- Diluted Windex works well for cases, plastic fittings and metal frame
supports.
- Wooden ice-cream sticks or tongue depressors make wonderful scrapers.
- Pencil erasers work in a multitude of places, on a multitude of things...
- (Alcohol-based) Contact cleaners work well for temperature-variable and
multi-pin connectors (including releasing them!).
- Warm, soapy water works well for chips, as long as you can afford to let
them sit for a week afterward, pins-down, in a warm/dry place to ensure
they're completely dried-out. (Then store in dry/cold/as airless as
possible...)
**Watch-out rubbing it off with your bare fingers: you can generate ESD
(static electricity) and fry sensitive circuits/components!
**DO NOT use oil-based cleaners (e.g.: WD-40) ANYWHERE in your system - even
on a stuck cooling fan.
** They NEVER dry,
** They collect and pack even MORE grime,
** And, when you turn on the affected piece, the oil will splatter
around inside your box, with disasterous results!
[Note: Water may actually be one of the LEAST harmful cleaners! On
11/2/01, a week before the WTC debacle, my primary network server system
survived a house fire, and the comensurate hosing-down from the fire
department. Its was in its bare cage frame -- the box cover was in another
room (and melted to slag!). After a week, and just fer giggles, I hooked it
all up and fired it up. The only things I lost in that frame were a single
64MB/PC-100 memory stick, and the keyboard PS/2 connector. Everything else
is STILL working in one or another boxes at home now... However, as for
the monitor, printers, keyboard, mouse, etc -- well... (looks skyward...)]
Cheers!
Ed Tillman
Store Automation Tech Support Specialist
Valero Energy Corporation
San Antonio, TX; USA
Phone (210) 592-3110, Fax (210) 592-2048
edward.tillman_at_valero.com <mailto:edward.tillman_at_valero.com>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctalk-admin_at_classiccmp.org_at_PEUSA On Behalf Of Vintage
> Computer Festival <vcf_at_siconic.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 8:49 PM
> To: Classic Computers Mailing List
> Subject: Home to remove monumental grime?
>
> Can anyone suggest a safe way to remove grime that is so old and so thick
> that the only way to remove it is to rub it off with your bare fingers?
>
> I slathered this board in contact cleaner and it didn't do anything. The
> grime just remained. If I rub it with my bare fingers then it will
> eventually start to rub off and leave little remainders like pencil eraser
> droppings.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> --
>
> Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer
> Festival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> International Man of Intrigue and Danger
> http://www.vintage.org
>
> * Old computing resources for business and academia at
> www.VintageTech.com *
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Received on Sun Feb 27 2005 - 13:22:22 GMT