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12-4-2015 16:05:40  #1


Cleaning Help

Hi guys, quick post here. 

Just today, I picked up an Olympia De Luxe Typewriter (for five bucks, I might add). Everything looks great, except...the keys are stuck. Like, they won't even depress all the way so that the stamp can reach the paper. 

So, looking at Google, I saw that denatured alcohol would work. Then, looking at Reddit, I saw that you should never use denatured alcohol. Not that I had any, anyways.

But, I do have some charcoal lighter fluid and I noticed that lighter fluid might work....

What's your opinion, guys?

 

12-4-2015 17:18:28  #2


Re: Cleaning Help

Well for starters, which "DeLuxe" is it? Olympia made many typewriters with "DeLuxe" in their name.

There's the SM-9 DeLuxe:


The SM-3 DeLuxe:


The SG-3 DeLuxe:


The SF DeLuxe:


And finally the Traveller DeLuxe:


Olympia never really put names on their models, so it's always hard to tell what it is. 

If yours is an SF/Traveller, then you'll need to clean the segment with whatever you prefer. If it's an SM-9/SM-3, then there should be a lever in the lefthand corner of the keyboard. Flick the lever back, and you'll hear a click. The keys will be free to move at that point. The SG models, I am not sure if they have a carriage lock lever since I don't own one yet. 

I hope you will be able to enjoy your Olympia, they certainly are the best!


A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
 

12-4-2015 18:04:15  #3


Re: Cleaning Help

I'm a bit confused, as none of the photos you posted don't look like the one I have.

How do I include images in a post? I have a photo of the typewriter.

EDIT -- Just did some research. It's an Olympia DeLuxe SM9.

Last edited by blarghith (12-4-2015 18:12:43)

     Thread Starter
 

12-4-2015 18:44:35  #4


Re: Cleaning Help

Alright, so it is the SM-9. To answer your question about how to upload a photo, here's a link to a thread that will answer your question.

http://typewriter.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=10


A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
 

12-4-2015 18:49:10  #5


Re: Cleaning Help

Have you checked to see if the lock is on? Right next to the Margin Release key (MR), there's a little switch. When it's locked, it prevents any key from being depressed and it causes the typeslugs (the 'stamps') to travel a fraction of the distance to the page before they lock.

EDIT: If you can upload a picture of your machine, that might help.

Last edited by teeritz (12-4-2015 18:50:07)


My blog, about typewriters,wristwatches, fountain pens, Bond, and whatever else happens to be polluting my mind at any given time;
---->   http://teeritz.blogspot.com.au
 

12-4-2015 19:03:50  #6


Re: Cleaning Help

     Thread Starter
 

13-4-2015 06:52:17  #7


Re: Cleaning Help

Did you try the switch that was mentioned above, and if so, did it work or not?

 

13-4-2015 06:54:59  #8


Re: Cleaning Help

Tried the switch. It can lock and unlock the carriage, but no luck with the keys.

EDIT -- should probably mention I've tried literally every switch, to no avail.

Last edited by blarghith (13-4-2015 06:59:21)

     Thread Starter
 

13-4-2015 13:39:33  #9


Re: Cleaning Help

That's a sweet machine, from the 70s. I have its big brother, the late-70s SG3, and it types like a complete beauty! I think just give the thing a good old clean. In my experience they mostly just want a little love, and yours sounds like a classic case of 'stuck down due to old oil and dust'.

Get a typewriter cleaning brush or a decent quality paint brush - about an inch wide or smaller - and just dust out all the workings underneath, being really careful of springs and tiny moving parts. Especially dust the slots at the end of the type bars, where the printing happens. Then you can dip this brush in metholated spirits and do it again, especially the slots. The whole segment - whre the type bars are - really should get a good thorough clean. If there's a lot of dust in there it can take ages to get every last bit out. Also, you can use Q tips to really clean things. I clean the whole of each type bar, and you need also to get old ink out of the letters themselves.

The thing with the meths is that it evaporates and leaves no sediment - and it sort of dissolves away all the grease and dirt. It's great stuff.

And NEVER put oil in the segment!

This is my basic method, anyway - Uwe or someone else may have other advice. This one should be lovely once you get it loosened up.

Last edited by KatLondon (14-4-2015 01:29:44)

 

13-4-2015 13:41:02  #10


Re: Cleaning Help

Oh, and also, if you do feel you need to oil anything, NEVER use WD40 in a typewriter - it will gunge everything up irredeemably, from what I've heard. Use sewing machine oil. 

 

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