Hello all,
I just got a very nice Fisher 800C today. It plays fantastic and I have it playing thru an old pair of Lafayette speakers circa 1961. Thing is how do I clean the inside? Do I spray deOxit into the holes where the tubes go? Do I clean the controls the same way I cleaned my Pioneers? I do know before I clean anything I have to make sure there is NO POWER going thru this thing. Thanks in advance.
Here are couple pics. The only cosmetic thing that is wrong is the brass tops of the knobs are mostly all gone. Comments suggestions??

Congratulations on a great score!!! :thmbsp: I have the same unit, without the wooden case, & love it. Just use a soft paint brush, pretty small, to brush everything out good first, then, especially on the top chassis surface, use ONLY water, on a damp paper towel or rag, to clean her up. Anything else will take off the nice-looking finish. Credit for that goes to someone else, as I read it here recently. Be sure to upgrade it, as there are some capacitors & such that normally fail due to age. I understand that you COULD seriously damage it, without the updates. I've stopped using mine until I update it, better safe than sorry. :yes: Do a search here in the tube forum, there's some good info. BTW, don't wipe the tubes at all, as the lettering will come off easily, as I found out the hard way. Just brush those off with your paintbrush, to get the worst of the dust off.

Ok so I stay away from using alcohol then? Also what about using the deOxit to clean all the tube holes? Did you do that to yours?
Thanks for the info.

Here's the best place to order the Fisher knob caps:

Fisher Knob Caps (http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/knobcaps.html)

For my 800C I ordered seven of the caps with the indicator line and one without (for the tuning knob). They look great.

To clean the tube sockets - Remove the tube, spray the deoxit into the socket holes, replace the tube and work it in and out of the socket several times. This method worked well on an 800c that I repaired for a friend recently. Do one tube at a time. You want to keep the original tubes in their original sockets if possible (mainly the tubes in the tuner section).

You can get to the controls and switches to clean them by removing the bottom cover.

A common point of failure on the 800C and other similar Fisher models, is the power switch. If your's is working, you might want to utilize a power strip to cut the Fisher on and off.

Wes

Wow they look perfect. As for the volume pot it works fine no problems at all. Same with all the other pots. I will however take your advise and use a strip. Thanks alot and I will order some caps from the website tonight. I really appreciate your imput. This is a really sweet sounding unit. Nothing like my Pioneer SX-1050 at all. Alot warmer and comfortable if that makes sense.

I probably will, but so far I just used Q-tips & water. Yeah, I imagine isopropyl alcohol would REALLY bugger things, on the finish. I haven't had mine very long either, and it just sat here for awhile, as I didn't even have the 7591 output tubes. I got lucky & found a 500-B, that had the excellent GE's in it. :) Mine works, but the transformers run pretty hot, one of the signs it needs updated, so obviously, I quit using it for now. EDIT: Hey, thanx, wcarroll! I've been trying to come up with a good substitute for the caps, easier said than done, lol. ;)

All the tubes in this are original Fishers except 2 7591's that are RCA's. Man these old things are great arent they?

Yeah, these were made right at the end of the tube era, & they say they're as good as anything made today. :smoke: My pots all turn smoothly, but a couple switches (tape monitor & low filter) are kinda iffy. I have 6 that are like new, scavenged out of something, so I'll replace all 4. :yes: Just lemme know if you need a couple, as I'll have 2 extras left.

Cool thanks Spaceman, Did you get my private message I sent ya,
Wes

Wesley, that is sweeeet! Oh BTW nice Fisher too :thmbsp:

LOL, Yes they are both "sweet" for sure.
Thanks

Here are some pics after I have done some cleaning with soap, water etc. All I need now is to get the brass caps and it will look great, Thanks guys
Wes

I'm envious. The 800C is a fine, fine receiver. I have a 400 with the Fisher Doc mod driving an early 60s set of KLH Sixes, and it sounds heavenly. Fresh power tubes helped tremendously, also. It's not nearly as clean looking as yours, though. Great find. Enjoy! :thmbsp:

Schematic diagram is on my web site near the bottom, 4 pages:

http://www.audiophool.cjb.net/Audio.html

Nice looking 800-C. Be super careful with that cadmium-coated finish: you can wipe it off and ruin it very quickly, allowing the darker steel underneath to appear. Clean water, cotton swabs and pads, and, sparingly, a mild Windex-type solution. Use nothing sharp or hard on the chassis - it will mar it. I've attached a photo of my 500-C, which was absolutely filthy when I obtained it. Since the photo, I have glued down the corner of the Golden Synchrode metalized sticker.

Schematic diagram is on my web site near the bottom, 4 pages:

http://www.audiophool.cjb.net/Audio.html
Thanx, Tom Bavis, that's pretty darn cool of ya! :yes: :thmbsp:

So what are the differences between the 500 and 800C's?

500C is FM only, 800C is AM/FM.

I think the 800-C never had any nuvistors in the FM front end, whereas the later 500-C's had a pair of them.

Well since I last posted I have had a hiccup with this unit. The left chanel is very weak. I can barely hear it but it is there. If I wiggle the balance I can get it to go out completely but then when I wiggle it again I can only get it to come in at a very low volume. The power supply is very cool after running for a couple hours. Also I can get the whole thing to stop playing if I wiggle the volume pot. I assume the pot may need more than just a cleaning but I will deOxit again along with the balance pot. Any ideas from you guys would be great. Should I order all new tubes if I can find them? I have several people that have tubes I can buy? Thanks for all your help guys.
Wes