Huge thanks to him for selling me these keyboards. I got an IBM Model M, Dell AT102DW and a Cherry G80-3000. I also got a G80-11900 to salvage parts from for an extra 10 Euros.
I stupidly didn't really take any photos at all during the process of restoring the Dell and Cherry., so the only photos will be of the finished restorations.
This is my first post on Deskthority, and I don't even know if this is the right place to post this, but here it goes!
Dell AT102DW
The AT102DW was the first keyboard I started restoring. I started with taking the key caps off and cleaned them off with soap. I then got to the switches. Black ALPS. I disassembled them and put the sliders and switch tops in soapy water. While they were drying I swabbed the inside of the board and bottom switch housings with isopropyl, and cleaned the top of the board with soapy water.
I started assembling a dew switches and I quickly realized that I didn't like them tactile, so I tried the linear mod for them, and quickly decided for that. I also wanted to lube the switches, so I ordered some Super Lube oil and grease, and some Victorinox oil. I used a mix of 2/3 Super Lube grease and 1/3 oil. I had read that Victorinox oil is good for the springs, so I dipped the ends in it. The switches definitely feel a little scratchy still, but they are fairly smooth.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the process, but here's the final result:
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The Model M is part of the reason why it took me so damn long to get this up. I couldn't find any store close to me that sold the 5.5 mm screwdriver necessary to open it.
The caps were clean
This is how the top case looked before cleaning:
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I kind of fucked this one up I think.
I started with testing the keyboard, and it worked fine. So I started taking it apart to clean all the parts. Then I got the idea to desolder the switches to easier clean the PCB and switch bottoms, and to get some experience soldering and desoldering. When I had cleaned the bottom housings I thought it would be a good idea to solder just the bottom housings to the PCB, without assembling the switches first. I have no idea why I thought that would be a good idea. A few of the contact leafs on the top row got bent, and when I plug in the keyboard it doesn't output any letters.
This was a couple of months ago. I gave up on it too easy, but I will try to fix it in the upcoming week!
Bonus!
The caps from the G80-11900 looks great on my Contra!
(I know the switch alignment is pretty bad. Plz don't hate <3)
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