Polymorph wrote:
Hi, now I have an Apple IIGS - finally, but the CPU, keyboard, mouse and the disk drive is very dirty and yellow. Is there any web sites that can teach me how to properly clean the Apple IIGS, especially the ADB keyboard?I always use a product known here in Australia as Gumption paste - this may be specific to Australia I'm not sure. It is a greyish-white paste that has mild abrasive properties and makes fairly light work of cleaning years of built up grime. Put some on a clean sponge and rub over all plastic surfaces. Do not rub over any of the Apple logos however, or you will remove the colour! Gumption leaves white residue behind which can be wiped off with a damp cloth and toothbrush (to remove the residue from nooks & crannies).All of my Apple gear has been restored to excellent condition using this technique - it will remove everything *except* the yellow discolouration of the plastic. Considering the state I received some of my gear and how it looks now, I can only recommend its use.
I use Comet household cleanser. Perhaps similar to what Polymorph describes, it's a mildly abrasive powder with chlorine bleach mixed in. Applied with a sponge, almost everything comes right off.
I have heard about folks running keyboards through the dishwasher, but have never quite had the nerve to try it :-).
The only thing that Comet is helpless against is residue from stickers and tape. There's a special place in Hell reserved for folks who blob masking tape and sticky labels all over classic computer systems. Lighter fluid (benzene) and a lot of patience will sometimes remove them, but I've found a few types of adhesive that laugh at conventional solvents.
Steve