restoring and bolt modding a model m

>>58884596
Those tablets are really really mild bleach. Use stronger stuff for bathrooms. Be prudent.

Try soapy water plus toothbrush first. Some alcohol may also help.

>>58884743
ive tried with a toothbrush and isopropyl with no resutls

>>58884719
what would you advise i use?

>>58884596
>model_m_without_botnet.jpg

>>58884596
I've got a collection and bolt modded around half of them. Don't use any serious cleaners. The case shouldn't yellow or stain. If it has, I've found patience, dish soap, and a magic eraser to be the solution. As for bolt modding - I fucked a lot of barrel plates before I learned. Here's my process:

Use a razor blade to knock the rivets off and separate the layers. Use long strips of tape to suck up the hammer / spring assemblies. (Consider swapping out highly used hammers for rarely used ones, like escape for the tilde, or enter for the slash on the ten key). Put the membrane and other shit off to the side. It's almost impossible for these to get contaminated through normal use, so don't start now.

cont...

>>58884928

As for the barrel plate. I use a shitty soldering iron to create a little divet in the remaining rivet. This will help center the drill bit. I then use a dremel with a tiny drill bit to put a pilot hole through the barrel plate. You could use a cordless, but the holes really, really need to be straight. After this, I again take the razor blade and cut all the remaining divet / hole mess flush with the half moons on either side of the rivet holes. Don't fuck the half moons. They are there to maintain a certain amount of clearance between the barrel plate and all the other components. Now I reassemble everything in layers with blocks on either side holding shit up (since the springs will protrude). I've got like 9 or 10 little clamps that I put all around the board holding the layers together. Now this is where my method differs from what I've read.

cont...

>>58884980

I messed with nuts and bolts and self tap screws and found no difference in feel or longevity. Remember. The thing worked for 30 years with shitty plastic rivets. Literally anything is an improvement. I will then squeeze the center together with my left hand and screw tiny self tap screws into the center area with my right. When I feel I've got enough of these in, I'll do the perimeter screws and ditch the clamps. Now I'll do the rest in between. Don't over tighten and don't fret if you fuck one or six of them up. Remember the shittiness of the rivets you're replacing. Congrats. You're computer will fail before this thing. Love Model Ms. Learned how to type on them in the late 80's and never really liked anything else.

tldr;

use a magic eraser for stains, yes you have to separate the layers, and the drill doesn't matter as much as getting a good, clean hole without fucking the half moons. Typed on my 1989 silver label.

>>58884928
>>58884980
>>58885033
good to know, but is there any particular reason not to use denture tablets? they worked wonders on the grimy keycaps, but ive never heard anyone use them on the case.

do you ever find the plastic sheet needs replacing at all?

what about boltchoice? here in the UK sourcing the bits can be a royal pain.

>>58884596
>stains in plastic
rubbing alcohol and friction, followed by improvised retrobrite and sunshine. i used a hydrogen peroxide cream from a beauty supply store. the peroxide fixes yellowing only. dont use a magic eraser or sandpaper you will just damage the plastic.

bolt mod can be done with a cordless drill. def remove membrane and barrel assy. the idea is to replace the plastic rivets, nothing more.

there are a couple guides in the wiki on the sidebar of r/mechanicalkeyboards. read them.

>>58885796
any thoughts on this? >>58885571

>>58885796
This is what I mean about differing opinions. In my experience a magic eraser has never done any damage - only pulled off the dirt. If you look at the uses for them you'll see they are designed to specifically not damage the surface. Obviously don't use sandpaper, not sure that needed to be said...


Chems on the other hand and retro Brite have been known to PERMANENTLY weaken the plastic. Your board though, these are just my opinions. I've only failed to whiten one board case from an old warehouse with smokers and shit and you could only tell if it is next to one I could whiten.

>>58887512
I have never seen a failed membrane. I'm sure it happens, but I've never gotten one. As for fasteners, you'd have to look it up since I use screws instead of bolts. The screws I use are from a write-up of line for bolt modding a model M SSK whose case is too small for nuts and bolts. I figured if they work on that then the full sizes should be fine and that's when I switched to screws. Way easier (and cheaper considering most of my boards were $1 at the thrift store). If you look for it I'll bet you can find the post.

Like I said, it's ultimately up to you but after I dialed in my methods, I've got at least 10 bolt mods laying around as well as 15 more that just needed cleaned. I wouldn't practice (learn) on a rarer board (the SSK, the Industrial gray black label, any of the Silver labels, and hopefully not a white label).

>>58887891
i mean the bit shown in https://imgur.com/a/8Oyc9#dqN8tAj
sorry

this difference of opinion is exactly why i asked on here, more information is always helpful, especially on something where everyone has slightly different advice on the method.

>>58890934
desu id be cool with a /g/ for sale section somewhere, but i dont think that kind of thing is allowed on /g/ atm

>>58890947
Oh, my bad. I'll delete the post.

>>58890965
well, if you shill it they do anyway, but if you post your location and shit somebody might be interested