"None" wrote in message
. ..
Hi all,

I have several old Vibroplex bugs in my collection - what
is the
best way to clean them without having to disassemble them?

I was wondering about a warm-water full immersion bath
with a light detergent (hand dish soap I was thinking) and
letting
them soak, then wipe all areas clean in the water, and
then air
dry quickly (blow dryer).

Is this wise, unwise, or simply not going to be effective?

Thanks!

Dave WB7AWK
If they are very dirty its best to disassemble them.
Its not difficult but make drawings so you remember where
things go. However, the technique is pretty much the same
either way. Use a solution of dishwashing detergent for
overall cleaning using a toothbrush to scrub off the dirt.
Use toothpaste for the chrome parts, again using a
toothbrush. Be very careful of oxide removers like
Barkeepers Friend because they can remove some of the
chrome. The same for chrome or metal polish. I've found
that war time keys especially have very poor plating,
probably because both chrome and nickel were restricted
materials.
Clean the contacts with plain bond paper followed by a
drop of contact cleaner. Contact cleaner also works as a
mild lubricant for the trunions of the lever.
Once cleaned the key should be dried out in a oven with
just the pilot going. The problem with cleaning when
assembled is that water can get down into the screws and can
cause corrosion.
Adjustment of bugs is fairly simple and of course shold
be done to the taste of the operator. The military had a
starting set-up which I find about right. For the older
"standard" key set the stop for the dot side at about 0.015"
and the dot contact gap at 0.010. For "Lightening Bug" types
set the dot gap for 0.010 rather than 0.015 because the
distances to the fulcrum are different. These settings will
result in about the same movemet of the dot lever. The dash
distance is about the same on both types of keys. Other
adjustments are fairly obvious and spring tension is to
taste. Usually, I set both springs at about half way to
begin.
Minimum dot speed is dependant on the strength of the
main spring, that is the flat spring that attaches the
pendulum to the lever. This is fixed on most bugs. The
stronger the spring the faster the minimum dot speed.
If you have a Lionel J-36 that still has the label on
it be very careful not to get it wet. The labels on these
keys are made of cellulose acetate to save metal and are
typically shrunk and very fragile. They have broken off long
ago on most of these keys.


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA