August 21, 2020

Bottlehead Crack Headphones Amplifier (Part 2) Cleaning Process

On my previous post about this Bottlehead Crack amplifier that bought by my friend is in the very dirty condition.

The most scary things is the rust on top of the power transformer. The wooden box also break into 2 pieces when it comes to me. I think this is not quite common for the second hand condition like this.

That is why in this post, I will clean it up and make it like new.

My first steps is open the transformer cap and clean the rust.

Luckily the rust only on the small area the transformer, so cleaning them will easy. I am using sand paper and brush to make sure the rust is completely gone.

After that, the next steps is paint the transformer.




While I let the paint to be dry, I attach the broken wooden casing by using glue.

The behind story of this wooden case break into two pieces is actually almost make this amplifier broken into pieces. It is break when I was carry the whole amplifier on my hands. It is drop by few centimeter above the ground and I could not imagine if it is fall above a meter. The condition could be worse.


This wooden glue require a day to fully dry, so I return to the amplifier board again. I polished the transformer cap and this is the result.

The next step is polish the top plate.


I will change the RCA jack to the brand that I use very often, it is the CMC RCA jack.




Then I attach the ALPS potentiometer into a board. The main purpose of this board is to secure the pins from bending or broken. It is also look nicer.


The last upgrade is replace the headphones socket.

The OEM Bottlehead Crack amplifier using standard industrial socket. Then I upgrade it to Neutrik gold plated headphone jack.


On the next day, with all glue already dry, this is the look of the Bottlehead Crack headphones amplifier.

It is just like new.






Disclaimer: Any statement and photos in this article are not allowed to copy or publish without written permission from the writer. Any injury or loss from following tips in this article is not under writer responsibility.

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