For cleaning up gunky machines I've aquired too much stuff already! Some is stuff I already had on hand, and some I've aquired as I needed them.

-A blower attachment for the air compressor is great for blowing out initial guck and guck released in later steps.
-Naptha (which is similar to mineral spirits)- use this to clean and I also dilute sewing machine oil with it for very light oiling
-singer sewing machine oil
-q-tips (big box)
-old toothbrushes
-turtle wax polishing compound for cleaning outsides
-turtle wax hard coat for polishing outside
-mother's Mag for polishing metal parts
-rubber Renue for cleaning platen and paper feeds (smelly, use outside)
-hot glue for reattaching sagging or loose felt
-tiny crochet hook for reattaching springs
-needle nose pliers for various things
-small screwdriver with interchangeable bits
-soft scrub for cleaning dirty Bakelite or glass key tops or non-shiny finishes (test first)
-winded for polishing glass key tops (spray on paper towel or use sparingly so it doesn't leak under glass)

For regular maintenace, I haven't really thought about it yet since I haven't been maintaining a collection for long.  I suppose I'd just use some of the stuff above, and maybe stiff bristled paint brush to clean off the segment and brush dust away.

hamidlmt wrote:

.... snip ....
i keep hearing about sewing machine oil. But this isn't good in the segments? What do ya'll use in the segments then if a key starts to become sticky?

First of all, do not oil the segment at all; it is designed to run dry. As are most of the other parts of a typewriter. The mechanisms are all low speed, low force, low range-of-motion and so are not so dependent on lubrication as are many other machines we are familiar with. Read various forums and blogs to get a feel for the possible places to oil a typewriter. A squeak will indicate need for lube, and the carriage rails are often candidates for lube, but be very sparing otherwise. If the typebars are sticking in the segment, it is because they have been oiled (or maybe rusted or bent or gummed up with flakey correction dandruff).

That said, when oil is needed sewing machine oil is just about perfect and one reason is that it is so much cheaper than gun oil, which is also perfect. Many people today swear by modern silicon and/or graphite lubricants, which also have big advantages. Do not use the common household names like 3-In-1 nor WD-40---just don't. They soon age to a gummy consistency and harden into a shellac-like glue. They are simply not designed to lubricate precision machinery.

Last edited by M. Höhne (05-5-2015 07:54:17)

Yes, for the similar mechanical parts, but electric machines also have unique mechanical parts, like the motor, that will have specific requirements.

Michael's (M. Höhne) advice is sound, and should be considered a rule of thumb, but I would caution against relying on information found in "blogs". In my experience, and I've read many, many typewriter blogs, they are often a source of incorrect information and outright speculation. Even respected collectors sometimes get things wrong, and I've seen the direct effect of an incorrect statement repeated countless times because of cut and paste bloggers. 

Instead, I would rely on the first hand advice of professional repairmen (such as thetypewriterman in this forum), manufacturer-supplied owner's and service manuals, and published repair and maintenance books, a lot of which is available online. Remember folks, just because you found it on the internet doesn't mean it's accurate, or even correct.

With respect to oiling mechanical models, I posted instructions for dunk cleaning a machine  that appeared in a periodical from the '50s that contained good advice on oiling (read the last section). Such articles are often a good source of reliable information, especially when you consider that they were written during the height of typewriter use.