Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMan
I hate to tell you this but after so many years of use, contacts get degraded anyway. Besides, 500 grit is the same thing as burnishing.
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Contacts get dirty from contaminants and from carbonization from use. They can also get corroded from something in their environment.
Either way, you want to CLEAN them, not grind them down.
Switch & relay contact springs have precious metal plating at the contact points and if you use an abrasive, it will remove that plating, revealing the base metal which will corrode/get dirty far easier & quicker.
Of course, contacts don't last forever and will need replacement eventually. But they can last a long time when properly maintained. Use of sandpaper is a death knell, though.