1 of 1- Petite_La_Lettre
- New Member
Offline - Registered: 21-4-2021
- Posts: 3
Oiling tips for newbies? Silver Reed SR 180 DE LUXE
Dear fellow typers,
First of all, I want to thank you for still existing! In the field of typewriting in my country Lithuania, money really cannot buy happiness because there is not one person who could fix or simply check typewriters. 
Thanks to Youtube comment section, I ended up in this forum. But it seems people have very specific problems and I am looking for general recommendations.
1. I’ve had a screw (or how is it called), in the image below, fallen and with a friend help, fixed back in. Everything is working fine now. But I got recommendation to oil the parts. My question is: Can I just oil this screw and nothing else needs to be oiled as per normal maintenance check? Everything seems to be working just fine.
2. What type of oil should be used? I can see comments online, please never ever use the bicycle oil, others say use any oil... I have an oil that can be used for shredders or for beard cutting machines, wondering if I could use it.
Link to the image:
Thank you so much if you have even checked this topic. I hope any answers are going to be useful not only for me but also for other typers.
Wishing you well,
R.
- CoronaJoe
- Touch Typist
Offline
- Registered: 24-1-2016
- Posts: 141
Re: Oiling tips for newbies? Silver Reed SR 180 DE LUXE
Welcome aboard! Lots of informed users here so search around and I'm sure you'll find good info. Normally oiling is very sparse. I just occasionally put a drop or two on the platen ends or journals, some links and levers. The type bars usually don't require any and oil would attract lint and paper dust. A plain white oil is the best, no additives. Sewing machine oil is a bit light but the right kind of oil. In the USA I use Liquid Wrench's Machine Oil. Perhaps you may find something similar. A white oil is a pure highly refined mineral oil. It's use covers cosmetics to sewing machines and precision machines. It's what typewriter repair shops had in their field repair cases.
- skywatcher
- Moderator
Offline
- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 712
Re: Oiling tips for newbies? Silver Reed SR 180 DE LUXE
Greetings Petite La Lettre
Echoing Corona Joe's sentiment, Welcome to the Forum. Nice picture on Flickr, the part you have marked is usually referred to as the line advance ratchet ( linijos išankstinis raketė ) if Google Translate is correct. Major moving parts that are well protected do require oiling, parts such as the carriage rails, escapement and shift mechanism.
There are two differing schools of thought when it comes to oiling exposed parts like the type bars in the segment. If those are completely clean and dry, they will move freely and should not be oiled. If they have been oiled in the past, they will have attracted dust and dirt which tend to form a sludge that gums them up. The best option is to do a deep cleaning on the segment ant type bars to get them completely clean and dry. Then there is the other school of thought that oiling again will wash out the old oil and the dirt with it. That being said, your machine is probably still new enough that the type bars and segment should not have any issues.
Hope this gives you somewhere to start and points you in the right direction. If you need any clarification on part terminology, just say so, and I'll post some pictures. All the best,
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)
- Petite_La_Lettre
- New Member
Offline
- Registered: 21-4-2021
- Posts: 3
Re: Oiling tips for newbies? Silver Reed SR 180 DE LUXE
CoronaJoe wrote:
Welcome aboard! Lots of informed users here so search around and I'm sure you'll find good info. Normally oiling is very sparse. I just occasionally put a drop or two on the platen ends or journals, some links and levers. The type bars usually don't require any and oil would attract lint and paper dust. A plain white oil is the best, no additives. Sewing machine oil is a bit light but the right kind of oil. In the USA I use Liquid Wrench's Machine Oil. Perhaps you may find something similar. A white oil is a pure highly refined mineral oil. It's use covers cosmetics to sewing machines and precision machines. It's what typewriter repair shops had in their field repair cases.
Thank you so much!
- •
Thread Starter- Petite_La_Lettre
- New Member
Offline
- Registered: 21-4-2021
- Posts: 3
Re: Oiling tips for newbies? Silver Reed SR 180 DE LUXE
Greetings Petite La Lettre
Echoing Corona Joe's sentiment, Welcome to the Forum. Nice picture on Flickr, the part you have marked is usually referred to as the line advance ratchet ( linijos išankstinis raketė ) if Google Translate is correct. Major moving parts that are well protected do require oiling, parts such as the carriage rails, escapement and shift mechanism.
There are two differing schools of thought when it comes to oiling exposed parts like the type bars in the segment. If those are completely clean and dry, they will move freely and should not be oiled. If they have been oiled in the past, they will have attracted dust and dirt which tend to form a sludge that gums them up. The best option is to do a deep cleaning on the segment ant type bars to get them completely clean and dry. Then there is the other school of thought that oiling again will wash out the old oil and the dirt with it. That being said, your machine is probably still new enough that the type bars and segment should not have any issues.
Hope this gives you somewhere to start and points you in the right direction. If you need any clarification on part terminology, just say so, and I'll post some pictures. All the best,
Sky
Dear Skywatcher, thank you for all the detailed information. I have oiled my typewriter, seems to be working very well. 
- •
Thread Starter