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TIPS FOR RESTORING WICO LEAF JOYSTICKS
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GroovyTuesdaY:
 I will be  receiving 4 wico leafe joysticks in a day or so and i thought i would check and see what people do normally when they get older used wico leaf joysticks. Do you clean the contacts?  Disassemble them and clean all the parts....etc, etc....  Do you normally need to replace anything typically and so on and so forth.

thanks all,
GrooooovY~ 8)
paigeoliver:
I generally don't do much to them at all, either they work good (and have a good feel), or they don't.

If they DON'T, then the unit goes into the parts box, where I will later piece a good one together out of multiple bad ones.

If the leaf switches are broken, or have been excessively bent (aren't generally straight), then you can order new ones. So far I have never had to do that, as I have several extra bases.

If the rubber grommet is horked then the stick is basically only good as a parts stick.
menace:
Any wico's I've restored fell into two categories--the shaft was seized to the rubber grommet insert or the shaft wasn't.  if it is seized you can use so liquid wrench or other anti-seize compound and keep at it ofr a day or two (it will come unstuck), or, as I'm more prone to do--coat it with wd-40 and smack it with a hammer until it becomes unstuck ;)  if you go the hammer route make sure you leave the retaining clip in the grooveso it doesn't become deformed.

Now that your shaft is free of the grommet, you attach it to a drill press by its free end, and using some emory cloth go up and down the shaft until it shines--watch for the ball though you don't want to sand the ball!

To shine the ball--get a cloth polisher attachment for your drill or drill press and go to town, with a little perserverance you will get all the scratches out--if there are cigarette burns--cut the ball off and make your own.
Rocky:

--- Quote from: GroovyTuesdaY on February 08, 2004, 11:29:24 pm ---what people do normally when they get older used wico leaf joysticks. Do you clean the contacts?  Disassemble them and clean all the parts....etc, etc....  Do you normally need to replace anything typically and so on and so forth.

--- End quote ---

Any used stuff I get, I disassemble and clean, lubricate, etc. all the parts. It helps me know how it works mechanically and it gets 20 years of gunk out of the stuff.


YMMV,

Rocky
GroovyTuesdaY:
What do you use to clean and to also lubricate ?
Any particular brand?  Wheres the best place to buy said items?

thanks,
groooovy~:D
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