I scored a beat-up IBM Model M at a flea market last month, $25. But it had a dead key and a cracked barrel. I could either hunt for a replacement spring and fiddle with the plastic welds, or just swap it out for a junker Focus FK-2001 I got for $8 at the same swap. I went with the Focus first, thinking it was a throwaway. Three weeks of typing on it daily, and that thing clicks like a champ. The switch feel is way lighter, but it's got this deep thock I never expected. Now I'm torn because the IBM is sitting in my closet, half-fixed. Has anyone else dumped a 'better' board for a cheap underdog that just felt right?
I got burned hard last month on a supposed restored IBM Model M from some seller on eBay... paid $80 for what they claimed was fully cleaned and ready to go. Soon as I plugged it in, half the keys didn't even register. I cracked it open and found rust all over the backplate and what looked like old coffee crust under the springs. Spent another 4 hours and $15 on isopropyl alcohol and a new cable just to get it working halfway decent. A real waste of time and money honestly... should've just hunted one down at a local flea market for cheaper. Has anyone else fell for one of these fancy restored listings?
Pulled this IBM Model M from 1994 out of a bin for $8, but after soaking the keycaps and scrubbing the barrel plate with a toothbrush, I'm still finding crumbs that look like they're from the Clinton administration, has anyone else dealt with years of gunk under the keys?
I spent a good 4 hours last weekend trying to get the yellowing off a set of 1987 IBM keycaps from a Model M. Soap and warm water got most of the grime but left them still looking dull. Then I tried denture cleaner tablets in a cup of warm water for 30 minutes and they came out way brighter but I am worried it might be too harsh over time. What do you all think is the better method for the long haul?
I finally did the bolt mod on my 1987 IBM Model M after years of it feeling like typing on wet newspaper. The difference is night and day - the buckling springs actually snap now instead of crunching. Has anyone else tried this or am I crazy for thinking it's worth the 3 hours of drilling?
Switched over after I accidentally chipped the plastic on my 1987 IBM while scrubbing too hard, has anyone else gotten lazy with their cleaning routine and regretted it later?
I went to drop off some old electronics at the city recycling center last Tuesday and spotted this huge beige machine sitting by the e-waste bin. The guy working there said it was headed for the crusher if nobody took it. I asked if I could grab it and he just shrugged. Got it home, plugged it in, and it actually works. The sound of that typeball hitting the paper is incredible. Has anyone else ever rescued a typewriter from a dump site like that?
I was just looking for a cheap lamp but ended up finding an IBM Model F keyboard buried under some old cookbooks at the Goodwill on 3rd street. The person at the counter said it was $12 because 'the letters are faded.' I brought it home, gave the keys a wipe with a damp cloth, and it works perfectly. The click on this thing is way sharper than any modern mechanical board I've tried. Anyone know if there's a secret to cleaning the inner foam without wrecking it?
I was grabbing a latte this morning and this older gentleman was telling his friend he drops a denture tablet in a bowl of warm water and lets his keycaps soak for 10 minutes. Said it gets all the grime out of the crevices without scrubbing. Has anyone else tried this method or is it gonna mess up the plastic?
He handed me his keyboard and said 'type on this' and I instantly heard how dull and scratchy mine was, turns out I was globbing the grease on the slider instead of just a thin coat on the contact leaf, has anyone else realized they were doing a basic maintenance step backwards?
Picked up a cheap wire keycap puller for $15 thinking it'd be fine for my Model M, but the wires bent on the second row and scratched up a keycap bad. Now I'm stuck using a dental floss trick to remove caps without damaging the dying stems. Anyone know a reliable puller under $30 that won't chew up old buckling spring caps?
Read a forum post where a guy tested his switch lube under a microscope after rinsing with dish soap and it left a weird gummy film, so now I'm sticking to just isopropyl alcohol for all my dirty keyboards.
I spent last Saturday scrubbing a 1984 IBM Model F with q-tips and isopropyl alcohol for two hours, got every crumb out. Then I read a forum post from a restorer in Ohio who said light patina actually protects the plastic and keeps the letters from fading. So I stopped mid-clean on my old Cherry MX board and just put it back together. Has anyone else found that cleaning too much ruins the vintage feel?
