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This writeup was submitted by BobSchleicher to the OriginalHammondLeslieFaq


Your manuals may need a busbar lube if the notes are scratchy, intermittent, and don't respond to the busbar shifting procedure (see HowToCleanKeyContacts). This procedure is probably best left to a professional technician because you can easily damage something by forcing things.


Warnings

First, the cautions: You can do VERY serious damage to your keyboards if this procedure is done incorrectly, so take your time and follow instructions.

The manual chassis (keyboards) is very heavy. If you're not strong, use two people to remove and install them. Have all the materials on hand as well as the service manual for your instrument.


Preparations

You will need the following materials:

  1. A can of "Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish" - A treated wadding available at most hardware or antique stores.
  2. A box of alcohol prep pads - any drug store.
  3. Hammond Busbar lubricant - TonewheelGeneralHospital (See below for possible substitutes.)
  4. A book of matches.
  5. Time and patience.

The Procedure

CAUTION!! If you encounter any resistance, STOP. Remove the rod and again inspect for bends. Keep trying until the rod goes back in easily. I've found that on later units with the square rods, it sometimes helps to arch the rod slightly as you re-insert it. Make sure the Cancel key is down! I'd bet that a great deal of swearing is in order at this time, but don't force the rods. On later consoles, there are holes for additional rods. Be sure to replace the rods in the same holes originally used.


Lubing the Pedal Busbars

I've done this on my C-3 (and it was worth it). The procedure is roughly similar to that for the manuals. The following notes are from memory, and so are a bit sketchy and may not be 100% correct --- sorry, feel free to make corrections or additions.

How to get to the pedal busbars:

--JeffDairiki


Alternatives to Hammond Bus-Lube

Official Hammond Bus-Lube is a conductive grease. It looks like (and has about the same consistency as) slighly dirty Vaseline.

A substitute for the official stuff --- I think it's more-or-less identical --- is a product called "Tunerlub" made by GC. This is available at electronic parts houses. (UnionElectronicsDistributors, for one, stocks it.)

Originally, I believe, Hammond did not use any lube at all on the busbars. The lube was introduced later to combat contact problems caused by the out-gassing of certain plastic parts used in later manuals. I've often heard that unless you have one of the organs with plastic parts no lube at all is necessary. (Or, alternatively, a lighter contact conditioner like ProGold could be used.)


TopicRepair

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