Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
Maybe here? https://ia600208.us.archive.org/4/items/thisnewoceanhist00swen/thisnewoceanhist00swen.pdf > On September 25, 2019 at 2:11 PM Pete Turnbull via cctalk > wrote: > > > On 25/09/2019 16:29, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: > > If the reference is to: > > > > Lloyd S. Swenson, James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander; "This New > > Ocean: A History of Project Mercury"; SP-4201; NASA; Washington; 1966 > > It is indeed in that. My copy isn't to hand and if it's not indexed > then it would take a while to find, but that's where I first saw it. > I'm pretty sure it's documented elsewhere too. > > -- > Pete > Pete Turnbull "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The names of global variables should start with // " -- https://isocpp.org
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
On 25/09/2019 16:29, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: If the reference is to: Lloyd S. Swenson, James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander; "This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury"; SP-4201; NASA; Washington; 1966 It is indeed in that. My copy isn't to hand and if it's not indexed then it would take a while to find, but that's where I first saw it. I'm pretty sure it's documented elsewhere too. -- Pete Pete Turnbull
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
> From: Al Kossow
>> This is documented in NASA's official history of Project Mercury, for
>> which it was invented.
> could you post a pointer to the document where this appears?
If the reference is to:
Lloyd S. Swenson, James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander; "This New
Ocean: A History of Project Mercury"; SP-4201; NASA; Washington; 1966
"WD-40" does not appear in the index. There's another less likely book
("Project Mercury: A Chronology", or something like that), but I can't be
bothered to drag it out and look, because I'm pretty sure that's incorrect.
My understanding is that WD-40 was invented to protect the stainless steel
skin of the Atlas ICBM (which was often left un-painted), built by Convair. I
do recall seeing this in one of my Atlas books, which is alas currently not
shelved, and I don't have time to find it. FWIW, Wikipedia agrees.
The rest of that post (about how it's a waxy material in a solvent) is I
think correct; it certainly agrees with its original intended usage (above).
Noel
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
On 9/25/19 3:00 AM, Pete Turnbull via cctalk wrote: This is documented in NASA's official history of Project Mercury, for which it was invented. could you post a pointer to the document where this appears?
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
On 24/09/2019 07:30, Philip Belben via cctalk wrote: PS I wish people wouldn't say WD40 is not a lubricant. It is. The problem is that it is quite a heavy grease - suitable for (say) door hinges - but when it comes out of the can it looks like a fine oil I do wish people wouldn't say WD40 is a lubricant. It's not. It's a solvent - a light paraffin - carrying a small amount of wax - not grease - and was designed as a water displacer based on a degreaser. This is documented in NASA's official history of Project Mercury, for which it was invented. Try lubricating your fan bearings or bicycle chain with it and see how much it shortens the life, as it washes out the proper lubricant, as it's supposed to do. -- Pete Pete Turnbull
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
> > On Sep 23, 2019, at 7:24 PM, Kevin Parker via cctalk > > wrote: > > > > I resurrected an old keyboard and mouse I like. Not wishing to gross anyone > > out but it looks like over time there was a build-up of oil etc from my > > hands etc and over time being stored away its turned to a really almost hard > > paste like stuff on both the mouse and keyboard. > > > > I've tried number of agents to clean it off but limited success. > > Are you talking about the key caps? (de-lurking very briefly) The following works for me on my several IBM model M keyboards: Take off keycaps Tie them securely in a cotton carrier bag put them in thewashing machine with my clothes (not on a high temperature - 30 or 40 celcius is good) dry them Put them back on. I did this with two keyboards at once on one occasion, and I still haven't sorted out which keys belong to which. (Labels printed at slightly different locations on the key) Philip. > > An adhesives specialist friend of ours has recommended WD-40 as a slow but > safe solvent to take off many adhesives. You'd want to clean it off > carefully afterwards since it leaves a messy residue when it dries (WD-40 is > NOT a lubricant even though some cans of the stuff claim it is). PS I wish people wouldn't say WD40 is not a lubricant. It is. The problem is that it is quite a heavy grease - suitable for (say) door hinges - but when it comes out of the can it looks like a fine oil, because the solvent in which the grease is delivered is actually a penetrating oil. So people use it in applications that need a fine oil, and find that the heavy grease doesn't work.
