IBM Beamspring 3278

[macmakkara]

So i got one 3278 from "Seller of Rust" that several DT members got beam springs from in recent months, including Monster-Toys, Scottc, Muirium, Halvar and now me.

But yeah il go to the point.

Here she is:


8 has little chip and 6 and 7 was bended:


Top off and some corrosion:








Contamination shield:


Contamination shield off:







Any idea how to clean there little fuckers?


Halfway there:


There they are!





Il have to do some derust for this. Going to try vinegar bath.

[7bit]

Clavier au vinaigre!


That's a nice shark's meal!


Maybe I'll do mine the same!

[macmakkara]

Yeah il suggest should do the same if its at same condition as mine.

[Muirium]

To be honest, I'd just leave that crud on there. A vinegar bath will strip the rubbery foam from the inside, which is not good: that stuff is required and you'll have to replace it like Monster Toys did. Meanwhile, the Hammerite Rust Remover route that I took keeps that stuff in place, but is a lot of scrubbing for no real gain. Your PCB is in good shape, that's what matters. And the switches!

[macmakkara]

Yeah im going to replace it cause it crumbled off from there when i turned that over :/. so il bath it and get some foam to replace it =)

[Muirium]

Keep us posted! My foam's not in great shape and I may replace it too. Like a Model F, I think it alters the keyboard's feel so it's something you want to be sure to get right.

[macmakkara]

Yeah propably doing derust tomorrow if i find time for it if not then it moves to next week.

[photekq]

Subbed! Looking forward to seeing this log

By the way, how much does it weigh?

[andrewjoy]

that is a big clean up job , i would be more worried about the rust on the switches. Foam is the main problem, get that sorted and you should be fine, just get all the loose corrosion off the plate with a wire brush and then use some rust remedy bit of acid etch primer and then a top coat of satin black and you are good to go

[macmakkara]

Yep il have to solve how im going to remove Rush on those switches. Propably trying to rub with white vinegar and then use some rust converter / remover.

@photekq
Il Weight it when i assemble it back together.

[andrewjoy]

I would be very very mindful when doing anything to the switches, you get anything inside them and its curtains, i would personally make a jig to hold them upside down so nothing can run into them and then use the rust remover, i would not scrub anything as you risk getting liquid / dust into the switch and well that's not good.

[macmakkara]

Yeah thats what im afraid of also :/ il try to come up with something.

[dorkvader]

The one I received to mod for an excellent DT & GH member was in beautiful condition: almost no rust whatsoever.

That one is like the 3278 I got on eBay from that guy in virginia. I will be cleaning off the rust and clearcoating it for safety.

I was just going to sand the rust off, but maybe I'll try vinegar instead.

[Muirium]

Clearcoating, eh? What do you suggest to keep the rust away?

[7bit]

I once bathed a Cherry G80-1501 which was a bit stinky in vinegar and indeed the stink went off, but it left little crystals at the metal parts inside the switches. It took me a while to clean that off and make the switches usable again.

[dorkvader]

Clearcoating, eh? What do you suggest to keep the rust away?

anything that won't let air (and oxygen) through should all work the same. I will probably use some rustoleum-brand paint.

[andrewjoy]

i am just tempted to get a paint shop to to all the metal parts of mine if the top case is ok i wont bother with that .

they are the experts on preparing metal

i dont even know if mine needs it yet, just paid my 1/2 of the customs , its about 30 miles away from me , so close but may as well be 1000 light years

[Halvar]

Crossing my fingers for you that Cindy's beam spring boards are in better shape than the Dresden ones.

[andrewjoy]

i think that they will be all i saw on the photos was dust but you never know what will greet you inside

[JBert]

I don't have a beamspring so I don't know about its tolerances, but do check how much clearance you have before applying paint.

For example, painting the plate too thick might make it difficult to insert the key modules, similarly it might be hard to push the caps on if the stem was made thicker by a layer of paint.