Chopstick Q-tip / OCD

[FBz]

Like oriental food and lack access to micro-swabs?

*Of course the same can be accomplished by clamping small bits of cotton between the jaws of very tiny hemostats - but there’s that aversion about metal objects coming into contact with circuit boards, etcetera. AND you could just use a toothpick alone… to approach this. (I like the long handle of the chop stick.)



Rotating a #11 X-Acto knife blade around and into one side of the thinnest portion of a chopstick (centered), until it’s point is just visible coming through the opposite side of the chopstick… then boring through from that other side of the stick with the same blade in that spot, one can make that hole just large enough to push a wooden toothpick through. (Snug enough that you need no glue.)

Then using a very small amount of cotton ball or a bit pulled off the tip of an actual cotton swab, you can twirl that bit onto either end of the toothpick. Using some applied cleaning solution of your choice, it becomes quite easy to thoroughly clean between the keys of your keyboard… replacing the swirled cotton tip as necessary along the way. AND using 91% isopropyl alcohol on that cotton tip - can also allow one to clean smaller internal parts and areas on PCBs.

Now I want oriental food. 

[Philgood]

It's refreshing to see people like you taking the effort to document that kind of stuff. Also very entertaining, for me at least.

I just can't get around to do it by myself. I hope karma doesn't come knock on my door.
Will always try to help though through comments on electronic stuff on my amateur level.

[GaryN]

For those who not so Asiatically inclined, you can actually buy swabs in a LOT of different sizes.
These I get from a company called Harmony Safety and Medical.
They're perfect for getting into places regular ones won't go: into RCA jacks, USB plugs and sockets, cracks and crevices of all kinds, like keyboards.

The only drawback is you have to buy 1000 of them…although even that's only 33 bucks and you'll probably only ever have to buy them once in your life.

The pic shows regular size and micro-tip.

[Syntho]

Those micro tip ones would be perfect for cleaning pickup selector switches. I had some dollar store Q tips and making the cotton go in between those metal legs was difficult.

[FBz]

Hey thanks Philgood, I appreciate your comments. (That's the spirit!) Seems that we all have more than enough to be damned deadly serious about these days. So an occasional bit of thinly-veiled levity (even as a possible helpful hint ) couldn’t hurt?

“…lack access to micro-swabs?”


Have often been tempted to purchase 100 cotton-tipped micro swabs before ($10.00 in the cosmetics departments of finer drug & variety stores). The quick, easy & cheap toothpick & cotton approach works very well. Maybe I prefer to roll my own? Only takes a second.

Recent example below: “Q-pick” used with a salt, flour and vinegar paste.
(Now I want Fish & Chips.)