpore goo, where the 'usual' solvents do not work very well on that. Unfortunately it's not available in the usual suspect US pharmaceutical stores (CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, ect). Yup, That's what Remove is. It is available in Drug stores that have a home care section. Jim Quote
Sound Kraft Posted September 15, 2017 Report Posted September 15, 2017 +1 on Remove. Stuff works great. Quote
Veit Norek Posted September 15, 2017 Report Posted September 15, 2017 11 hours ago, Jim Rillie said: Yup, That's what Remove is. It is available in Drug stores that have a home care section. Jim Can you please post a link, I just can't find that product. Quote
Rick Reineke Posted September 15, 2017 Report Posted September 15, 2017 Yes, please post a link. None of the NY chain stores have anything like it, and asking the dim-witted McEmployees is futile. I got some adhesive remover packets from a friendly hospital nurse. Quote
Jim Rillie Posted September 15, 2017 Report Posted September 15, 2017 Amazon.com in the US lists it - Try Remove Universal Adhesive Remover Wipes. I just get its at a Lawton's Drug store with a homeware section here in Halifax, NS Not Homeware, but home care. oops Quote
Freeheel Posted September 21, 2018 Author Report Posted September 21, 2018 So I looked up what's in Remove Universal Adhesive Remover and it's mainly dipropylene glycol methyl ether. And Naptha. I wondered what I had around the house with those components and realized that automotive starting fluid was kinda similar. And it actually worked pretty well to clean a Sanken RM11 rubber lav mount that was massively gooed with 3m Transpore tape adhesive. Spray with starting fluid. Scrub with cloth or paper towel, and rinse with 99% alcohol. So until I track down some Remove, this will serve to keep the rig clean... with something that's easy to source and usually in my garage anyway... Haven't tested it on an actual lav cable yet, I'll try that tomorrow. Quote
Freeheel Posted September 22, 2018 Author Report Posted September 22, 2018 Found some Remove wipes at a local medical supply store. (Lancaster on West Broadway if you're in Vancouver, BC) Rather expensive at $25 for 50, but I cleaned 6 lavs and mounts with 2 wipes, so that's probably good for years... They worked really well! Thanks to those who found and recommended them. It's good to do a final wipe with alcohol since the wipes have aloe vera in them which leaves the wires and mounts a bit "moisturized" And if you're really cheap, automotive starting fluid is $5 for a can that will last forever, as well as get your horrible old lawnmower running in the spring. Cheers, Brent Calkin Quote
Mobilemike Posted September 23, 2018 Report Posted September 23, 2018 Amazon has Remove wipes for $9/50. -Mike Quote
Dalton Patterson Posted September 23, 2018 Report Posted September 23, 2018 Remove Wipes-Amazon Link $9.79 and free shipping. Quote
Eric Posted June 13, 2021 Report Posted June 13, 2021 Wow, I just came across this with two lavs I haven't used in a while. All sticky and shiny sitting in a drawer over covid. Weird. I see I'm not the only one. Wasn't used in any crazy type of situations. Hadn't been used at all for 6 months. Thanks for the suggestions. Quote
Izen Ears Posted June 23, 2021 Report Posted June 23, 2021 Hey thanks so much for this thread! Dan Izen Quote
osa Posted June 23, 2021 Report Posted June 23, 2021 Me too - just got the wipes and salvaged a bunch of sankens that all became gummy in the cables. Glad i saw this thread. It really works and they are back in rotation Quote
Freeheel Posted August 23, 2021 Author Report Posted August 23, 2021 Yep, just found another gooey Sanken in the drawer, with the cable itself starting to dissolve, and tried the Remove wipes as my first line of offence. They worked beautifully - no need to pull out the Xylene bottle! Another reason to love the Remove... Cheers, Brent Calkin Quote
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