SKCM orange, to lube or not?

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madrobby

07 Sep 2021, 20:59

I’m restoring a AEK I with orange alps and I’m wondering if I should lube them after cleaning (they’re pretty dirty so they def need the cleaning). And if yes, what lube and how to apply?

headphone_jack

07 Sep 2021, 23:43

Boil the sliders and housings, then boil the sliders again with paraffin wax. Restores Alps better than anything else I know of.

nobatron

08 Sep 2021, 09:43

Definitely boil them as Jack said. Depending on the condition of the switches you might find you don't need to wax the sliders as boiling seems to often reflow the factory lube (as opposed to ultrasonic cleaning which removes it).

And you shouldn't need to do any other cleaning to the sliders and top housings apart from boiling.

If you do need to wax boil then follow this guide https://kuritakey.zone/how-to-restore-a ... -switches/.

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TNT

08 Sep 2021, 11:12

I love how this sounds like trolling. If it weren't for the link, I wouldn't have believed you :lol:

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hellothere

08 Sep 2021, 19:13

TNT wrote:
08 Sep 2021, 11:12
I love how this sounds like trolling. If it weren't for the link, I wouldn't have believed you :lol:
Yah. The boiling and paraffin techniques are in the infamous Alps lube thread.

I've mentioned in that thread that I've been using Finish Line Ceramic Wax Bicycle Chain Lube after cleaning and it seems to work especially well on white Alps, but I've also used it on blues and they've come out OK.

Boiling either or both the top housing and slider makes me a bit uncomfortable. The same goes for hot wax.

madrobby, I can only give you my opinions. I'd recommend just cleaning a few switches, putting them back together and see how they feel. Then lube a few and see if it makes a difference. You might also want to do a paper mod (put a square of paper behind the tactile switch) and see if that makes a difference.

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