deskthority

Hello,

I'm cleaning a keyboard (IBM Model M 1396791, US/ANSI '95).
Soapy warm water was sufficient to clean the case and keycaps but the cable is fairly dirty.
Soap and warm water didn't help much. The non-coiled part is clean by now (scrubbing) but for the coiled part I might need a solvent.

Is there a recommended way to clean coiled cables?

I found this thread:
photos-f62/ultrasound-keycap-cleaning-t14413.html

The cable is bathing in the ultra sonic tub right now (40C, ends hanging out). Except for some detergent I did not add anything.

This wikipage lists dishwasher powder.
wiki/Keyboard_cleaning

Maybe dental cleaning tabs?
What other solvents can I try?

I usually use GooGone and scrub it by hand. It's not too bad on the rounded coiled cables, but the flat ones are a pain. The denture tablet idea sounds good if you can keep both ends of the cable dry. I may have to try that...

Seems like GooGone is something to remove labels and sticky residue from labels.
I have a similar spray (Etikettenentferner, smells like oranges), I'll give that a try.

I've got no clue what active ingredient is, the label lists ">30% Orangenterpentene" and not much else (besides a few large warning labels).

Hmm maybe a chemist knows if that is safe on cables, I'll try it out.

Etikettenentferner works fine, the sticky residue from the cable is gone.
The color is still a bit yellow but that is probably due to aging.

keyboard:


keyboard before:

eax wrote: Seems like GooGone is something to remove labels and sticky residue from labels.
I have a similar spray (Etikettenentferner, smells like oranges), I'll give that a try.

I've got no clue what active ingredient is, the label lists ">30% Orangenterpentene" and not much else (besides a few large warning labels).

Hmm maybe a chemist knows if that is safe on cables, I'll try it out.

Yeah GooGone is citrus based and from what I've seen it is safe on the grey cables, though I have seen it dissolve some synthetic rubbers, so always test before use. It also works on stubborn stains on the Model M case, and is fantastic for cleaning the little rubber feet on the bottom front of the case. Glad to see your solution worked.

Is that model M somehow plugged into that PDP ? Thats just wrong.

I usually stretched coiled cables out and scrub them down from one end to the other by wrapping a cloth round it with some cream cleanser on the cloth. Then reform the coils by poking a stick or another cable inside the coil and pull the cable back togethet then apply heat. Every other way is a faff imo.

I cleaned a very grimy cable in my ultrasonic recently using only tap water and a ultrasonic cleaning solution, about 10+1 mixture. It actually came out looking pretty clean.

After cleaning

Wow that gives me some hope then. I'll give that a try.

That is impressive .

I have some filthy zeniths on the way, well going to give that a try.

RealityCavesIn wrote: I cleaned a very grimy cable in my ultrasonic recently using only tap water and a ultrasonic cleaning solution, about 10+1 mixture. It actually came out looking pretty clean.

After cleaning

Am now using White Vinegar for all cleaning, especially when it's greasy looking plastic/rubber surfaces.

It removes all dirt in about 14 minutes time, plus it's dirt cheap compared to most other cleaners out there. Vinegar is always good for cleaning just about ANYTHING .

You put that in the ultrasonic ?

andrewjoy wrote: You put that in the ultrasonic ?

I have cleaned cables in the ultrasonic before. As I think the OP did, leaving the connectors outside the the liquid prevents any electrical issues.

Elrick wrote:
Am now using White Vinegar for all cleaning, especially when it's greasy looking plastic/rubber surfaces.

It removes all dirt in about 14 minutes time, plus it's dirt cheap compared to most other cleaners out there. Vinegar is always good for cleaning just about ANYTHING .

Cool, you leave it to soak or use it for scrubbing? It would be great if works well on larger pieces like cases. Gonna have to try it out.

I highly recommend keeping some baking soda on hand if you use vinegar; it will serve two purposes. First, it will eliminate most of the smell that comes from vinegar, and second, if you are working with metal, it will also inhibit rust on metal pieces (vinegar is good for removing rust), but if not treated immediately after, vinegar treatments are prone to flash rust. My method is to soak in vinegar, wash with water, then coat it completely with baking soda to neutralize the acid and absorb the water. Then after a few hours, wash off again, dry well and it should be good to go after that. It also works for large cases, but you will need a bin large enough to hold the case inside and also enough vinegar to cover the case completely (2 gallons is usually plenty unless soaking a lot of stuff). I use something like this as a bin:

A case you can usually just clean in warm water and soap. For the super dirty bits alcohol first and then a mild abrasive like barkeepers friend or baking soda if it still wont budge .

andrewjoy wrote: You put that in the ultrasonic ?

Yes with the white vinegar. Sometimes may even drop in some denture cleaner tablets to help it further along.

Have cleaned of gunk that looked disgusting yet the item becomes totally clean, like it was never soiled in the first place.

I will give that a try , i normally use biological washing powder but will throw a bit of vinegar in too.