Topic: cleaning fuse holders

[huey]

Lots of times on these old bikes corosion developes everywhere there is an electrical connestion. One such place is the fuse holders. What works great is a 1/4" chain saw file. You may have to take the fuse block off for this. Its only a couple of screws anyway. Anyhow just remove the fuses and run the file through the two clamps. Rotating it as you push and pull it through. They are only brass and they clean up like new in a couple of easy passes. First check to make sure they arent extremely brittle . Some get that way and others dont. Just my tip on what has worked real good for me. 

[kettlesd]

I used a 1"x4" strip of emery cloth, rolled up to slightly larger than the diameter of a fuse. Insert into the holders and rotate a few times. Done.

[BobbyR]

I used a 1"x4" strip of emery cloth, rolled up to slightly larger than the diameter of a fuse. Insert into the holders and rotate a few times. Done.

I think I would use emery or sandpaper. Having said that, you are correct, this is a neglected part.

[chung]

 A 22cal gun cleaning brush is the hot ticket

And if you are as lazy as I am (doubrful) you can put a handle extention on it and chuck it in a cordless dlil

[apehanger 550]

  After 21 years setting,some of the fuse holders were totally black,and some, not so much. On a cb550,they snap right out of the block. Anyway,I used blue toilet bowl cleaner and diluted it at least 10/1 with tap water. Some of the holders cleaned up in 20 minutes,others in a hour or so.
  Everything is solid brass,so no harm was done. They look brand new. A little penetrating oil to halt the process keeps them from turning green later...

[HondaMan]

A 22cal gun cleaning brush is the hot ticket

And if you are as lazy as I am (doubrful) you can put a handle extention on it and chuck it in a cordless dlil

You riders in Europe might have to use a .25 caliber brush instead, aka 6.35mm...

[alacrity]

Tape some emery cloth to a chopstick. insert and spin. Spray with electrical parts cleaner. Blow with air. Done deal.

[HondaMan]

Tape some emery cloth to a chopstick. insert and spin. Spray with electrical parts cleaner. Blow with air. Done deal.

Add a drop of oil, or spray with LPS-1 (NOT LPS2, 2.5, or 3, those are different stuff...). This will retard the corrosion, since you are scraping off the chromate and it will be unplated copper-bronze then.

Or, just get one of the modern blade-type fuseholders, as the glass fuses are kinda hard to get today.

[Oldtech]

I'm just finishing sorting out the electrical problems on a 74 cb550. The fuse block and its connector were corroded so I unplugged the connector and removed the fuse block from its mount. Here's how I cleaned the block and connector.

Get two plastic containers big enough to hold the part (I have the wife save me plastic containers from things like cottage cheese because they're great for cleaning parts in). Put 2 cups of ordinary white vinager in one, add 6 to 8 tablespoons of salt and mix until the salt is dissolved. You now have a mild acid. In the other container mix two cups of water with 6 to 8 tablespoons of baking soda. Put the part in the vinegar/salt solution for about 10 minutes. Then take it out and rinse it well in the baking soda solution to neutralize the acid. Then blow it out with compressed air. The connectors come out clean and ready to use. Fast, easy and cheap.

Most of the electrics didn't work on the 550 due to corroded connectors. I clean all of the connectors like this then reassembled and turned the key. Everything lit up.

[TwoTired]

Do you think the "mild acid" only effects the corrosion, and not the metal you are trying to save?

I'm not saying an acid bath won't work.  But, you need to monitor it and stop the process once the corrosion is gone.

What I've found is that the oxidation, particularly on the fuse clips, can be transparent.  So, there is no way to tell if the oxidation layer is gone and the acid is now removing the plating.

Now, a critically timed acid bath (or a polishing abrasive) followed by a gold plating process, would extend the life immeasurably.  Short of gold plating, a pure silicone coating will shed water, and prevent atmospheric elements from reacting with the contact metal surfaces for as long as the silicone coating remains.

[Oldtech]

I've used this dozens of times with no problems. The acid isn't strong enough to remove anything but the corrosion.

[karter]

 Try a product called Deoxit , you can buy it in a spray can or a small bottle with a brush . Deoxit can be purchased on-line ( Amazon , E-Bay ) or try your local guitar shop . Stuff works very well and it's easy to use . I have used it on my guitars switches and pots , all of my motorcycles and just recently cured a connection problem on my 40 year old Corvette .

[750cafe]

Soaking the parts in vinegar also does wonders. 

Eric

[Asusfang1997]

when cleaning mine i used SLR cleaner and a wire brush and it cleaned it nicely
here are some pictures to show i did have to get new clips due to corrosion before the SLR they were already brittle so ended up buying a new fuse box and re soldering the clips but before cleaning them. Works great so far no issues


before
https://imgur.com/7lZ13ji

After
https://imgur.com/CrqNHKb

[sparker]

What about cleaning up the fuse box behind it where the wires hook in?  Are these clips that come off?  Mine's really dirty & corroded behind the assembly - not in front.  I sprayed some contact cleaner, but I think I'm going to need more than that.  Seems a shame to buy another box when this is maybe cleanable.