Was there ever a clear front runner for Alps restoration? I watched Chyrosran22's series last night and wasn't really sure on what the best restoration steps are. My original idea was to:
- De-solder each switch from the board
- Use toothpicks to remove top and bottom housings
- Using 91%+ alcohol and Q-tips remove the large dirt/debris off the slider, top housing, and bottom housing
- Place sliders, top housings, and bottom housings in ultrasonic cleaner with denture tab + soap + distilled water
- Rinse parts to remove soap, leave to dry
- Using DuPont Teflon Silicone lubricant lubricate the top housing and slider on contact points, the slider stem, and springs
- Reassemble and test
In watching the video, we can already rule out "leave them alone" since my donor boards are usually pretty gross and the parts at minimum need cleaning. My understanding is cleaning the slider removes the OEM lubricant (should it have it), but Chyrosran22 asserts the OEM lubricant is the best. My goals include a "nut and bolt" restoration of the switches which requires de-soldering and deep cleaning, lubricating the switches. I have used a similar method previously with SKCM white switches and to this day (they lived in a baggy) still click and feel better than any switch I have in my collection in their current state.
I have seen some posts on the wax boil method. I am not sold on that method personally, but am open to opinions.
I did learn that you can put a glass jar in your ultrasonic cleaner on the metal tray to clean the small parts like leaves and springs.
