[GreenKeys] cleaning 28ASR keys

Tue Apr 5 07:45:42 EDT 2022

Kevin,

I removed each key individually, and using a Armor All "wipe" cleaned each key with not too much effort, although a few with the really tough "brown" stuff did require a little more elbow grease.  I don't imagine the spray Armor All would be effective as the wipes unless you actually soaked a rag with the spray before using it to clean the key.

I then re-installed that key and moved on to the next.  A slow but methodical approach and I now have a perfectly clean keyboard.

Steve G./N4TTY

-----Original Message-----
From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net <greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Kevin H. Phillips
Sent: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 07:37 AM
To: 'Greenkeys' <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] cleaning 28ASR keys

I have been trying to figure out how long it takes to clean the keys by "soaking" in this stuff.  I have wanted something that would clean the keys without having to spend a lot of time rubbing and scrubbing.  I know that leaving the keys soaking overnight or during the day when I am at work does the trick.  I wipe away the foam and the key is completely clean without a trace of white mold or the brown residue with no effort on my part.  The question is: what is the minimum amount of time it takes to accomplish this?  I don't have an answer yet.  I know it is longer than 3 hours since I tried that yesterday evening after I got home.  Since I am still working and only have some spare time on weekends to work on the machine then this process is fine.  If I felt brave enough to remove more keys at a time to soak them it would be better.

I did find a bottle of spray Armor All that I tried.  With one spray and some scrubbing it did remove most of the white mold but did not work as well on the brown residue on the keys of this particular machine.  I still do not know what the brown stuff is. I would guess that soaking the keys in Armor All might accomplish the same result as the Fast Wax product.

73

Kevin

W5TTY

On 4/4/2022 6:01 AM, pbirkel at gmail.com wrote:
> https://fastwax.com/product/fw1-wash-wax-lab-tested-pit-proven/ (FW1) seems right; the label is simply "CLEANING WAX".  Look like yours?
>
> Very, very impressive outcome!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
> <greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Kevin H. Phillips
> Sent: Monday, April 4, 2022 6:35 AM
> To: Greenkeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: [GreenKeys] cleaning 28ASR keys
>
> I know that others who have worked with these machines have encountered similar problems but I can't remember the exact products used to clean the keys and thought I would post about something I "discovered" while working on the machine I picked up a few weeks ago in Houston, TX.
>
> The keys tops, the plastic sleeves covering some of the internal wiring harness, and other things were coated with a white "mold" or something. In addition, the keys also seemed to have an "undercoat" of something brown.  I speculated that it could have been tar and nicotine from the machine having been in an environment for a long time where there was heavy cigarette smoke in the air but I don't know if that is possible. It was almost like varnish.
>
> The Space key on this machine was repeatedly sticking and there were problems with inserting random LF at times when I was punching a tape. None of that was cured by localized lubrication on the spots I could reach inside on the transmitter base.  I finally decided to remove the keyboard cover to try cleaning/re-lubricating the Space bar mechanism at the very least.  Once I saw the full condition of the key tops, I decided to proceed with a full cleaning of the keys.  I also decided that I would clean them one-by-one to avoid any confusion.
>
> I flushed the mechanism/springs with degreaser followed by a water rinse and then dried the mechanism with a heat gun.  I tried cleaning the key tops with my old reliable, Simple Green, and even 409, but not even that was completely removing the brown residue. I was afraid to leave anything soaking in Simple Green for very long.  I tried some other cleaning products at hand but nothing helped much.
>
> Then I found an aerosol can of an automotive product I bought several years ago being sold at a local fuel station ostensibly for charity.  I had not paid much attention to the product.  It sprays out to create a soupy foam.  The product was labeled "Cleaning Wax" and is by Fast Wax (www.fastwax.com).  I do not see the exact product listed now on their website but perhaps the "General Cleaner" is the same.  I started by spraying a shallow puddle of this stuff in a bowl and letting the key top sit for a few minutes before rubbing it with a cloth.  Most of the residue from the key top disappeared easily.  Even the metal stud was clean.  But, there would occasionally be some brown residue left. This sometimes could be removed with applying a lot of "elbow grease" but I also found if I soaked the key top again or let it sit in the cleaner longer that the residue would be completely removed.  I just left one key top sitting in the stuff overnight and it came completely clean with no effort.  This obviously will take a long time doing this one at a time but I am not willing to risk mixing up the keys!  Attached are some "before and after" pictures of one of the worst key tops.  I have about one-third to one-half of the key tops cleaned at this point.  I am oiling the pivot points as I re-attach the key tops.
>
> 73
> Kevin
> W5TTY
>
> --
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com
>

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
______________________________________________________________
GreenKeys mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net

>>> Jordan Spencer Cunningham's GreenKeys Search Tool: 
>>> https://teletype.net/gksearch 2002-to-present greenkeys archive: 
>>> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/
>>> 1998-to-2001 greenkeys archive: 
>>> http://mailman.qth.net/archive/greenkeys/greenkeys.html
>>> Randy Guttery's 2001-to-2009 GreenKeys Search Tool: 
>>> http://comcents.com/tty/greenkeyssearch.html

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to steve.n4tty at gmail.com