1 of 1- Laurenz van Gaalen
- Speed Champion
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- From: The Netherlands
- Registered: 20-7-2019
- Posts: 412
Over-cleaning
Hello all,
I recently bought an SM2, and although it was working nice, I cleaned it very thorough with mineral spirits. After that the touch was noticeably worse than before. When typing I could feel and hear the metal parts scrape against each other. Now and then a squeaking sound was coming from the machine.
I had the same experience with my SM9, although less extreme.
Now I am wondering, is it possible to over-clean typewriters? Do they leave the factory with a tiny amount of lubrication that is removed by my cleaning method? Is there something else I overlook?
Thanks,
Lau
- Phil_F_NM
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Re: Over-cleaning
Did you lube the typewriter after you cleaned it? Pretty much every metal to meetal interface should have some sort of lube with the exception of the typebars in the segment.
Phil Forrest
- skywatcher
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- Registered: 14-3-2013
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Re: Over-cleaning
Hi Laurenz
I had the same experience with my first Olympia SM-4, got it all nicely cleaned up, then it developed an annoying little squeak. I found that with a frugal application of Liquid Bearings® synthetic oil with the extra long needle to all pivot points, linkages, sliding and rolling parts, the squeak disappeared and the machine operated beautifully smoothly. That was 6 years ago and it still operates silky smooth. Hope this gives you something to work with,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- Laurenz van Gaalen
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Re: Over-cleaning
Thanks Phil and Sky,
I generally not lube typewriters, except for the carriage rails.
Typewriter manuals mention "... typewriters should be oiled infrequently, only by a professional typewriter repairman...". Because I am not, and some people on the internet advice not to oil at all, I deceided to stay on the safe side.
It has worked so far, almost all my machines work nice without oil or grease. Except for most of my Olympia SMs and a few other.
After reading your posts, I wonder if I need to lube every typewriter, or just the ones that have some issues?
Lau
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Thread Starter- Phil_F_NM
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Re: Over-cleaning
The squeaky wheel gets the oil.
I don't know about the philosophy of running a typewriter dry but it seems to me to be inviting excessive wear, over a shorter period of time than with some sort of lube.
The metal on metal interfaces will chip off tiny pieces and create a sort of grinding compound, which may act as a bit of a bearing surface for a very short amount of time, but it will wear out parts far sooner than with oil. You can try this out in a cheap way by getting two new bicycle chains. Install one and ride it for a month, then remove it. Completely remove the factory oil from the other with a good degreaser, then install it on a bicycle and ride it for a month. You'll be able to measure the "stretch" of the chain which is actually the plates and pins cutting each other as they roll around the gears. The lubed chain will show almost no wear and the "dry" chain will have stretched noticeably. Link to link should be exactly 1" or 25.4mm. I've seen badly maintained bicycles with over 1/8" off stretch, which has the added effect of cutting the sprockets and chainrings, necessitating the replacement of the whole drivetrain. Easily avoided with a small amount of oil.
Phil Forrest
- Laurenz van Gaalen
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Re: Over-cleaning
I carefully oiled my SM2, SM4, Adler Junior 20 and SC Silent-Super.
By that I mean all type bar joints and pivots I could easily reach, as well as the slots in the comb.
Just as little as possible sewing machine oil, applied with a small brush.
After applying the oil I cleaned all parts with paper towel and compressed air.
There are no oil drops visible, most metal parts are now a little glossy in stead of matte.
I am very happy with the results so far:
SM2 and SM4: massive improvement, from sluggish to the famous super light, snappy touch.
Adler Junior 20: improvement, touch has become less stiff and somewhat lighter.
SC Silent-Super: no improvement, except for an even more silent operation.
Lau
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Thread Starter- binhvdao
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- From: Georgia USA
- Registered: 20-8-2020
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Re: Over-cleaning
I think that it is good practice to oil typewriters after you have thoroughly cleaned it, and hence, have removed any old oil.
If your typewriter has already been oiled, you probably do not want to add extra oil.
- Pete E.
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- Registered: 23-6-2020
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Re: Over-cleaning
Laurenz,
I get these plastic squeeze bottles with metal caps and steel needles from eBay. Do not bother with the all-plastic ones. They are junk.
These are great for precise oiling and I use another with denatured alcohol to get the gunk out of segment-slots and other tight/small spaces. 
- Laurenz van Gaalen
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- Registered: 20-7-2019
- Posts: 412
Re: Over-cleaning
Thanks Pete, I did not know these type of bottles exist.
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