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Cleaning Arcade Buttons & Joysticks
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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.
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