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Home Forums 68kMLA Boatload of Stuff — #5
Post #5 by wally
Source Forum68kMLA
CategoryPeripherals
Post DateWed, 25 Feb 2009 - 21:50
Original URLhttps://68kmla.org/bb/threads/boatload-of-stuff.16698/
Post
...Now, The only real problem (aside from the space it takes up...and that there are no Macintosh systems...) with this stuff is that it was in a smoking environment. It's not yellowed, but some stuff smells HORRIBLE. Can anyone here recommend a method of removing this smell from the stuff?
The cleaning/airing suggestions of the earlier posters may be sufficient for the items less contaminated mainly on the outside by falling smoke particles. But for items with cooling fans inside (if the smoker was nearby) you will likely need to disassemble them and wipe down the areas where tar from the smoke has condensed using ethanol. You can do a controlled experiment where you first simply run a dirty cooling fan for a day or two, then wipe the fan blades with water only, then with water and detergent and inspect the towel as you wipe each time. Then get some ethanol (denatured alcohol/shellac thinner from a paint/hardware store) and wipe again and look at the paper towel, it likely will have some stinky stuff: yellow brown tar stain that the previous water cleanings did not remove. My experience with a smoker's Mac IIci is that the stink persists for years unless cleaned with alcohol wipe down. In that particular case I ended up having to completely disassemble the IIci power supply to clean it. The areas immediately up and down stream of the airmover fan, and the fan itself, are the ones to clean first, then the cabinet walls inside and out. I found I could blast away soot accumulations with a shop vac on blow, but the tar coating still stunk until I wiped it away with alcohol. If you have to bathe a circuit board use an alcohol spray bottle and a natural bristle paint brush and allow lots of drying time.

mp.ls