best Wico balltop rust removal tips?

mecha

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I picked up 4 balltops last week, and they have a ton of rust on the shafts. this is my first experience with balltop joysticks, I was wondering what everyone's best tips are to lubricate them and get the rust off the shafts.

I might get some pics up later.

from another thread on here, some people suggested putting sandpaper in a drill and sticking the joystick in there and running it... someone else with steel wool. thoughts?
 
I use a combination of letting the shafts soak in CLR and then spinning in a drill with steel wool.
 
what about the springs and such, soak those too? the whole stick's movement feel stiff on all 4 of em, I remembered them as being very soft. is that because of all the rust?

OH, I also forgot, what do you use to clean the actual ball? like if it's got scuffs on it.
 
I think I've read where people use naval jelly for the rust and novus for the balltops.
 
+1 on the Novus

Also, before spinning the shaft in a drill, tape the bottom of the ball so that you do not accidentally scratch it.

I throw all the hardware in CLR
 
I think I've read where people use naval jelly for the rust and novus for the balltops.

naval jelly! I was reading another thread about the DK sticks like a couple weeks ago, couldn't find it in search.

I have Novus #2, I'll give it a whirl.
 
well, I did the following:

the ball top I plastered with some Novus #2 -- stuck the shaft in the drill, and buffed accordingly with an old t-shirt.

the shaft itself, I only had some spray CLR, so I sprayed it, put it in the drill, cupped it with some steel wool, ran it until my hand got very hot. :p

the grommet/plate, I hit with some 3 use lubricating oil, then scraped whatever that black shit was caked around the rim of the grommet with a flathead out. washed it with dish soap/hot water, then ran it under one of the blow dryers in the bathroom until the water was evaporated.

the washers and springs inside the bases I soaked in the CLR I sprayed into a cup. wiped the springs off.

I was fairly impressed with the improvement, the joysticks can move freely again. there's still some markings in the shafts, it's not rust, but like whatever that dark texture is they can get, they have that. the steel wool couldn't get it out.

I mounted them in a 3/4" wooden panel... they ride pretty low. now I know the difference between a 3.5" Wico stick and a 4"! I'm sure I can find something to do with them though. in all honesty, I think the joysticks on our 2 player High Impact Football back in the day actually were THAT low.
 

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one thing that works well is if you have a bench grinder, use the brush side of it to polish and remove the rust from the stick. that's what i did with the sticks in my multi williams.
 
I've used a vibratory tumble w/ corn cob media. Left run overnight brings most parts shiney as new. Also shines up the ball nice too. Since it's low friction, no need to worry about scratches. But, if your still concerned, just tape up the ball.
 
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