Typewriter Talk / Dunk Cleaning

**Posted by Liv2BTru2u** 11-9-2014 18:31:33

Hi Uve. I have a couple of questions.

1.) How do I know if the drawstring or chord is cat gut?

2.) If you cannot get the platen off, then is it okay to dunk the whole thing? What would you do?

3.) Can I just sit and absorb everything you know for a couple of hours and then go forward. In ever saw myself as mechanically inclined, and this is challenging.

**Posted by Uwe** 12-9-2014 00:09:24

John,
1. Cat gut has a natural look to it, almost like a waxed thread. If you're not sure I wouldn't worry too much about it as replacing most drawbands isn't a big deal.

2. I would remove the platen. They were designed to come off the machine, some more easily than others, and if there's a probelm removing it then that becomes a higher priority than dunk cleaning your machine. I suspect that dunking a platen would be a disaster. I think many have a wood core, which would possibly swell when it got wet and ruin the entire platen.

3. When you're new to typewriters something like this does sound daunting, but the more time you spend working on machines the more comfortable you'll become with partially tearing one down. Patience and time will slowly change how you view this proceedure. It's a more professional approach to cleaning a machine than what most of us do, which is to spend countless hours gently swabbing every reachable part with cleaner-soaked Q-Tips.

**Posted by JustAnotherGuy** 18-11-2014 21:37:14

Uwe wrote:
I had some fun today transposing an article from a 1957 issue of Popular Science that I have on how to dunk clean a typewriter. I was just going to scan and post the article, but chose instead to type it out on my new Royal FP to give the machine a thorough testing. I'll be dunk cleaning this typewriter soon, so it seemed the appropriate choice, especially since it's a 1958 vintage machine.

Have you dunked it yet? How well did it work?

**Posted by Uwe** 18-11-2014 23:41:28

Not the FP, but a few portables that were much lighter to deal with, and were desperate cases. I've had to slow down buying machines because room is one issue, but also because I have too many know that require repair and a good cleaning.

**Posted by ztyper** 27-11-2014 19:09:16

I really want to dunk my SM-4, but do I keep the carriage on? And what about the drawstring? It's like a shoelace, so do I remove it?

**Posted by writerofstories** 03-12-2014 18:53:07

Thank you! This will definitely help me

**Posted by writerofstories** 07-12-2014 23:08:09

I printed out the instructions you posted. I have few questions. Step Two says, "loosen the setscrews holding the knobs on, or in, the platen (on some typewriters, only one knob comes off)." Is the setscrews the screws beside the carriage return lever. I tried looking for a picture that would show the anatomy of a typewriter so I would know were everything is but I'm not turning up very good diagrams. I used a diagram from a website I was provided http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-parts.html but it didn't give me an extensive diagram of all the parts of a typewriter. Does anyone know were I can find an extensive anatomy of a typewriter for future reference. The picture below is taken from my Olympia SM4. Is this what the Dunk Clean instructions mean by setscrews?

My last question is when the Dunk Cleaning process calls for a hot tub of water and the use of a kitchen spray hose, is there an alternative hose that I can use instead of using a kitchen spray hose? Unfortunately I don't have a kitchen spray hose already installed. Is there an attachment I could get that would attach to the spigot, that wouldn't need installed, that would substitute for a kitchen spray hose?

Is this picture below a setscrew?

**Posted by writerofstories** 08-12-2014 00:25:00

Also were it says, "Indoors, put it in the kitchen oven at low heat. Be careful not to overheat the plastic keytops," can I use a blowdryer instead of placing the typewriter in the oven? My husband doesn't really want me putting the typewriter in the oven. My landlord probably wouldn't appreciate me doing that either.

If I have to put the typewriter in the oven, no if, ands, or buts how many minutes would you say is best to leave it in the oven until. It says in the instructions, "Be careful not to overheat the plastic keytops."

I would perfer to use a blowdryer if possible. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

**Posted by ztyper** 08-12-2014 17:11:12

I assumed the set screws were the screws on the knob itself. You will notice that there is a screw that turns around on the knob as the knob is being turned. That is what you want to loosen. I would post a picture, but I still don't know how... And you don't need a spray hose. I only used my bathtub and a plastic cup to rinse the typewriter after it was done being washed. And I too used a hairdryer instead of putting it in the oven since I wasn't allowed to use the oven. I placed the typewriter on the heater when it was finished drying just incase I didn't get all of the water. I really hope this helps! Oh, and by the way, take pictures when you're taking the platen out. You will most likely forget where things go like I did and will spend a long while cursing like a sailor and trying to fix your mistake. And I'm sorry that you couldn't find a better diagram. I looked for one for a while, and by that time, I figured what things were already. But good luck!

**Posted by KatLondon** 28-1-2015 18:17:54

There is just an element of common sense involved, surely.