Subject: Cleaning Used Ham Gear

1) I have recently acquired a used HF rig at a swap meet that was
heavily stained by tabacco.  I found that a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen
peroxide and water took the nicotine stains off the front panel and
knobs.  The rig now looks almost brand new!
   
2) In those little grooves using a cleaner like Breeze (or your
favorite) with an old TOOTHBRUSH cleans out all the impacted dust
and other grime.
 
3) On many computer keyboards it is possible to remove the keys.
This will let you soak and clean the keys to make it look as good
as new.  ALSO it gives you access to anything that has ever dropped
between the keys.  On the mechanical keyboards you can even clean the
contacts and correct prblems due to oxidation.
 
4)  Air.  If you do not have access to a air compressor, use the
vaccume cleaner.  Over time dust can KILL electronic equipment by
trapping heat and being a conduit for static electricity which
can fry some IC chips.
 
5) In those delicate areas where cleaning with water could be dangerious
using a small amount of lighter fluid on a rag does a great cleaning job.
Lighter fluid is also great for removing the sticky gum left from removing
old labels and double sided tape and oily residues where soap and water
have little effect.

6) Once you've cleaned off the grime and stains from a piece of gear using
the peroxide and water tip, Item #1, try applying some ARMOR ALL "protectant"
(available at automotive supply stores) to the panel and cabinet.  It comes
in both gloss and non-gloss formulations and seems to do a nice job of
restoring that "new look", while at the same time repelling future dust
build-up by equalizing static charges.