The ultimate tool for freshing-up/Fixing old mechanical stuff!!!

[per]

I have many times experienced that mechanical stuff (like Floppy drive spindle motors, dot matrix printers, etc...) coagulate over time, but don't worry, I have found the ultimate tool every vintage-computer user should have on hand at any time.

What I'm talking about is a bottle of Sewing-machine/bike oil.

Just make sure to not have too much oil on when you use it. It shouldn't be driping off.

 

[tikbalang]

i use vaseline.

 

[MikeS]

i use vaseline.

--------
So do I on occasion, but not on computer parts...

m

 

[paul]

Oil tends to migrate over time to other parts and so I'm reluctant to use it unless absolutely required. Plus I haven't found too many motors in my computers that don't have ball bearings.

But my "tip of the day" is to use very small applications of silicone dielectric grease on electrical connectors, including card buses. Reduces the chance of microscopic corrosion at contacts, important where very small currents are passed (not that our old computers have "small" currents.) Learned this years ago from car folks that were having such problems - worked a treat for them. Doesn't leach oil either, and is a relatively harmless substance as regarding plastics.

 

[Druid6900]

--------
So do I on occasion, but not on computer parts...

m

Ok, decided not to even comment on this, but, for computer equipment, I've always found that 3-in-1 works well for my (computer ) needs. It's a light oil, spreads well and then I just buff the rails with a paper towel to remove any excess.

I also use it, since it's a penetrating oil, to lubricate the bearings in old hard drives when the motor won't spin up (for whatever reason) and all the hard drives I've got to spin up again report full capacity when formatted.

 

[smplfyi]

The most important tool I would recommend is

Pledge furniture Polish (known as Pronto here in Switzerland)

This and a cloth can generally cleanup all your old Computer Equipment. I would venture to suggest that it is even more powerful than

Windex

(which was the preferred wonder chemical listed in My Big Fat Greet Wedding)


regards - marcus

 

[dongfeng]

My favourite is Cif!

With a soft scrubbing brush, it cleans up computer cases a treat

 

[Dwight Elvey]

Oil tends to migrate over time to other parts and so I'm reluctant to use it unless absolutely required. Plus I haven't found too many motors in my computers that don't have ball bearings.

But my "tip of the day" is to use very small applications of silicone dielectric grease on electrical connectors, including card buses. Reduces the chance of microscopic corrosion at contacts, important where very small currents are passed (not that our old computers have "small" currents.) Learned this years ago from car folks that were having such problems - worked a treat for them. Doesn't leach oil either, and is a relatively harmless substance as regarding plastics.

Hi
I've been telling people to use such products as DoweCorning #4 grease
for years. I get all kinds of ( incorrect ) reasons why not to use it.
It is totally inert and won't harm anything.
Years ago we ran an experiment when I was at Intel. We setup it such
that we could do 4 point measurements on card edge contacts.
Without the grease, we measured 10 to 15 milliohms on each contact.
After putting the grease on, we didn't see anything over 2 milliohms.
So, it not only protects the contacts, it also improves the contact.
It is good for power connectors as well, especially those that have
a tendency to over heat.
Dwight

 

[Druid6900]

Any old cheap can of bathroom tub and tile cleaner (as long as it contains sodium hydroxide) will, pretty much, take off anything but the plastic and yellowing. Spray it on, let it de-foam, rub it in with a soft sponge and wipe it off with a paper towel.

Depending on how long it sits, I've used it to take off crayon, marker, unidentifed crud and, with repeat applications, indeliable marker.

Good for neutralizing acid as well, IIRC, as it's a strong base.

 

[paul]

Hi
I've been telling people to use such products as DoweCorning #4 grease
for years...
Dwight

I'm so sold on the usefulness of this somewhat-unintuitive practice that every connector I unplug on just about anything these days will get a small dab of grease on re-assembly, with the only exception being the mains plug. And with low-voltage/current, high-frequency serial communications becoming more common in computer design I think its good practice on new machines too, for connectors such as SATA and Ethernet.

The earliest I saw grease used in connectors was in a 1980 Mercedes - every connector had silver-plated pin & socket contacts and was packed with a sticky grease, but they had no other connector design features to exclude water. Of course the introduction of electronics in cars would have forced them to use the more sophisticated water-tight variety common today.

The VW application I saw 7 years ago was needed as the MAF plug and socket used different metals! Even being waterproof would not stop miniscule levels of corrosion from ocurring with resulting increasing resistance and consequent deterioration of the voltage-dependent air flow signal.

 

[Terry Yager]

DuPont #111 Compound!
It's a heavy, 100% silicone grease that I used to use for everything from engine build-up lube to protecting/sealing electrical connections (and improving electrical bonding) on cars, before I switched to computer destruction as a hobby. Supposedly, it's more slippery than wet ice on wet ice.

--T

 

[EddieDX4]

DuPont #111 Compound!
It's a heavy, 100% silicone grease that I used to use for everything from engine build-up lube to protecting/sealing electrical connections (and improving electrical bonding) on cars, before I switched to computer destruction as a hobby. Supposedly, it's more slippery than wet ice on wet ice.

--T

Oh man, the dirty jokes that come to mind... I'll be good and spare the forum of them.