Many of us have used Lorlin switches on builds, more than likely because they’re affordable. While they’ve been reliable for me, they certainly don’t feel that wonderful compared to Elma, Grayhill, etc., especially with smaller knobs. While removing a PCB from one recently, I ended up popping the back cover off with it. It turned out to be a happy accident, as Bob Ross would say. I decided to disassemble the entire switch to see how it works mechanically, and discovered that they’re completely dry, with a spring and two balls that ride in the plastic notches in the body. I was able to noticeably improve the feel by doing the following:
1.) I went to my local Ace Hardware and got a tube of Super Lube and syringes.
2.) Make sure the switch is in position 1, then remove the back cover from the switch. It was easy to do prying one tab at a time with my fingernail, lifting the body past the tab, and working my way around. Once they’re all free, carefully remove it, or all of the fingers will go flying. Take a picture or notate their orientation, then remove them as well and set them to the side. The reason I start with it in position 1 is so a ball lines up with this raceway:
3.) Place your finger in front of the raceway so the ball doesn’t shoot across the room and slowly lower the body until the ball pops out, then you can drop the body completely and remove the spring and second ball.
4.) Run a thin bead of the Super Lube (or silicon grease of your choice) around the notches, and smear a little on the shaft.
5.) Reassemble in reverse order, then you’re done! I raise the body just enough to get the first ball in, then spring, then I use anything with a flat face (i.e. a hex wrench) to push the second ball in while raising the body the rest of the way. After replacing the fingers, go slow and square with replacing the back cover and keep an eye on the fingers to make sure any didn’t hop off of their posts.
Side note: if you’re not comfortable with disassembling the switch, or it’s already soldered to a PCB, you can also remove the lock ring and inject a little into each hole in the front. That was my initial reason for buying the syringes. You’ll have to rotate the shaft as you go to maintain an open hole (see arrow). The only real difference vs. the more elaborate method above is that the shaft won’t receive any grease.
1.) I went to my local Ace Hardware and got a tube of Super Lube and syringes.
2.) Make sure the switch is in position 1, then remove the back cover from the switch. It was easy to do prying one tab at a time with my fingernail, lifting the body past the tab, and working my way around. Once they’re all free, carefully remove it, or all of the fingers will go flying. Take a picture or notate their orientation, then remove them as well and set them to the side. The reason I start with it in position 1 is so a ball lines up with this raceway:
3.) Place your finger in front of the raceway so the ball doesn’t shoot across the room and slowly lower the body until the ball pops out, then you can drop the body completely and remove the spring and second ball.
4.) Run a thin bead of the Super Lube (or silicon grease of your choice) around the notches, and smear a little on the shaft.
5.) Reassemble in reverse order, then you’re done! I raise the body just enough to get the first ball in, then spring, then I use anything with a flat face (i.e. a hex wrench) to push the second ball in while raising the body the rest of the way. After replacing the fingers, go slow and square with replacing the back cover and keep an eye on the fingers to make sure any didn’t hop off of their posts.
Side note: if you’re not comfortable with disassembling the switch, or it’s already soldered to a PCB, you can also remove the lock ring and inject a little into each hole in the front. That was my initial reason for buying the syringes. You’ll have to rotate the shaft as you go to maintain an open hole (see arrow). The only real difference vs. the more elaborate method above is that the shaft won’t receive any grease.
