[Coco] cleaning keys

[Mark McDougall]

On 27/11/2016 2:30 PM, Mike Delyea wrote:

> Sorry, I didn't mean to imply I was soaking the entire keyboard.  I meant I
> was popping the key caps off.  I was not going to soak the mylar.  I'm
> aware that tap water is not pure and can contain chemicals that may inhibit
> the connection between the 2 halves of the coco keyboard.  I'm just talking
> about the key caps.

Likewise, that is exactly what I assumed and not sure why you thought 
otherwise?!?

When I receive a retro computer, my first task is to take it apart and 
clean it, and that includes popping all the key caps and soaking them in 
the above-mentioned dish washing liquid & water solution. After giving 
the stubborn ones a scrub, I lay them out on a towel overnight or until 
completely dry.

Personally, I've never worried about the yellowing, in part because I'm 
confident that any attempt to whiten them on my part will result in some 
sort of irreparable disaster. So I'm happy with 'clean' and not really 
looking for brand new off-the-shelf condition.

I can't really see my kids giving a crap about them when I'm no longer 
here, so I'd imagine they'll end up in some bargain-basement estate sale 
likely picked up by another collector not far from dropping of the twig 
themselves, and so on - until until there's no-one left that even knows 
what they are - so there's a chance they may never be unpacked again.

Regards,
Mark