Cleaning - Part 1: Carriage Rack & Ribbon Vibrator Assembly
Now that this assembly has been removed, I can work on cleaning it. Inspecting the underside of the carriage racks, there's a manufacturer's stamp/mark: "3. L. 16."
Could this be a date stamp? Using the Typewriter Database and the machine's factory number (589062), we can assume this machine was produced in 1916. Could the "16" reference the year? I'm wondering if all machines have the same or similar marking?
Before I began cleaning, there's two pieces I want to detach to clean separately. The Oliver 9 manual calls these "Swinging Links" and they support the rail frame on either end.
Similar to the Brackets, these pieces are specific to either the right or left. Note the "R" marked on the right link.
Now to clean the assembly...
Using PB B'laster Penetrant to remove the rust and corrosion.
After a good soak, I used a rag to wipe off about 90% of the rust and residue. There were a few rough surfaces that required a bit more work to remove.
Cleaning - Part 2: Parts & Fasteners
Now that the machine parts have been removed (see previous post), it's time to give them a good bath.
My workflow:
Add parts into a plastic bin with rust remover and mark the time on a sticky note with the part name. Sometimes only a two-hour soak would be enough while other parts required an overnight soak.
After rust remover soak, part is wiped down with a rag to wipe off any loose rust from all surfaces.
Quick rinse in water.
A dunk in 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for flash drying.
Dried parts are added back to their labeled bags or sleeves (see last post). It might be a while before I assemble this again so organization at every phase is important.
Here's a batch of parts in a container with a de-rust product. I used apple cider vinegar to start. I found that it worked well at cleaning after a good soak of at least 12 hours.
I switched to a different product that ended up working better and faster: Evapo-Rust. It's non-toxic, pH neutral, and reusable. A quart of this was able to clean everything.
Here's the first batch. Note how clean the liquid looks. After reuse, it will become a cloudy rusty liquid, but still works just the same.
I tried to keep tiny parts bathing in equally small containers as they can easily be lost, especially as the EvapoRust becomes cloudy. I also made sure to have a sieve in the sink for the cleaning process. Wouldn't want one of these to disappear down a pipe forever.
I used plastic trays, but in hindsight, I'd keep parts in even smaller containers of organized groups. Despite notes and photos, it took me much longer than anticipated to identify the small fasteners/screws at the end of the cleaning cycle.
The fasteners cleaned up so well, it was difficult to compare them to the photos I took at extraction, when they were covered in 105 years of rust and gunk.
Ok, that's it for now. Next post... Carriage Dismantle!
