Nondetachable_beamspring_3741_keyboard restoration and converting log

John Doe · 04 Mar 2020, 10:58

Hello, guys.

Long story for short. Ive been keeping the keyboard for awhile, and it's time to get hands dirty to start the restoration. As my work takes most of time, there'll not be lots of spare time for the hobby. Great side is I plan to take enough photos with my old DSLR, that'll save many words. Update with any small steps but pile of pics, maybe little fuss.

Pls mercy my possible grammar issues under the post, that will happen as non-english speaker, but feel free to give your advices if there are. Thanks.

This's how it looks like when received, good looking fits my personal taste but in bad condition, with one keycap missed, very rusty:

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more details(caps, plate, label, left&right sides...):

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1. remove all caps. What I feel is you have to get your knuckles white before the cap pull out off the stem. For 40+years stuck there, it's not easy work. Very possible to break the crisp caps-stablizer joint, my spacebar fucked. Anyway, most of them were removed.

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John Doe · 04 Mar 2020, 11:08

Is there an amount limitation for uploading photos at one time? Or my net dead. Some photos failed, continue here:

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Redmaus · 04 Mar 2020, 17:38

Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Is it just me or do some of the legends look yellow? Good thing here is you have all the multi-unit keys, so you don't have to go searching for a certain enter or anything like that. One selectric key or some and you will be back to 100%.

Best of luck restoring! Can't wait to see the final result.

orihalcon · 05 Mar 2020, 00:14

Looks like it's in pretty decent shape! It's when the return springs or stems are rusted through that you're in real trouble!

John Doe · 06 Mar 2020, 09:15

2.Using ultrasonic cleaner helps save lots of time for cleaning the caps. I dont need to scrub them one by one by hands, time consuming work Ive to say.

Better add small dose of washing powder, that shortens time and accelerates the washing progress.

Love the dishes.

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SneakyRobb · 08 Mar 2020, 21:47

Hey this looks great so far. Right on.

Do you have a shot of the purple barrel part? I think ive seen a photo before of those but I can't find any and its cool looking. If you havent got to that part yet no worries I will eagerly wait.

John Doe · 09 Mar 2020, 05:42

Redmaus wrote: 04 Mar 2020, 17:38 Is it just me or do some of the legends look yellow?

Pretty much it's because of the light, the caps still look like awesome after cleaning.

orihalcon wrote: 05 Mar 2020, 00:14 It's when the return springs or stems are rusted through that you're in real trouble!

Yea, that's correct, no rust on the springs and stems will save quite lots of time, just cleaning the metal plate, front and bottom, won't be that hard. Hope this part could be finished next day...

SneakyRobb wrote: 08 Mar 2020, 21:47 Do you have a shot of the purple barrel part?

Of course, sorry for the delay. Probably update tomorrow, teardown the entire keyboard, clean and repaint up&down plate then.

John Doe · 09 Mar 2020, 11:07

3.Update with small steps, disassembled the keyboard and cleaned the plate with white vinegar, done new foam pad ready for making replacement.

I chosen a containing box to avoid losing anything, wise choice I reckon

. How it looks like first:

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After the back plate open

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Ledge was bent and the original foam was sticky, you won't wanna touch this, believe me.

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Release the tapes, sticky aswell. Will clean and reuse them later.

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I admittedly think I never saw beam spring house in this color, normally they're black, weird variant.

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Sideways doors.

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Be very careful to extrude the switch unit, don't break anything. Trick is pressing clip side by side, to let it drop out automatically.

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Finally all of them out of the holes:

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Clean them later, plate first.

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The sponge has rotted completely, use a tool(don't know the name of it in english) to do cleaning primitively.

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The two black spacebar pilot switches were very easily pull out, no need worry about them.

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Then the greenock and back labels, heat them and get them off, put them back where they were originally after re-painting.

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John Doe · 09 Mar 2020, 11:10

Straighten the ledge.

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Pour into white vinegar.

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tapes cleaned.

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Metal plate.

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Cut EVA foam pad.

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being prepared for painting.

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Pause...

John Doe · 17 Mar 2020, 10:41

Steel plates after repaint

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OldIsNew · 17 Mar 2020, 14:09

Nice! Looks like making good progress. Keep it up!

Redmaus · 17 Mar 2020, 14:11

Wow, didn't see how far this got. Great paintjob, looking exemplary so far. Can't wait to see your upcoming work with the switches.