deskthority

Indeed. Metal side. Open the case. Flip the unit. Pilot hole those problem areas- right shift key, insert screw. Finger tight. Doable?

ShivaYash wrote: ↑Indeed. Metal side. Open the case. Flip the unit. Pilot hole those problem areas- right shift key, insert screw. Finger tight. Doable?

Even if I had not done a dozen bolt mods, I would say that is easy.

But that thing about getting stray crumbs of plastic in the "sandwich" is really the only potential problem.

fohat wrote:

ShivaYash wrote: ↑Indeed. Metal side. Open the case. Flip the unit. Pilot hole those problem areas- right shift key, insert screw. Finger tight. Doable?

Even if I had not done a dozen bolt mods, I would say that is easy.

But that thing about getting stray crumbs of plastic in the "sandwich" is really the only potential problem.

And how does one avoid the shards of plastic? Vacuum? Or just super slow hand drill?

fohat wrote: ↑]
Are you doing this from the metal plate side?

Is there any actual reason to remove the caps?

Don't you want to shave off the "rivet head" and LEAVE as much of the "stalk" as possible?

Yes, metal side. I suggest to remove the caps so that when the drill goes through it doesn't scratch/mangle them.
As for the "stalk", I believe that centering the drill ON the stalk would be close to impossible, so I'd get rid of it!

chzel wrote:

fohat wrote: ↑]
Are you doing this from the metal plate side?

Is there any actual reason to remove the caps?

Don't you want to shave off the "rivet head" and LEAVE as much of the "stalk" as possible?

Yes, metal side. I suggest to remove the caps so that when the drill goes through it doesn't scratch/mangle them.
As for the "stalk", I believe that centering the drill ON the stalk would be close to impossible, so I'd get rid of it!

And how do I remove the stalk, from the metal side?

I'd consider using a soldering iron to drill the pilot holes, with a sacrificial tip ground down to size (you can keep it around for all manner of plastic-cutting later). You'll get a bit of mushrooming, but you should be able to pick that out with tweezers as it will be very weakly attached to the post it came from.

ShivaYash wrote: ↑

fohat wrote:

ShivaYash wrote: ↑Indeed. Metal side. Open the case. Flip the unit. Pilot hole those problem areas- right shift key, insert screw. Finger tight. Doable?

Even if I had not done a dozen bolt mods, I would say that is easy.

But that thing about getting stray crumbs of plastic in the "sandwich" is really the only potential problem.

And how does one avoid the shards of plastic? Vacuum? Or just super slow hand drill?

Definitely doable. As for the crumbs, I think a new and sharp drill bit going quite slow is your best bet to keep the swarf in one piece and out of the "sandwich". Vacuum is a good idea too!

And how do I remove the stalk, from the metal side?

That is a fine question. Unfortunately one I cannot answer easily!
My first reaction to the partial bolt mod is "do a full one", exactly because of such problems. I feel they are too much trouble to be worth it.
I think I'd push it to the side with something to break it off and pick it out with tweezers, or shake it out.
Caveat lector, I have never done it, don't kick me if it fails!
Perhaps tomorrow evening I can open up my SSK and take a look on my broken rivets to see if it has a chance of working!
I am going for a full bolt mod anyway, so no worries if I am wrong!

chzel wrote: ↑
As for the "stalk", I believe that centering the drill ON the stalk would be close to impossible, so I'd get rid of it!

The soldering tip point is crude, and forces sides up around the crater it melts. The smallest spherical tip on your Dremel is the way to do it.

As far as the "shafts" I believe in leaving them as full and wide and tall as possible. A 1/16" or 1.5mm hole through the center takes out about 2/3 of the material, leaving a nice strong hollow pipe for the screw to occupy and align in.

Before and after drilling, I shave the top flat with a chisel tip Xacto blade, but leave as much as possible.

All this is for a full bolt-mod, the repair is simpler. However, if you do a "root canal" with the stalk in place, there is hardly any way for debris to escape into the clean layers.

Many thanks to you ALL for the helpful replies and comments. Having had the benefit of considering matters overnight, I think I need to 'test' and see/ feel/ try another Model M before I begin my project. Are there any Model M users in the Central London area, willing for me to try the KB, I'll buy the coffee.

I say this as the washing and refitting of the stabilisers has made the world of difference, and I really do believe in, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

With best,

ShivaYash wrote: ↑ I say this as the washing and refitting of the stabilisers has made the world of difference, and I really do believe in, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

With best,

does not suprise me at all, it´s an old piece of hardware, normal for there to be dirt in various froms. This is the first M you have used right? I mean you don´t have a comparision?

seebart wrote: ↑

ShivaYash wrote: ↑ I say this as the washing and refitting of the stabilisers has made the world of difference, and I really do believe in, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

With best,

does not suprise me at all, it´s an old piece of hardware, normal for there to be dirt in various froms. This is the first M you have used right? I mean you don´t have a comparision?

Yep... you are right. The first M I've used. Upon getting it I did the usual DT thing, strip down as far as possible, and judicious cleaning with about 100 cotton buds, mild soapy water, and then rinsed with plain. I washed the top case and all the keys, I have single piece keys. I vacuumed the whole thing, so far as possible, and blew away debris with my trusty GIOTTOS Rocket. I cleaned and polished the plastic, it has a nice factory OEM matte finish as a result, and the battle scars are quite noticeable, I like that. It all came up remarkably well, but always, since day one, despite this love, the larger keys have been troublesome. The seller was kind enough to send me replacement keycaps after I explained the situation.

I can say my KB is now CLEAN, but I did not go to the length of disassembly down the membrane. This is something I would prefer not to do until really necessary. But of course, when the time comes, I will purchase another M

I think finally I may have just solved the odd shift key behaviour. Other fixes have all been temporary, so it is too early to say for sure, BUT, so far so good. Replacement stabilisers have helped, plus I think the thread of getting another SSK! I think the latter will still happen in due course, but for the time being, Shushh!

More anon.