a photo I meant to include:

For cleaning: mineral spirits, Simple Green, contact cleaner, Scratch Doctor, and Nevr-Dull

For lubricating typewriters, and other pieces of fine machinery, you should use gun oil or sewing machine oil. Those are silicone based oils and will evaporate cleanly. All petroleum based oils (3-n-1 oil, etc) will evaporate down to leave gum behind eventually. (PS - WD-40 isn*t even a lubricant,)
 

Pete E. wrote:

That white band on the lower-portion of the ribbon is correcto-tape.  Simply awful stuff that dries and flakes off and gets into every moving part, it seems.
 

I figured as much. I will replace it when my ribbons arrive.  Do you guys rewind new ribbon on the original metal spools or just pop in the new plastic ones? I'm assuming the ones I ordered from Amazon will fit my SC silent super.
 

Hi Mike

If the typewriter still has its original metal spools, I view these as being the same as the original wire spoked rims on a 1936 Mercedes Roadster and the ribbon as the tires. You know you're going to have to change the ribbon, so either rewind the new ribbon onto the metal spools, or keep the metal spools with the typewriter. For me personally, having a set of original or original style metal spools on a typewriter makes it more desirable.

A Cole-Steel typewriter with its original spools will often sell for up to $100.00 more than one with plastic spools. I have seen OEM Hermes metal spools sell for $60.00 a piece. Back when typewriters were the mainstay of the office or home, the average owner or operator just found it quicker and easier to switch out the spools and ribbon together and chuck the spools out with the ribbon. Who would have thought back in the 1950's to the 1970's that keeping the original spools would have meant something to a typewriter collector some 50 to 70 years in the future. All the best,

Sky