Alright, folks,...full report time...
I wanted to share this, in hopes that it may help someone. If it saves just one mod!!!......
So,...what we had here, was a seizure of the button. I'm talkin',...the button was completely stuck, in the up position. Would not depress, at all. This is what I found......
Some juice had seeped in around the button. That juice had then dried, and become sticky like glue. I poured some alcohol around the button and let it sit for a few minutes. The alcohol slowly seeped in around the button, and loosed the bond, created by the juice.... I was then able to free the button from the button hole.
I try to fit the buttons with a slim tolerance so that there's very little play. I'd hate for the button to seem wobbly.... As a result of this slim tolerance, the button and button hole must be kept clean, preferably with alcohol and a Q-tip, followed by your favorite metal polish or wax, on a regular basis. How regular a basis, will depend on you're particular situation. I do mine about once every 2 weeks or so... However,... if your button starts to feel a little "sticky", that'd be a good time to do it.
I should think that something like Simichrome metal polish would work great, especially on brass.
So,...here she is,...ready for the trip home, first thing in the morning...
All better.