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View Full Version : For the lulz. A keyboard cleaning worklog.



HackSore
08-29-2009, 12:14 PM
Ok, i thought i would do this little worklog for a laugh. Sorry if its in the wrong place, but didnt quite know where to put it!

Now on to business. I think i quite possibly hold the title for most disgusting keyboard ever, or at least i did, up until about 10 minutes ago....

It begins!

Say hello (or "oh god thats hideous") to my keyboard! i forgot to get a shot before i started taking it apart, but oh well.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13320001.jpg
Now you may be saying "wtf? why bother cleaning that peice of junk? just get a new one" and to that i say STFU. Then i educate you with the information that this is infact the greatest keyboard on the planet. I love it.
It came with my dads first computer, a 386, well over 10 years ago. I have used it ever since and have never found a keyboard that feels as nice in those years. I cant game on anything else.

I have had to fix it a few times over the years, and had to again today, and i just decided i had enough of it being a health hazard. so i began taking it apart.

Gotta admit i was quite amazed at how much of my beard was in it....

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13320002.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13330001.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13330002.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13380001.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13510003.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13520001.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13520001.jpg

Now i was pointed in the direction of something called a "hoover". I had never encountered one of these contraptions before, so was quite confused by it at first.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13580001.jpg

But i love technology, and always love to get my hands on new fangled gadgets, so i decided to fire it up and get to grips with it.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_13590001.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14000001.jpg

Didnt go too well.
After a short recovery period and a mild panic attack, i finally got to grips with "hooving"

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14020001.jpg

It barely dented the grime.
Time for plan B.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14170001.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14200001.jpg

I started scraping the particularly nasty areas with small wooden impliments, and then went at it with a toothbrush and some stuff in an orange bottle that im not quite sure of what it was.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14210001.jpg

This seemed to work wonders, and after a short time scrubbing and rinsing, the chassis was reasonably clean.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14390001.jpg

On to the keys!

I put the keys in a small bowl, with some water and intense orange bottle unknown liquid stuff, and pretty much left them to fight it out.
The intense orange bottle unknown liquid came out the clear victor, utterly annihillating the grime. Sweet.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_14460001.jpg

I left the keys to dry and had a quick spot of lunch. Although i dont know how i managed to eat after seeing the state of that keyboard.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_15380001.jpg
When it was dry, i put it all back together and marvelled at my work.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_16290001.jpg
Damn look at how clean it is, you could eat your lunch off that thing!
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_16290002.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_16290003.jpg
So there you have it, the veil of filth vanquished, me and my amazing keyboard can continue pwning n00bs without the risk of serious illness!
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Hacksore85/keyboard/P290809_16320002.jpg

So remember kids, clean your keyboard regularly!

Eclecticos
08-29-2009, 12:41 PM
Man. That a serious keyboard overhaul. +Rep
Great job cleaning the elements. Looks good as new.

OvRiDe
08-29-2009, 02:04 PM
Nice job! Looks brand new! and a very entertaining read as well.

HackSore
08-29-2009, 02:19 PM
I dunno how i managed to miss this section when looking for somewhere to put this!
Glad you guys enjoyed it.

blueonblack
08-29-2009, 03:35 PM
you could eat your lunch off that thing!

It looks like that's what it was used for! <gag>

Nice work, looks like you're set for another ten years.

HackSore
08-29-2009, 04:37 PM
Nice work, looks like you're set for another ten years.

I certainly hope so!

slaveofconvention
08-29-2009, 05:55 PM
Hey you might be able to find that "any" key now.....

d_stilgar
08-29-2009, 09:50 PM
I've never been so close to being sick while looking at someone's keyboard. That was disgusting. Nice that it's so clean now.

billygoat333
08-30-2009, 02:37 AM
seriously. that looks like it was left in someones garage for the last 10 years. haha thats disgusting. good work on cleaning it. your fingers won't rot off now. :P

DonT-FeaR
08-31-2009, 01:44 AM
thats so much better.. was disgusting b4 hand!

mDust
09-17-2009, 03:38 AM
Honestly, I think there are laws against destroying entire ecosystems...10 years of evolution, gone! At least you have a clean keyboard to set your piece of pizza on! hehe

Zephik
09-17-2009, 03:56 AM
How did I miss this post? Hilarious and fascinatingly disgusting! That was one hell of an impressive build-up of gunk and grime! I liked the part where you got into a fight with the vacuum. ...and the vacuum won. lmao

That was probably the only keyboard in the world that required a hazmat suit to use. lol

FuzzyPlushroom
09-17-2009, 10:04 PM
Amount of cruft under the keys: 7/10
Amount of crud caked onto the keys: 9/10
Amount of remaining debris: 1/10
Solicited laughter: Excessive

+rep well deserved for your fight with the Dyson.

nevermind1534
09-17-2009, 11:27 PM
My grandparents have that exact keyboard lol. They had me swap that out with the new USB one that had terrible keys. It is much nicer than your average keyboard(metal base helps), even though it's made in China, but I still like my model M better.

slytherock
09-17-2009, 11:35 PM
nice work but... that Kboard still working?
*****trying to remember the feel of an old Kboard like that.*********
damn... can you feel what you're typing?

FuzzyPlushroom
09-18-2009, 12:01 AM
My grandparents have that exact keyboard lol. They had me swap that out with the new USB one that had terrible keys. It is much nicer than your average keyboard(metal base helps), even though it's made in China, but I still like my model M better.

I got fed up with my Logitech LX710 'board once I went back to using the desktop more often (I used the laptop quite a bit and had forgotten how bad that board's keyfeel was). I have an old rubber-dome-based 'hybrid'-type NEC on there now, but I'm not entirely happy with it - so, of course, I thought back to the grungy, mostly-functional Model M I had years ago that my mother binned by mistake.

I'm intentionally not buying a PS/2-to-USB converter, because I don't want to be tempted to lug around a separate keyboard that weighs nearly as much as my laptop. :D