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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: devhdb on Wed, 21 December 2016, 05:03:41

Title: Whitening a yellowish space bar on an IBM Model M keyboard: HOW?
Post by: devhdb on Wed, 21 December 2016, 05:03:41

Hi,

I'm a newbie here so please don't bite me.  :cool:

I've used the Advanced Search on the forum and I'm sure that this question must have been asked before, but I've been unable to find it. :(

So, basically it's what the title says: I have used the suggested method to clean the Model M as per https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=32995.msg623677#msg623677

Yet I have a 'rebel' space bar which, after the years has become quite yellowish and doesn't come out white enough as the rest of the keys. I wonder if it's made of a different kind of plastic...

What do you do to whiten/bleach key caps such as the space bar?

 :thumb:

Title: Re: Whitening a yellowish space bar on an IBM Model M keyboard: HOW?
Post by: hking0036 on Wed, 21 December 2016, 10:56:18

All Model M Caps are PBT as far as I know, including the spacebar. ABS is usually what yellows. Regardless, you could take a shot at retrobrighting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright) and see if that helps, but again it shouldn't really help since it's PBT, I'd just try giving it a nice scrub before going that far.

Title: Re: Whitening a yellowish space bar on an IBM Model M keyboard: HOW?
Post by: devhdb on Wed, 21 December 2016, 14:55:02

Thanks por posting the link hking0036, I didn't know about that.  :thumb:

I think I can give this a try. I'm happy to hear more suggestions in case other people have been successful with spacebars following other methods.