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19-6-2015 13:54:31  #1


Order of cleaning

Is there a particular order that is followed when cleaning a typewriter? Or maintaining one?


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
 

19-6-2015 14:05:00  #2


Re: Order of cleaning

Do you mean a typewriter that is new to you? Or one that is a part of your collection?


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

19-6-2015 15:24:50  #3


Re: Order of cleaning

Either.  I have one in my collection (Remington 17) that needs some TLC, though it will put print on page, just not very well.


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
     Thread Starter
 

19-6-2015 15:35:46  #4


Re: Order of cleaning

When I get a new machine that's in rough conditionI always give a cursory cleaning first just to get all the cobwebs and mouse poo out of it, and make it a little more pleasant to work on. Next I test every single function of the typewriter to determine what, if anything, needs repair. After any repairs have been made and the machine is working fairly well I'll do a more detailed cleaning. A really foul machine might need a dunk cleaning first, but otherwise I just work methodically from top to bottom concentrating on the mechanical components first and leaving the trim, paint, and keys for last.

Only after a machine is very clean do I worry about lightly oiling it. I use sewing machine oil, and apply it to the mainspring drum axle, the carriage rails, sub-key assemblies (front and back), the ribbon transport and spool gearing, and the moving parts of the escapement. 

On machines that are in better condition and are working well, I tend to combine maintenence with typing: type a little, clean a little, tinker with or clean anything that I notice needs attention when I'm using the machine. 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

29-6-2015 14:21:10  #5


Re: Order of cleaning

On the other hand, sometimes things that seem not to be working can start working again once they\ve been cleaned... I tend to clean as  I go.

 

29-6-2015 14:42:22  #6


Re: Order of cleaning

I don't really have a method/order for cleaning. I tend to jump around and do whatever suits me at the moment.  Eventually, it all gets done.  Usually, I start with the inside, but I'll often skip back and forth between inside and outside.  Seems like getting the outside clean is a bit of a morale boost and gives me hope that it will look good as well as work well. I should probably be more organized, but I'm doing this for fun, so I do whatever strikes me. Of course, once you've gotten a cover off (a difficult cover, yes, I'm taking to you, Royal Royalite) it makes sense to do all you can to the inside before getting it back on.

 

29-6-2015 14:53:37  #7


Re: Order of cleaning

At Royal we used the following as a guide to checking the fictions on a typewriter 
1 Carriage to Base, Line Space and Paper Feed
2 Ring and Cylinder
3 Writing Line and Motion
4 Shift Locks
5 Type Bar Trip and Escapement Limits
6 Bichrome
7 Margins, Tabulator, Back Space, Space Bar
8 Ribbon Drive and Reverses
9 Aligning
10 Scales
11 Covers and Panels 
 

Last edited by dukedford (29-6-2015 14:55:02)

 

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