Cleaning Arcade Buttons & Joysticks

[Bondo]

Hi everyone,
I've been lurking for a while and finally signed up for the board. Thanks for all of the useful information I've been able to find here so far.

I recently purchased a used lot of buttons and joysticks.
Some are looking a bit dingy and could you some TLC. The whites are a little yellow and so forth.
What are some of the suggested methods for cleaning buttons and joystick handles?
Also the trackball (pictured below) could use a little love too, it's not rolling that smoothly. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance

[Jack Burton]

I took all my buttons apart and put the plastic pieces in a bucket of soap and water to soak for an hour.  Then I cleaned them out with a roll of paper towels and left them to dry before reassembling them.  All that gunk and grime just wiped right off.

[RandyT]

Use of a "de-greasing" type of cleaner would be a good thing as well, like Dawn dishwashing detergent.

I also understand that automatic dishwasher detergent is pretty heavy duty stuff, with machinists actually using high concentrations in their degreasers.  But I'd be careful with it, and test it out with one or two pieces first.

As for the trackball, you'll need to pull that sucker apart and survey the situation before knowing what needs to be done.  Sometimes, it's just hair and crud on the roller and that can be cleaned off using pretty much any household cleaner.  But they could be rusted, bellied out, have bad bearings, etc.  You might be able to revive a bearing or two, but the only fix for a rotten roller is replacement.

And just wipe down the outside of the microswitches if they are cruddy.  DON"T submerge them

RandyT

[orion]

As far as the white buttons being yellowed and dingy, I personally have never been able to get them looking new again by just cleaning them. What I usually do is take them apart, clean them with dish washing detergent and then let them soak in pure bleach for an hour or so, which really just gets the majority of the grime off. After this I cheat a little, I sand them as smooth as I can with 1500 grit sand paper and then I paint them with a very light coat of Krylon Fusion (which holds up a lot better than I would have ever expected.. great stuff)

[RandyT]

Hah.. Never mind.

[HaRuMaN]

Randy, he was talking about painting buttons, not a trackball...   

[RandyT]

Randy, he was talking about painting buttons, not a trackball...   

Thank God.....I must be loosing it.     I guess my brain rejected putting that kind of effort into a button.


But really, painting the buttons isn't a great idea either.  The plunger rubs against the bezel part and if you get paint between there it can cause problems.  I can see doing this on some retro stuff you can't get anymore, but if you just need standard button parts without switches, they are really cheap.

[Bondo]

I'm looking to save some money which is why I purchased some used buttons, but at at $1.50 I can also buy some new ones. If the button really looks like crap I probably won't use it, but they all could use some cleaning. I did like the bleach idea on the white buttons.

As for the trackball I've pulled it apart. It's a bit grimmy in there. The rollers would almost use an oil job. Is this possible or do I just need to replace them?

Thanks again for the help

[RandyT]

I'm looking to save some money which is why I purchased some used buttons, but at at $1.50 I can also buy some new ones. If the button really looks like crap I probably won't use it, but they all could use some cleaning. I did like the bleach idea on the white buttons.

As for the trackball I've pulled it apart. It's a bit grimmy in there. The rollers would almost use an oil job. Is this possible or do I just need to replace them?

Thanks again for the help

If your switches are good and you just need some shiny new buttons, drop me an email.  I can get you some for 50 cents each.  No need to blow the extra buck per if you have good switches.

Don't get the rollers oily where the ball contacts them.  It needs that friction to track properly and the oil will interfere with it.  Clean the rollers the best you can and soak the bearings in WD-40 for 24 hours.  Wipe them off  and afterward work them to see if they have freed up any.  If they seem smooth, drool some 3-in-1 oil on them and let them sit for another 24 hours.  Wipe them down well and re-install.

If that doesn't work,  you'll need to replace them.

RandyT

[Ummon]

Randy, he was talking about painting buttons, not a trackball...  

Thank God.....I must be loosing it.     I guess my brain rejected putting that kind of effort into a button.

No doubt.

[orion]

"Randy, he was talking about painting buttons, not a trackball..."

Yea, I mean who would paint a trackball      Novis polish (or any plastic type polish ) does a whole lot in cleaning them though. And I only recommend painting a light coat on the visible parts of the buttons with the Krylon Fusion but usually I just buy new buttons.  Bondo it seems bought a bunch of old ones. As far as the rollers you can try polishing them with a dremel or on a polishing wheel if they are really bad. As Randy T says soaking the bearings in WD-40 will help the bearings a lot, unless they are totally shot.

[Zebidee]

To clean grim off buttons and joys easily you don't need anything more that some methylated spirits, which you can get for a couple of $$ at the local shop.  Sometimes I used tea-tree oil or eucalyptus oil, and these are essential oils with strong cleaning properties.  These latter are aussie products, and very cheap here.

Diswashing powders have caustic elements which will not hurt your plastic, but would certainly attack any metal components.  Overall though, metho is quicker, cheaper and safer.

[Kevin Mullins]

I use Purple Power on just about everything. (cheaper than Castrol Super Clean)

Gotta watch it on cheap plastics though, especially clear stuff. May dull or fog certain types.
It's concentrated and can be diluted to suit your needs.
Some people might oughta wear gloves as well. It'll suck the oil right out of your hands and might burn a bit. Me ..... eh, I've dealt with worse.

[Zebidee]

errrg ... keep that stuff away from my machines!  Probably good for cleaning oil stains out of driveways though.

I use Purple Power on just about everything. (cheaper than Castrol Super Clean)

Gotta watch it on cheap plastics though, especially clear stuff. May dull or fog certain types.
It's concentrated and can be diluted to suit your needs.
Some people might oughta wear gloves as well. It'll suck the oil right out of your hands and might burn a bit. Me ..... eh, I've dealt with worse.

[Kevin Mullins]

Probably good for cleaning oil stains out of driveways though.

Eh ... muriatic acid works better. 

[venkman]

lighter fluid should clean a sticky button or trackball.