The white gunky substances seen on the plastic keys of old, unmaintained typewriters generally isn't mold, but plasticizers coming out of the plastic. These can usually be cleaned off using simple household cleaning products or if necessary heavier cleaners (Goo Gone, alcohol, naptha, etc. - test these on hidden parts first to ensure they don't react with or destroy the plastic or remove the paint of the key letters) followed up by light waxes or polishes and buffing.

via Marty Morren https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1190871013231671/

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

Advanced Typing: Duplicating and Manuscript. Vol. MN-1512d, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ve5JnTUzvo.

Stencils

Before writing stencils, be sure to clean your type. (Don't use liquid solvent.)

Be sure to place the cushion sheet properly behind the stencil.

Place the paper bail rollers at the extreme left and right of the stencil to prevent them from marking the master.

For errors, rub individual characters separately with a burnisher using a circular motion.

Hectograph masters, Hectograph ribbon (ditto ribbon)

Wax pencils

Typefaces

20% more type on a page with elite than 10 inch pica.

Pica allows approximately 26-40 lines on standard letterhead giving 300-450 words to a page.

Special characters: - o for degrees ' and " for feet and inches or minutes and seconds along with superscript - division: - backspace colon - pound sterling: L backspace f - exclamation point: period backspace ' - equal sign: hyphen backspace variable hyphen - paragraph mark: P backspace I

proofreaders' marks<br /> # followed by a number is used to mean insert that number of spaces

Centering timestamp 19:37

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAveGA2OiyF/ via Richard Polt

Wiping dirty plastic typewriter keys with a soft cloth and then waxing/buffing them can bring them back to life.

WD-40 for Crinkle Finish Typewriters — Does it work??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz1t6QtARyI

WD-40, which has paraffin wax as an ingredient, can be brushed onto the crinkle finish of a typewriter to clean it up and give it some shine. Use a rag to wipe off excess and take care not to get any in the segment comb. The difference on a generally clean typewriter appears to be negligible and primarily results in a WD-40 smell.

Would something like Armor All work better? Car wax might also work as well. Powder coating polish could work, but it may act as a gentle abrasive as it is also meant to lift stains.