Any way to dampen a potentiometer?

[ranjam]

I've got a weird problem. I'll try and keep the sexual double entendres to a minimum; sometimes after cleaning a potentiometer the shaft just seems a lot looser. It's almost as if I'm turning air. The control still works fine along the rotation, but it isn't the same feel that it had. There has to be a way to stiffen the feel of the shaft, right? Does anyone have any ideas? Maybe a dielectric grease? Not inside the control, but down the shaft. I'll try this with a garbage potentiometer, but if anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

 

[LDS]

Try Blue Stuff.

 

[mshilarious]

Pot shafts have a layer of grease, your frequent cleanings are probably slowly eroding it. There comes a time when you simply need to replace the pot.

Blue Stuff says it is intended for switches; I don't think you want to spray abrasives inside a pot.

Faderlube is designed for cleaning pots and has lubricants, but the viscosity is nowhere near the grease that already inside the shaft.

 

[MajorTom]

Some pots have some thick grease-like stuff in the "bottom" (the casing), that creates physical resistance against the bottom of the rotating part, which I believe has an integral piece made just for that purpose. I've seen those types used on amps, but never guitars. Thick grease on the shaft may work, but it might be hard to get it in there.

Here's a trick I did on a strat's volume knob, because I kept inadvertently hitting it while strumming and turning it down. I used a rubber grommet, like the type that is used in a metal chassis where a wire is going to exit. What are they called...? chassis grommets...? If you don't know what I am referring to, picture a miniature bagel with a groove around the outer circumference. It had a 3/8" or maybe 1/2" inner diameter. I removed the knob, I sliced the bagel (er...grommet) in half, and put one half over the pot's bushing, resting against the pot's nut, then put the knob back on. Now there is some friction between the bottom of the knob and the grommet. You can vary the amount physical resistance by how hard you press the knob on - adjustable from very little resistance to very hard to turn. I put that grommet on my strat soon after I got it, around "92, and it is still working. I did try using a rubber band when I didn't have a grommet - wrapping an appropriate sized one around the bushing did accomplish the same thing, but rubber bands do not last very long before they disintegrate.

 

[ranjam]

This isn't on any guitar I have; I just didn't know where else to post this question. This is actually on an amplifier or two and some pedals I have. The weird part is some are practically brand new. Yes, some pedals are a few years old and I did clean the controls. But some of these problem potentiometers are on new amplifiers and I hadn't cleaned the controls yet! It just seems one day I played the amp or pedal, and the controls are fine, and the next day.... BAM! One gets away on me. Of course not all the controls do this. That would be weird, even for me. But the one? It still feels like it is doing something all along the travel of the control, but it is just giving it up too easily. I'll fix it, and teach the thing to act up on me in the process.
My new theory is the gear in question is just using cheap Chinese or Taiwanese potentiometers. So let this be your lesson, boys and girls. Stick with Made In USA Gear! I have never had this problem with any piece of USA-made gear.

 

[miroslav]

Get a piece of felt cloth (you can probably find it at fabric/sewing stores)...cut a circle w/hole...stick it on the shaft under the knob.

Use enough thickness (cut 2/3 if needed or buy thicker flet) to create some drag in the knob rotation...and the felt won't damage your finish.