Apple Keyboard II - How to safely take off keys?

[Johnnya101]

I'm trying to take all of the keys off my keyboard, to clean, but they are really stuck on. I don't want to break anything. How can I take them off??

 

[snuci]

The key caps come off but you need to be careful.  make sure you raise up both side evenly.  This is best done with a key cap puller but could be done with two paper clips.

Here is what the keyboard looks like taken apart:  https://deskthority.net/wiki/Apple_Keyboard_II

 

[Johnnya101]

Oop. It's not a II just a normal I...

Same thing? Just lift the keys?

 

[Gorgonops]

When you say it's a "Normal I" do you mean it's this keyboard:

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Apple_Standard_Keyboard

Or the IIgs keyboard?

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Apple_Desktop_Bus_Keyboard

... I guess both of those use an overlapping set of keyswitches, so maybe it doesn't matter. These pages have links that eventually lead to detailed discussions on how to take the mechanisms apart, if necessary.

 

[Johnnya101]

Yes, the standard.

 

[Scott Squires]

Use a keycap puller and wiggle it around as you gently pull up to avoid breaking the stem off. Be careful of the wide keys that have stabilizers. You want to get the stem lose without breaking the stabilizer hooks which will still be attached after the cap is free from the switch. After the cap is free of the switch, you can easily unhook the stabilizer. It's easier to do these keys last so you have more room around them.

 

[Johnnya101]

I don't have a key cap remover, so I'll buy one now. They are cheap luckily.