RE: Cleaning an old keyboard
You don't say what brand of keyboard and mouse you have. Some companies (Logitech is famous for this) used a type of plastic that turns gummy over the years. The solution for this is to use a thick paste of baking soda and water, and lots of elbow grease, to remove the gummy stuff. Afterwards, rinse well with water and dry thoroughly. Regular grime that has accumulated over the years can be removed with detergent and warm water. Don't exceed 120F on the water temp, as some thin ABS plastics will start to warp at higher temps. Melted rubber feet, adhesive from tapes and stickers, etc. can be safely removed with Spot Shot (available at most stores like WalMart in the carpet cleaning section). I DON'T recommend using the dishwasher. Caps can be removed and soaked in mild solution of hand dish soap and warm water for about 30 minutes. Rub them with a rough terry wash cloth, and rinse thoroughly. Lay them out face up on a towel and blot dry to prevent hard water spots. The case can be disassembled and cleaned by soaking in the same manner. Isopropyl will dissolve some plastics, as will acetone and MEK. If in doubt, use a cotton swab to dab a small amount of the underside of the case or cap, and wait a few seconds. If the plastic becomes gummy, do not use that chemical. Note that cases and keycaps are often made from different types of plastics. GooGone also removes adhesives safely from most plastics. Do NOT use GoofOff, as it will dissolve almost all types of plastic from which keyboards are made. If used carefully, a Magic Eraser and water can go a long ways towards cleaning scuff marks and other heavy residue. Do not use one dry; it must be damp. Hope this helps. Cindy -Original Message- From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Kevin Parker via cctalk Sent: Monday, September 23, 2019 6:25 PM To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' Subject: Cleaning an old keyboard I resurrected an old keyboard and mouse I like. Not wishing to gross anyone out but it looks like over time there was a build-up of oil etc from my hands etc and over time being stored away its turned to a really almost hard paste like stuff on both the mouse and keyboard. I've tried number of agents to clean it off but limited success. Any tips please. Kevin Parker --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
On 9/23/19 6:17 PM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: WD-40 is NOT a lubricant even though some cans of the stuff claim it is. Traditional WD-40, agreed. Unfortunately, WD-40 is now more of a brand than it is a product. They have other products that I think are much more of a lubricant than thee original WD-40 was. ;-) Their Lithium based lubricant comes to mind. -- Grant. . . . unix || die
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
On 2019-Sep-23, at 4:24 PM, Kevin Parker via cctalk wrote: > I resurrected an old keyboard and mouse I like. Not wishing to gross anyone > out but it looks like over time there was a build-up of oil etc from my > hands etc and over time being stored away its turned to a really almost hard > paste like stuff on both the mouse and keyboard. > > I've tried number of agents to clean it off but limited success. > > Any tips please. Isoprop as a preferable first resort, as others have suggested. If that doesn't do it, common TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) is good at cleaning off grimy organics. However, best to be taking things apart so keycaps and housings (not the electronics or keyswitches) can be immersed in solution and then thoroughly rinsed. I wouldn't want to let TSP soak into parts from a wipe-down where it couldn't be well-cleaned-out.
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
> On Sep 23, 2019, at 7:24 PM, Kevin Parker via cctalk > wrote: > > I resurrected an old keyboard and mouse I like. Not wishing to gross anyone > out but it looks like over time there was a build-up of oil etc from my > hands etc and over time being stored away its turned to a really almost hard > paste like stuff on both the mouse and keyboard. > > I've tried number of agents to clean it off but limited success. Are you talking about the key caps? Best bet might be to take them off. Usually they do come off. If so, you can test various solvents. Alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol) might work. Paint thinner, but test it first to make sure it doesn't dissolve the key cap. An adhesives specialist friend of ours has recommended WD-40 as a slow but safe solvent to take off many adhesives. You'd want to clean it off carefully afterwards since it leaves a messy residue when it dries (WD-40 is NOT a lubricant even though some cans of the stuff claim it is). Another option might be to put all the key caps in a mesh container and run them through the dishwasher. paul
Re: Cleaning an old keyboard
> On Sep 23, 2019, at 4:24 PM, Kevin Parker via cctalk > wrote: > > I resurrected an old keyboard and mouse I like. Not wishing to gross anyone > out but it looks like over time there was a build-up of oil etc from my > hands etc and over time being stored away its turned to a really almost hard > paste like stuff on both the mouse and keyboard. > > I've tried number of agents to clean it off but limited success. > > Any tips please. > > Kevin Parker Have you tried Isopropyl Alcohol? That’s what I’ve normally used. Zane
