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GENERAL CARE-Reasonable care will insure years of satisfactory performance from your typewriter. A typewriter's principal enemy is dust. Keep typewriter covered when not in use. Clean the typefaces occаsionally with a brush to remove accumulated lint and ink.

Do surface not clean your typewriter's with alcohol as it is injurious to the finish. Once in a while you may put a drop of oil on each of the two rails on which the carriage moves and then rub it off again. Never attempt to oil the typebars or any other part of the mechanism as this may have a tendency to gum and clog the working parts.

u/capnrefsmmat reply to

u/lodger238 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1hslx56/huh_i_thought_wd40_was_horrible_as_a_lubricant/<br /> Agree completely and to further the point; typewriters were manufactured with low tolerance in many areas just so they wouldn't need lubricating.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ojf7oe/oil_for_typewriter/

via /jbhusker<br /> SC 6 series part 1.

https://discord.com/channels/639936208734126107/639938269030907914/1302694827682697330

Pelicram's Shellac Rescue Formula aka The Cowboy's Delight.

This will help bring back a deeper black color shellaced panels which have been yellowed and damaged by UV over the years. With enough elbow grease it will remove the old shellac completely but it takes a very long time and you're likely to damage any decals present on the panel. In most cases the procedure described below will be sufficient to restore the appearance to an acceptable level.

The recipe: - 70% Light machine oil. - 30% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) or White/Mineral Spirits.

Ideally use an oil that is dissolved into the IPA/Mineral Spirits, if they settle into separate layers make sure you shake the mixture thoroughly before applying.

Mix the oil and solvent in something like a dropper bottle or similar vessel for convenient application.

• Clean part with Fulgentin (Or general purpose cleaner of your choice) and wipe dry.
• Apply oil/ipa mix to part and rub in lightly with clean microfiber cloth or shop towel. Use plenty of the mix, it should not feel dry.
• Wipe with microfiber cloth after 15 minutes to get rid of any excess.
• Do not apply any kind of wax (like Renessaince Wax) afterwards, from my testing it will bring back the haziness.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lu9173/turns_out_mineral_spirits_are_illegal_in/

Traditional mineral spirits are illegal in some states in the US including California. As an alternative odorless mineral spirits are low VOC, safer, and a solid alternative. Typewriter shops like Typewriter Justice in Keller, TX recommend it. Some who have access to cheaper mineral spirits still prefer the odorless version for the reduced residual smell.

Nashville Typewriter, another shop, recommends camping fuel (aka white gas) which is mostly naphtha. Zippo lighter fluid is primarily naphtha, but is much more expensive. In Germany, it goes under the names of Testbenzin or Reinigungsbenzin.

Jennifer Colombo, a repair person of Colombo Collection suggests linseed oil to clean and protect metal surfaces and create a barrier against rust and oxidation.

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/38178621

I read this as a mixture of mineral spirits, Blue Creeper and a bit of gun oil which is applied after cleaning as a means of lubricating a typewriter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Mystery_Oil

Smith Corona Manual Vintage Typewriter Main Spring Removal Flush and Re-Lube Draw Band Attached by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Duane puts a few drops of red oil on the mainspring of typewriters as a lubricant before blowing it out to thin it down.

Here he demonstrates how to re-tension the mainspring of a Smith-Corona typewriter.

toothpick as a typewriter tool

Excess oil on a typewriter can be cleaned up with both air and a clean rag.

How to Clean a Typewriter

Rubbing alcohol or WD-40 for cleaning out light rust, oil, dirt and grime.

Use Rem-Oil for oiling typewriters

Toothpaste and toothbrush is great for cleaning crinkle paint on typewriters.