What to use to "condition and protect" Fluke Meters - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: iaintnofluke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 03:52:30 am
content: What do you folks use to "condition" the yellow bumper and body of your DMMs? I'm have several Fluke DMMs that have been well cared for and buddy brought his exceptionally filthy meter over to me to ask how to clean it and while we scrubbed the piss outta the yellow bumper with a magic eraser and carefully wiped down the body of the meter using a citrus based cleaner that its looking almost like new. We wanted to finish off the cleaning by conditioning the meter body but I actually didn't know what I should use short of using armor all wipes (which I hear are bad if used often) that I occasionally use on my DMMs especially when I give them a deep clean.To protect or not to protect? Well aware of being careful around the meter case markings. Rub too hard or use the wrong chemical on it and they'll rub right off....Thanks.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 04:21:27 am
content: I've never cleaned my meters with anything more than goo gone or wd40 on a rag.

author: iaintnofluke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 04:37:02 am
content: I've used WD40 in the past with good success but if I really want to make my meters super clean I use a magic eraser but I often wonder if it is slowly ruining the yellow bumper material. When I have used armor all wipes on the meter that I find it puts too much of a gloss on it and makes the meter all slippery and I often wonder if the armor all is actually killing the rubbery holster or the plastic (due to it containing silicone or something that the auto guys say is bad for it).I should snap some pics of his before and after cleaning pics. It was pretty nasty.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 04:50:13 am
content: Goo gone is safe and very effective even with sticky substances. I clean most of my tools with it after I finish a job. My snapon tools with red and black soft grip handles turn all black during jobs. Little goo gone on a rag, wipe it down, then wipe with a clean one and they look like new again. I do the same thing to my meters and my fluke scope. I use wd40 when I don't have clean rags left because goo gone can leave a residue that's not great for gripping.

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:04:02 am
content: Quote from: iaintnofluke on May 14, 2020, 03:52:30 amI recently cleaned up my 10 year old Fluke 179 with a damp rag and some elbow grease. It looks good as new.If you want a product, you could do worse than 303. No relation, just a happy customer. It does leave things a little slick, but for stuff that you aren't gripping all the time (power cords and plastic boxes) it's perfect.https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/

author: iaintnofluke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:05:09 am
content: Doesn't the yellow grip need conditioning so that it doesn't suffer from the rubber or whatever it is made with from deteriorating with repeated cleaning with fairly harsh chemicals like WD40 or Goo Gone?We scrubbed the living daylights out buddy's meter tonight and his fluke meter feels "extra grippy" moreso than even a new meter (that I can remember). That would make me wonder if the rubbery material is scrubbed so hard to the point that in the future it will start to crack or fall apart. It certainly looks 90% new now and the only tell tale signs it was well used is the display is all scratched up still. The yellow is as good as the day he unboxed it. I was honestly quite impressed.

author: iaintnofluke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:05:56 am
content: ah yes, 303 protectant! I have a bottle of that stuff I used to use on my cars. How could I possibly forget!I'll go dig that up right now...

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:43:14 am
content: Quote from: duckduck on May 14, 2020, 05:04:02 amYep, why all these "products"? (followed by questions about how badly they'll damage the meter).Try ordinary soap and water first.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:47:10 am
content: I usually get pretty poor results with soap and water, but it all depends on what kind of dirty it is.

author: mojoe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 09:49:07 am
content: Don't use Go Gone or any citrus oil products on styrene. It will melt the plastic. I learned this long ago, on a CD case.

author: Elasia
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 02:28:54 pm
content: armor all in a spray bottle or wd40 / isopropyl applied to a rag is all i've ever used.. seems fine

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 06:46:40 pm
content: Quote from: iaintnofluke on May 14, 2020, 05:05:09 amMember modemhead has written about this.http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/dirty-multimeter-clean-up/In his other blogs, he has also polished the lens (see description in pictures).http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/gallery/uni-t-ut70b-dmm/

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 07:10:33 pm
content: To clean the rubbery parts with oil and grease stains, it is hard to beat Zep Purple which is nasty stuff containing Butoxyethanol as its main ingredient and some other things like sodium hydroxide. Apply the Zep to a clean rag and scrub lightly, keep it off the silkscreened and smooth plastic face and lens. Rinse with a wet rag and protect with 303 Protectant.303 Protectant is far superior to Armor-All in that it lasts longer and doesn’t have the dust catching properties. It may not be compatible with silicone test leads, however.