How To Clean Drawbar Contacts

From the OriginalHammondLeslieFaq

One suggestion:

This is attributed to AlGoff in a Keyboard Magazine interview:

First, pull out all the drawbars to their full on position. From the rear of the organ, spray DeoxIT*, Contact Clean, or another spray contact cleaner into the back of each drawbar, using the spray nozzle extension tube that's supplied with each product. Then work each drawbar fully in and out several times to dissolve the oxidation and dust.

A second method is to insert tape head cleaner swabs coated in Vaseline into the rear of each drawbar similar to the first method, and carefully coat the top surface of the drawbar base. This also works well to quiet the noisy "ratchet drawbars" on early Hammonds.

* The original quote recommended Cramolin R-5 rather than DeoxIT. Caig no longer produces Cramolin R-5, due to its Freon content. The replacement product is DeoxIT (Cramolin Red replacement), ?PreservIT (Cramolin Blue replacement).

BobSchleicher says:

We remove the drawbar contact and burnish it with a contact burnishing tool. Be sure the nichrome resistance wire (1 ohm) is not broken. If it (they) are, do not try to solder them. Go forth and buy 1/8 watt 1 ohm resistors and solder them where the wire was. They fit just duckey and work great.

TopicTroubleshooting