"Vintage" computer corrosion - help !

(4) common brake fluid.

Regards,

Marv

T> (also posted to alt.folklore.computer)

For removing existing corrosion, you probably want a non-oxidizing chelating agent. Examples include solutions of ammonia, aspirin or vitamin c. Expect to have to apply a bit of "elbow grease" but be careful not to abrade the original material.

Reducing agents, but I doubt you can find any that will be of much use in your situation.

ARRGH! NO! Not that! If you're going to disassemble everything, consider having it replated. Otherwise, paint.

That depends on exactly what it is you're trying to preserve. If you want an authentically original piece to display, the less change you make to it, the better. On the other hand, if you want people to know what the stuff looked like when new, then you need to do some renewing.

Silicone lubricants may attack the dried gum. Be careful to avoid getting them into the works if you try this approach, however. Other than that, I'd say to try the usual organic solvents: Methyl ethyl ketone, chlorinated hydrocarbons, that sort of thing. Again, expect to have to do some scrubbing.

Al Moore

Tony: I'd either seal them in plastic with silica gel or dehumidify the storage area. I put a dehumidifier in my new shop to avoid rust and corrosion of my stuff. Unfortunately, dehumidifiers don't work at low temperatures so I must keep an area heated. I've just started with this. I can get the humidity down to about 50% at 58 degrees. I have no idea what humidity has to be to prevent rust. Please let me know if you get any good plans from email or posting on the other group. gl John

(2) - NOT WD40!

How about a citrus solution ? Martin

A TU80? Heh, that is vintage. I have one of those sitting across from me from an abandoned project (I think I paid $50 US for it 6 or 7 years ago).

To get off the packing tape, try isopropyl alcohol and some elbow grease. What would really work well though is try to find some label remover from a really good office supply. I don't know what solvent it is, but it works extremely well without attacking the paint. Naptha or mineral spirits would probably also work. Don't use brake fluid - it will attack the paint.

WD40 will make a mess. You can get spray on rust preventers from machinery supply houses, it will leave a thin waxy film on the metal. I'm not so sure that's a good thing for electronic/computer equipment though. The best thing to do is to keep it in a humidity and temp controlled environment.

For polishing, I'd probably get some Flitz metal polish. That stuff works pretty well at removing oxidation without damaging the underlying surface.

Do you want to just look at them or keep it operational? That has some bearing on what measures you can take.

Pauls

Many thanks for everyone's help

Tony

Humidity below 50%. Where I used to work the spec was humidity 20 to

For other rust solutions search on " Google Groups ". Various waxes work well. I like microcrystaline wax thinned with ATF, but mostly because I have been given a bunch of Microcrystaline wax and ATF is cheap.

Dan

Yes - I think that's where most of our problems come from.

If you wouldn't mind - please have another look at

We have a problem in that the barn is cut in to the bottom of a plateau and the leach drain I built is probably already choked with clay. Also there is no moisture membrane under the slab - a major oversite caused by my own ignorance.

Last winter I ran the fluro's in the barn for two months during the worst of winter. (about 800 W and added $200 to my electricity bill) It took the edge off the temperature - but I don't know if it kept all the cabinet metal above the dew point.

I am planning to line the barn with polystyrene that I am scavanging for $0 - don't know if this will help at all. Also thinking I should maybe run a string of 12V auto lamps along the corridors at ground level to provide some gentle warmth.

There is no problem at the moment of course - it is summer and the barn is getting a good baking - most days the temperature is between

Many thanks Tony

Yes they are lovely - aren't they.

If it was something you could fit in a shoe box and send in the mail - I would make you an offer for it :-)

Best wishes Tony

Condensation occurs when the metal part is colder than the air and colder than the dew point. If I were you, I would install fans instead of heaters. The idea is that the circulating air keeps the metal at the same temperature as the air. So you don't get condensation. Fans take less power than heaters.

Paint can be effective as a vapor barrier, so you might want to paint the floors. Some paints are better as vapor barriers than others. In the States Glidden used to sell a paint that was spec'ed for vapor transmission.

Dan

Thanks Dan

Two very good ideas that I hadn't considered

We actually have some 240 computer fans in the collection. I cannot afford to install "WhirlyBirds" but I could box these fans up, install them at the peak and run large conduit to the eaves in the top peak and pump the air to outside (or should I just recirculate it ?)

many thanks Tony

news:...