u/t4teeee) (My) IBM Model M (+Unicomp) Bolt Mod And Restoration Service

[TomTrev]

Hi!
I'm Tom Trev, known as t4teeee0 on ebay and around other places.
As there is no thread for my IBM Model M restoration service, i figured I would make one!

I offer bolt/ screw modding of all applicable IBM Model M, including Unicomp and M122 Models.

The Screw Mod replaces the factory plastic rivets, that start to fall off after a number of years,with metal screws.The plastic rivets fail in all Model M's eventually which can cause certain keys/ areas of the keyboard to feel strange or become unresponsive.

After the mod, key feel is restored and all areas of the keyboard will be fixed.

Alongside this, all parts of the board will be cleaned, including the barrelplate, keycaps, and stems to restore keyfeel as much as possible.
An example of previous work:

BoltMod1.jpg (13.67 KiB) Viewed 5321 times

And the end result:

SquareBadge.jpg (28.45 KiB) Viewed 5321 times

My price is £50 + Shipping (Happy to ship anywhere in the world)

DM to discuss.

Check out my ebay for some positive reviews!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402821127924

Any questions feel free to ask on this thread!

[wobbled]

A fair asking price considering the work involved!

[Half-Saint]

A fair asking price considering the work involved!

Lol, I used to offer the same service years ago for 35€ (about 30 quid) + shipping. Didn't get many takers.

[wobbled]

A fair asking price considering the work involved!

Lol, I used to offer the same service years ago for 35€ (about 30 quid) + shipping. Didn't get many takers.

Damn that's cheap, perhaps I'm out of touch and most people prefer working on their own boards. Bolt mods are truly exhausting though and always hurt my neck (bad part of being just over 6'4 I suppose)
I would gladly pay 30 quid to get someone else to do the bolt mod & restoration

[Jacobalbertus1]

for me i use to sell boards like this screwmodded on ebay

[headphone_jack]

for me i use to sell boards like this screwmodded on ebay

don't buy from him, there was a very smelly brown substance all over the keycaps

/s

[Jacobalbertus1]

for me i use to sell boards like this screwmodded on ebay

don't buy from him, there was a very smelly brown substance all over the keycaps

/s

jack you never bought one from me quit with this crap

[headphone_jack]

for me i use to sell boards like this screwmodded on ebay

don't buy from him, there was a very smelly brown substance all over the keycaps

/s

jack you never bought one from me quit with this crap

I did, actually, I was in debt to you for them. But notice the little /s denoting sarcasm.

[fohat]

I sold a few bolt-modded Ms on ebay a few years ago and never got a good price for them.

After a thorough cleaning throughout and a high-quality refurbishing job, I was looking at it as a premium product that should bring top dollar.

Instead, most potential buyers acted like they were "damaged goods" since they were not in "original" condition and wanted to lowball the sale.

But my experience was not universal, some people have done well with it.

[Jacobalbertus1]

don't buy from him, there was a very smelly brown substance all over the keycaps

/s

jack you never bought one from me quit with this crap

I did, actually, I was in debt to you for them. But notice the little /s denoting sarcasm.

Well that isint verry good looking for me

[Obscure]

It is a fair offer, no question, but what is the use case?
I can only speak for myself: I have two Ms, some rivets missing. They are working fine, maybe I put some screws in one day..
NO need for a screw mod. It will perform better, last longer after cleaning - Who cares?
I got one out of the bin. I had to open it up, because the foils where sticking. The cable was defective, the controller unreliable (replaced the caps). Repaired it together with my son, an experience money can't buy. Never would send it in for repair.

So you will need good marketing to convince potentially interested persons... Investment in the future, warranty, bla, bla

May be times will change, but I don't expect so.. I would do it for a friend but not for business.

[Muirium]

Kbdfr is right: Model Ms are a braindead design, critically dependent on plastic rivets that will always die in action, far sooner than an MX keyboard in the same conditions.

So, actually, bolt modding is a necessity, not just a nice to have. You know, if you want to *type* on your Model M once enough of those cheapo rivets have snapped. Maybe not today, but always, given time.

I've done a bolt mod. It's a tedious procedure, and daunting when you've never done it before. Offering the service to others is far from evil!

[TomTrev]

It is a fair offer, no question, but what is the use case?
I can only speak for myself: I have two Ms, some rivets missing. They are working fine, maybe I put some screws in one day..
NO need for a screw mod. It will perform better, last longer after cleaning - Who cares?
I got one out of the bin. I had to open it up, because the foils where sticking. The cable was defective, the controller unreliable (replaced the caps). Repaired it together with my son, an experience money can't buy. Never would send it in for repair.

So you will need good marketing to convince potentially interested persons... Investment in the future, warranty, bla, bla

May be times will change, but I don't expect so.. I would do it for a friend but not for business.

Oh absolutely! Most Model M continue to work just fine , but I've seen several with just a few rivets remaining , or enough missing the feel is affected enough to notice.

Else, a different feel can be given with the mod if desired ,one that is snappier and tighter than original ,perhaps even heavier.

I also take in unicomp boards ,which I've seen with <10 rivets left after less than ten years. Given enough time all model M will need to be seen to if they're going to continue to be used.
From my own experience, modded boards also sell for more , if you can guarantee they're tested and most people will see them as being *sorted* so they don't have to worry about it in the future

[mrprofessor]

It is a fair offer, no question, but what is the use case?
I can only speak for myself: I have two Ms, some rivets missing. They are working fine, maybe I put some screws in one day..
NO need for a screw mod. It will perform better, last longer after cleaning - Who cares?
I got one out of the bin. I had to open it up, because the foils where sticking. The cable was defective, the controller unreliable (replaced the caps). Repaired it together with my son, an experience money can't buy. Never would send it in for repair.

So you will need good marketing to convince potentially interested persons... Investment in the future, warranty, bla, bla

May be times will change, but I don't expect so.. I would do it for a friend but not for business.

It's a lot of work, Even though I can do it, I would still pay for someone to do it better.

It's a fair asking price tbh.

[Sheepless]

It is a fair offer, no question, but what is the use case?
I can only speak for myself: I have two Ms, some rivets missing. They are working fine, maybe I put some screws in one day..
NO need for a screw mod. It will perform better, last longer after cleaning - Who cares?
I got one out of the bin. I had to open it up, because the foils where sticking. The cable was defective, the controller unreliable (replaced the caps). Repaired it together with my son, an experience money can't buy. Never would send it in for repair.

So you will need good marketing to convince potentially interested persons... Investment in the future, warranty, bla, bla

May be times will change, but I don't expect so.. I would do it for a friend but not for business.

For the record, I've just picked up an early M122 where the entire F13-F24 row is dead, due to rivet loss. The barrel plate is noticeably loose at the top. So, sometimes a bot/screw mod is necessary, not just a nice to have.