Some people swear by the expensive dielectric grease while others say a $5 tube of Super Lube is all you need, so did I just throw money away or is the good stuff worth it for a proper restore?
I spent all last week trying to fix up a 1986 NCR terminal keyboard with Cherry MX blacks. The switches were gummed up, the stems were wobbly, and even after ultrasonic cleaning and new springs, it still felt like typing through mud. Then I grabbed a 1990 Apple Extended Keyboard II with Alps switches that had the same sticky issue. One soak in rubbing alcohol and a thin lube job later, it clicks like it came off the factory line yesterday. The Alps just have way better contact feel and less plastic fatigue after 30 years. Has anyone else had better luck with Alps over Cherries on these old boards?
I was at the local electronics swap meet last Saturday and this older dude was going on about how his Model M from 1987 still works perfect with zero issues. Made me wonder if I should save up for a vintage board instead of dropping cash on a modern mechanical. Anyone else find that old stuff really holds up better over time?
I was digging through a box of old computer junk and found a 1984 IBM Model F with a cracked case and missing a keycap. The guy wanted $5 for it, so I figured why not. I spent Sunday night carefully disassembling it and using epoxy to fix the plastic shell. Got a replacement keycap from a seller on eBay for $12. Has anyone else had luck bringing a trashed board back to life with just glue and patience?
Last week I was restoring a 1984 Apple Keyboard II and the switches felt all gritty. I've been using compressed air and contact cleaner for years but this time I tried something different. I took a ziplock bag and put the switches with some isopropyl alcohol and rice, shook it for about 2 minutes. It actually got all the crud out without damaging anything, now they click like new. Has anyone else tried weird methods to clean crusty switches?
Picked up this grimy beige board at a Goodwill in Salem last Saturday for $40 because the tag said 'as-is, no returns'. Got it home, opened it up, and found a dead cockroach stuck under the spacebar switch. Cleaned it out with compressed air and alcohol, and the whole thing works perfectly now. Anyone else find nasty surprises inside their vintage finds?
I finally hit 10,000 words typed in a single sitting on my old '87 Model M. Took me about 45 minutes straight, no breaks, fingers were cramping by the end. I was just zoning out writing some nonsense forum posts and checked my word counter for kicks. That keystroke tally surprised me because I usually top out around 7k before my wrists tell me to knock it off. Thing is, I tried telling a couple friends about it and they just stared at me like I had two heads. One guy said "so you typed a lot, cool" and changed the subject. Has anyone else here hit a weird personal best on an old board that meant nothing to anyone but you?
Met a guy named Frank at the local electronics recycle shop last Saturday. He saw me scrubbing a set of IBM Model M keycaps with soap and water and just shook his head. Frank told me the hot water actually makes the plastic brittle over time and I should just use isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush instead. Been doing it his way for two weeks now and the keys feel way better, has anyone else been using the wrong cleaning method for years?
I was digging through a pile of old terminals at a scrapyard outside Tulsa last month, pulling out keyboards with Cherry MX clones. A older fellow sorting copper wire nearby saw me yanking on a keycap and came over. He pulls a guitar pick out of his pocket, slides it under the keycap to pop it clean off without bending the stem, then taps the switch a few times. He said "you can hear a bad spring just by the rattle, saves you from pulling the whole board apart." I tried it on a handful of switches from a dusty Packard Bell board and sure enough, three of them had that tinny sound he described. Now I keep a blue pick in my tool bag specifically for quick switch checks. Anyone else got a weird tool they use for keyboard stuff that most people wouldn't think of?
Picked up a clean IBM Model M from a thrift store last week, spacebar felt mushy so I figured I'd swap the stabilizer insert. Took me 2 hours just to get the barrel plate open without cracking the plastic, then another hour trying to fish out the broken clip with tweezers. Finally found out the new insert was ever so slightly wider and wouldn't snap in, had to sand it down with a nail file for 30 minutes. Has anyone else run into aftermarket parts that just don't fit right?
Ngl I thought Alps were overhyped trash until last month when I found a busted Apple Extended Keyboard II at a thrift store near Portland. Spent a Saturday cleaning the switches with isopropyl and now I get why people pay $150 for these things. Has anyone else been converted by a specific keyboard find?