Re: Sticky mouse?

[moon@cambridge.apple.com (David A. Moon)]

> Date: Wed, 15 May 91 16:24 PDT
> From: JFK@BOLD-EAGLE.varian.dialnet.symbolics.com (Joe F. Karnicky)
> 
> (2) I have a Hawley X063X Mark II mouse (steel ball) that sticks now
> and then.   Is it reasonable to take off the bottem plate and try to
> clean it up? or am I asking for trouble?  What solvent should I use?
> (we're no longer on a Symbolics hardware maintenance contract).

I used to clean mine about once a month.  It's no big deal to unscrew
the bottom plate, clean the ball, and put the bottom plate back on, so
long as you're not clumsy and don't lose any parts nor force any fits.
Don't use any solvent, just wipe off the ball with kleenex.  Important:
there are several steel rings that rub dirt off the ball.  Most of the
dirt will be on these and you should clean them carefully.  Again just
wipe them.  Depending on how greasy your dirt is you may need to run
your kleenex over each ring several times before you get it gleaming
and clean.  Try to avoid touching any of the little springy wires and
the cylinders they rub against, they are delicate.  However, sometimes
a mouse that seems to stick or be broken really has one of those wires
bent out of shape and then you can fix it with tweezers, but you run
a risk of breaking it completely.

When evaluating the above advice, bear in mind that I have destroyed
at least two of those mice during my career.