1 of 1- JNewton
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Offline - Registered: 25-1-2021
- Posts: 10
SG1 rusted keys
Hi all, “long time listener, first time caller.” I own four typewriters, a Royal Heritage, an LC Smith Super Speed, a Smith Corona Skyriter and now an Olympia SG1. I got the notion I want to write a novel, and decided if I was going to be doing a lot of stationary typing I would seek out the “best standard ever.” That search quickly led me to the Olympia, and Craigslist monitoring turned up one in Wisconsin, asking 20 dollars. Only problem was that was an 8 hour drive. One way. Well, I had no other plans..... Several caffeinated drinks later, I am now the SG1’s proud new owner. It is in good cosmetic condition, and almost everything works as it should once I replaced the drawband. The only exception is for some odd reason the leftmost three keys and rightmost one are rusted in the segment slots. What would be the best way to approach the problem? I stripped it down to the chassis, if you will (removed body panels and carriage.) I tried immersion in some Evapo Rust, but one gallo was not enough to do anything except cover the bottom inch perhaps. I’ve kept the segment slots soaked with an evil mixture of acetone, atf and pb blaster for a couple days with no discernible results. I could bit the bullet and get enough evapo rust to give it a good soaking, but that stuff ain’t cheap, and my first attempt showed that that orange paint doesn’t seem to appreciate the product. Thoughts, comments, concerns? Thanks, and looking forward to talking to you more!
- Pete E.
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- Registered: 23-6-2020
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
For really stubborn rust/stuck parts, I try to prop the machine optimally so the rusted parts are situated in a nadir-position. I use old garage towels and even an old kitty bed to do this. I also try to wrap little pieces of cotton rags around and at bottom of the rusted pieces...so any PB Blaster can soak the whole area and not simply just run off. If PB blaster does not dissolve the rust and free up the parts, I switch to Liguid-Wrench penetrant. After a good soaking and several applications of the penetrant, I will carefully use a small dental pick to work on loosing up rusty/flaky spots. This process may take me 1-2 days to get the parts to free up. Once the type-slug lever comes loose from the segment slot, I will carefully run some 2500 grit wet & dry emery in the affected slot to polish it up. Steel wool # 000 or so to polish up the type-slug lever.
- JNewton
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
Thank you Pete! I have stuck some saturated paper towel at the top of each key slot and am letting that soak. I’m hesitant to try to wedge things in from the bottom (I figure if the penetrant has drained down through the slot it’s gone anyway), but may try that next. Thanks for the suggestion on the Liquid Wrench too. I’ll pick some up next time I’m in town. I’m not sure I have a tool small enough to get in the slot and gently try to help things along, but I’ll look around. I’m in no hurry. I want to do this right; the rest of the machine is so nice!
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Thread Starter- Pete E.
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
J,
I get these needle applicator squeeze bottles off of eBay. They are perfect for getting penetrant into the segment slots and other small spaces without over saturating a larger area. I also have some nice German-made dental picks I got off of eBay...they are nice to pick off little flakes of rust and will easilygo into a segment slot as well. Just do not put sideways pressure on the tangs on either side of a segment slot as you do not want to deform the slot-shape or break off a tang.
.
- JNewton
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
Well, it's been a while, but still no luck. Doing a bit of research I realized I mistakenly referred to the problem area as the segment and typebars, but what's actually stuck are the sublevers, down below that, connected directly to the keylevers. It's a difficult area to get to, and the slots are tightly fit, leaving no room to get any sort of probe in there to scrape away rust, leaving me entirely dependent on mechanical means. The evaporust has removed most of the rust on the surface, but the levers are still stuck tight. Soaking it in some more P B'laster right now. It's frustrating because the rest of the machine is fine, and I have no idea why just these 4 levers are stuck. I do know that's where the problem is though. Looking at the linkage, everything moves right up until that point, and the levers simply will not budge. If it was something that could be dissassembled and wrenched on I'm sure they'd pop loose pretty fast, but there's no way I can see to do anything mechanically to them.
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Thread Starter- JNewton
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
That should read, "entirely dependent on chemical means."
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Thread Starter- Pete E.
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
J,
Sometimes the metal "comb" (through which the key-top levers travel) get hit or bumped or pushed to one side and that put the levers in a bind and they will not travel freely.
I use a long-shaft, small flat-blade screwdriver to open up each slot just a bit...one slot at a time. Maybe work from the far left and across to the far right. You want each slot as tight as possible when open just a tad to allow the lever to travel easily, but not too open so the lever "flops" around in the slot.
The "teeth" of the metal "comb should also be even with each other in a vertical plane. Sometimes a "tooth" can get pushed forward or backwards and then need to be bent gently so they are all even in the same plane.
- JNewton
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
Hi, just thought I’d follow up. Unfortunately the SG1 is still uncooperative and has now been demoted to a semi-dormant State, with a squirt or solvent every now and then. I’m sure it’ll give up eventually; I just don’t want to bust anything attempting to wake the giant before it’s finished its slumbers. However, I have invested typewriter energies elsewhere, as shall be seen, elsewhere.
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Thread Starter- Pete E.
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
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Re: SG1 rusted keys
J,
I had a to-do list for my 1961 SG1 that was over 21 items that needed sorting out, etc.
Took the body panels off and I could then lay the machine on one side and then the other to follow links/mechanical from start-to-finish to trace down what might be wrong or just plain gunked-up.
Tilting up the machine chassis on its back was not an option with the exposed mechanisms along its back-side.
Over a week with my machine, I was able to cross-off all the items on the to-do list and I like to think it will go, trouble-free for many years to come.
Typing action is much lighter and smooth now, as well, as I degreased each pivot point for every key-top back to its type-slug. Used a drop of synthetic oil on the pivot joints as well...letting the oil soak in a bit and dabbed off the excess off with a small piece of cotton rag.
Getting to the metal "comb" for the type-key levers was much easier this way, too.
This was the "deepest" I have had to go into...on any of my 22 machines...but I am glad I pushed myself to the extent I did.
.
