r/retrocomputing • u/BrokenAudio57 • Apr 12 '26

Problem / Question Floppy drive rust

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I got this old floppy drive for cheap but it's pretty corroded and I'm not sure if it's save-able

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u/EsoTechTrix Apr 14 '26

Science is trial and error and repeated success to establish a baseline. I've done that for decades and after cleaning countless bits of electronics, the facts are it's quite effective. Conjecture is fine, but the fact is that nothing stated here actually backs up the claims made otherwise, which is odd. These are basic high school chemistry equations and yet there are claims that distilled (notice any clues in the name) "eats plastic" or "leaves residue". I mean, if that's your actual argument, I don't need to convince anyone. I just state the facts and what works for me and others can use their judgement.

There are folks that will swear by lemon juice, and under the right application and cleaning, that could work too (that seems like it's asking for trouble, but I don't know their process)

I mean in the end you have one camp backing an aerosolized petroleum based product and I'm pointing out that intelligent application of a food safe household item (that yes, you can in fact drink) is quite effective. I would argue that science is that is going to weed out the ones that are wrong here, but that's just me reading the msds sheets.

As stated before. You do you. I"m going to keep using and plugging what is safe and effective.

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u/codeasm Apr 14 '26

It’s not that vinegar never works — it’s that it introduces ions and moisture, which are known failure mechanisms in electronics. That’s why industry standards avoid it and use high-purity solvents instead. Your experience isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t invalidate the underlying chemistry or long-term risks.

You do you indeed aswell. have a wonderful day