Vintage Chief

Store it in a closet with the light on, door opened, sprinkle some salt on the floor & burn some sage?

72455

Ha ha..Norm's got jokes 🤣

72455

What if I filled a sock with some damp rid and put it in a zip lock bag with the clock?

Vintage Chief

No! (You’re getting me excited, stop that).

(1) you’re adding moisture to an enclosed compartment increasing oxidation of any metals; and,
(2) if it’s in a plastic you don’t need an insecticide.

The zip-lock idea is good, don’t overthink this, you need a simple hygroscopic substance:
(1) Table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl) in a very small permeable bag is all you need. Put that little bag inside the zip-lock bag - done.

If it were the Mona Lisa or a Rembrandt I’d suggest something more hygroscopic such as NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) or Calcium Chloride (CaCl).

Each of these salts absorb moisture - you want a desiccant to absorb moisture to reduce/eliminate oxidation of the metals. And before you even go there, there is absolutely no effects to any oil residues used for lubrication of the mechanisms.

Fun71

Damp rid = desiccant
Yes or no?

Vintage Chief

Ah, glad you brought this up since my response, because I was thinking of a completely different RID product. Yes, Damp RID is a moisture absorber.

It contains these compounds in solution, all of which are hygroscopic moisture absorbers.

Calcium chloride 80.0 -100.0 %
Sodium chloride 1.0 -5.0 %
Potassium chloride 1.0 -5.0 %

Thank for pointing this out, Kenneth. Although, 2-3 tablespoons of NaCl would be enough to absorb moisture in a zip-lock.

Vintage Chief

Sorry, Dave - the (my) mind is such a terrible thing to waste.

72455

Ha ha..I was like "insecticide???"

72455

So do I just put it in the ziplock with the clock? I'm just worried about the granules getting inside the clock. That's why I was gonna put the damp rid in a sock (careful Norm) to keep it from getting inside the clock.

Vintage Chief

Like I said earlier with just basic salt Sodium Chloride, NaCl, I’d put the salt or dampRID in a separate little bag (sock should work just fine), then put the little bag or sock in the zip lock with the clock.

Fun71

I would not advise using that with something such as the contact points that can corrode. Where I work in electronics manufacturing land Na and Cl are bad, bad, bad.

For a clock in a ZipLok you may not even need the desiccant, the sealed bag may be sufficient. If you do use a desiccant just be sure it can’t get into the clock housing.

PatL

Norm, I have also have a 1971. The clock feed and plugs will be there (assuming it was not molested) even if it never came with a clock. I believe it is orange, and the light feed is grey, but you can confirm in the CSM. You should not have to splice anything.

Vintage Chief

BTW, the product which I was thinking about was a product which contained Permethrin (insecticide) which was contained in granules & that’s what I thought you were talking about. I thought it was (at least at one time) a RID product. I’m on my phone & not going to try to find it, if it existed, it’s been awhile. RID or the company which makes most of the products was at one time very large. Doesn’t matter, I was wrong.

Vintage Chief

Yes. In the solid non-ionized diatomic state NaCl is non-corrosive -in and of itself; same applies to CaCl, NaOH, KCl. They readily absorb CO2 & moisture from the air. They themselves begin to enter the liquid state - which is then highly corrosive. The Earth diatomic salts are an interesting breed, in the gaseous state they exist as covalent bonds as opposed to ionic bonds.

Each one of the compounds in the dampRID product is a diatomic compound formed via ionic bonds - in and of themselves they’re non-corrosive in the solid state and will readily absorb moisture.

On the flip side, if you have an environment high in humidity the supersaturated moisture in the air can induce the disassociation of the solid salts and render them as ions which can then become corrosive to metals. We often employ salts to absorb moisture but you’re correct, if the environment is conducive to moisture they can corrode metal in a heartbeat.

if completely in doubt, use sand.

Vintage Chief

Pat - Thanks. I suspected the orange and gray plug feeds would be there. I know the actual lamp sockets pigtail won’t be there, but I ordered one a couple days ago. It’s really a pretty simple deal. None-the-less, I was just perusing the CSM and there is no wiring listed for the clock, which I found interesting - only the Tic-Toc-Tac clock. Weird I thought.

EDIT: BTW, listed in the accessories section.

Vintage Chief

Kenneth - I tend to agree a desiccant might be overkill. How much moisture is going to enter a baggie? Or, use some that package wrap stuff and wrap it until it’s entombed.

JRSL69

I have have heard of guys using BBQ charcoal to absorb moisture in there cars will in storage. Any thoughts?

Vintage Chief

That sounds like a reasonably good idea.

oldcutlass

Charcoal is used to absorb odors not moisture.

72455

What if I just did a bench test every few days to "kick it over?" Would that keep the points from corroding together?

Vintage Chief

Dave, Dave, Dave - I believe you're going way over the top with this. Stuff it in a plastic bag and be done with it is my advice. It will be fine long after we're all gone.

BTW, no it will not keep the points from corroding by simply kicking it over with a bench test every few days.

Vintage Chief

I was contemplating an analogy for you which may make my point. The greatest wear occurs to a device, in particular a light bulb (filament), engine, electromagnetic device, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) of a computer, clutch plates of a car, etc. during the very small point in time when the device receives a surge of power (in this case electricity) e.g. during engagement to power on (and often when powering down). A device prefers to be in the off state or in the on state relative to operational longevity.

72455

With or without moisture absorber?

Vintage Chief

Sure, why not. They sell these little packets you've most likely seen &/or received on items you've purchased; or, use that dampRID stuff.

PatL

the clock feed is also used as the feed for the clock in the tac. (lighting too)

Vintage Chief

Thanks. Interesting you posted today. My car is a daily driver - I mostly use it to drive back/forth from my club to play golf & around town for groceries, shopping & the like. When I bought it 3+ years ago, wiring was shoddy - instrument panel gauge/pods worked, some bulbs burnt out, but the door jam switches, courtesy lights, glove box, cigar lighter, rear mirror light, map light, trunk light - well, not so much. Wiring scares me none - I'm quite comfortable with automotive and household. Prior to my CSM arriving I had the wires apart w/ the test light out. I had no "color coded" proper color wire but I did have the proper gauge wire and I got everything working correctly. I labeled every wire and I installed a new aftermarket AM/FM/USB stereo radio. At some point I knew I'd have to pull the dash (and underlying AC vents) again and properly install correct color-coded wiring. I had to replace the four-way OEM driver door power window switch and I was able to find a NOS OEM four-way driver door power window switch. Short story, the gauges/pods are all out, the AC vents are out, I've removed my electrical ties, unwrapped my previously wrapped wires, and I'm now in the process of upgrading the wiring - properly. I ordered new color-coded wiring from the site below. Hey, this is a hobby and if you're like me (although I'm retired) I like to get it right. In no hurry to rush this, I like wiring to be tight & correct. This is why they make wiring diagrams/schematics.

Thanks for reaching out. Soon I'll I have the exact gauge and color wire to finish the job.

https://4rcustomswire.com/

Vintage Chief

Holy snot rockets Mr. Green Jeans. I placed that order @ 2:00pm today and I just received an e-mail the order has shipped. Slap yer grandma!

PatL

I here you, I bought my 71 around 25 years ago, so doing some repeats on it. Got a leak at the small hose coming off the water outlet. Started on it today. I remember last time I did a few years ago it did not take that long. Now my back makes it take a long time...….good thing I am also retired !