Thanks for the reminder. In the past I have used a bit of mineral oil or
instrument oil for flight instruments (I am a flight simulator tech) to brighten
the chip markings so they were easier to read. It is rare that I come across
sanded chips so I had forgotten all about that until your mention of something
oily. Thanks again.

Cheers,
Lawrence

Arfa Daily wrote:

Sometimes, when these jokers sand the tops off of ICs, they don't do a very
good job. On many occasions, I've been able to recover at least a partial
number by moistening my finger tip, and just wiping it across the top of the
IC, whilst shining a strong light at it. Sometimes, something more oily does
the trick. Worth a try.

Arfa