thetypewriterman wrote:

Since I am based in England, where the use and ownership of firearms is strictly controlled, firearms cleaning products are not in general circulation.  I cannot give you a first-hand opinion other than to wonder if there is anything in the spray that would dissolve plastic.  That might be a possibility since (as far as I know) plastic parts aren't commonly used in weapons.  Other than that reservation, I cannot see any real problems using it.  Why not give it a very cautious try and let everyone know if it worked out OK ?

Hey typewriterman. Actually, I thought It was only over here where I reside it was hard to get hold of such products. Sure, why not? I was wondering whether it would damage rubber/plastic. Well, I will try to get a toothpick or something to facilitate the whole process of lubing up the pivots and all other necessary parts. I read somewhere online that just a little drop of lube would be more than adequate where metal meets metal. Perhaps you could shine some light on where I should be placing the lube. 

Currently, the typewriter is pretty much cleaned up. But I still have a few issues though.

1. I used a dishwashing soap with warm water and an old toothbrush to brush out stains on the exterior of the frame. I managed to get some brown dirt out but this particular area had a streak of stubborn stain that won't want to come out. I even tried toothpaste and scrubbed with pressure but nothing changed. The Zippo lighter fluid(naphtha it is) was another that produced no result. I am not sure what the stain is. Once the stain is out, I am thinking about applying some Renaissance Wax to give a good sheen. Here is a picture of it close up. 



2. These rubber washers that sit on the four corners are well depressed and brittle. Both are of a different size. Should I get the rounded ones that look like donuts or just the flat ones? Any recommendations?
 





3. The carriage return lever as you will see below has been cleaned. It came with surface grime and had some brown rust like spots that went off with some zippo. I can't seem to get them to look like restored typewriter levers- all polished and shiny. Would Mother's Mag or Autosol fix this?



Thank you in advance!

Hi AT-84

​Mother's Mag & Alloy polish should work just fine for the return lever. For the stain on the ribbon cover, try Scrubbing Bubbles® bathroom cleaner. Make sure cover is dry, shake the can well and spray the cover. Let soak for 2 to 5 minutes, scrub gently with a soft bristled dish brush and rinse off. If stain is actually in the paint, you can try an automotive cutting compound that actually removes the top surface layer of paint. If this doesn't work, your only option left may be to strip and repaint.

​As for the rubber washers, I think you'll find those are actually grommets that are pushed into the hole, then the brass tube is slid through the grommet. Push the brass tube out of one, and work the grommet out of the hole. Take the grommet down to your nearest automotive parts store (Napa, Autozone, Bumper to Bumper) and see if they can supply you with anything close to what you have. Hope this points you in the right direction,

Sky

Hi Again AT-84

​Here's where filling out your personal details including your location in your profile really helps us to know what may or may not me available in your area. I tried to figure out the thread size in the spool nut, but don't have a metric threading tap that small. All the best,

Sky

Thank you sky and typewriterman.

Sky, I just can't seem to get the platen out. The right knob came out without a problem after i removed the two screws holding it in place on the shank. The left side is the problem. I saw an earlier thread here and you posted some steps on how to go by doing it. I tried but the platen does not move at all. I do not want to use any force here and vreak something. I sprayed some PB on the left thread/shank to loosen it up.

Hey Sky,

Thank you for the reply. I tried doing it the way you have instructed buy it does not move at all. I sprayed PB penetrant to these two spots as shown by the blue arrows in hope that it would loosen up. Even after a few hours, I tried turning the knob in the direction opposite to that of feeding the paper, nothing moved. Have I sprayed the right spots to loosen the threads? 




The yellow arrows point to the patchy white spots. This is after using the rubber rejuvenator. It did nothing to remove these spots. Similar spots were on the rubber feets and I got scraped out literally. Will de-natured alcohol remove this?

Green arrows indicate the directions the carriage release lever was moved(all the way to the right) and the left platen knob was turned. 




The spot circled in red shows how far the dishwashing paste went into removing the stain. The stain has faded quite a bit but I am wondering if it has gone so far that I could see the bare aluminium beneath the paint coat.I also observed that the paste left a matt finish on where the stain was removed. The last picture will give you an idea of what it looks like now with the gloss off the cleaned area. The bottom part which is dull is the cleaned area. Apparently, the paste did nothing to the clean spots. Do you think I should go ahead and clean it this way? 
 




Thank you once again sky. I am truly grateful to you and the others, who have taken time to help me. I hope this thread can serve as a reference for other users who encounter problems similar to this. If there is anything else that I can do, please let me know.