Typewriters

HYGIENE

• Ninety percent of typewriter problems can be fixed by a good cleaning

• To remove dust & grime & gunk everywhere
  • Spray a can of condensed air all over, especially underneath.
  • Use dry Q-Tips or Swifters all over.
  • Use a dental pick (yup!) to scrape between typebars and get the ink gunk off the letters at the ends.
  • Use a big soft cosmetics blush brush for regular dusting.

• To clean the exterior
  • For glossy paint, use the same products you would on a car. I use NuFinish Scratch Remover – it works wonders!  And it’s safe on all glossy paint, even decals. Use it with a soft cotton cloth, old shirt, or cotton makeup removal pads. Avoid microfiber – it tends to scratch paint.
  • For plastic or crackle paint, use a few drops of Dawn dish liquid & water, and a very soft cotton cloth or old cotton shirt (again not microfiber), clean as gently as possible.  (I almost never use Dawn & water on glossy paint machines; NuFinish Scratch Remover usually is enough to clean anything on those.)

• To clean the keys
  • Use Windex (a lot of older keys are glass-topped) with Q-tips or Swifters (Swifters are stiffer, give an even better cleaning).
  • Use metal polish for the ones with metal rings.

• For stuck keys
  • DO NOT USE WD-40. EVER.
  • Often, cleaning the gunk and grime out will do the trick.
  • If not, try rubbing alcohol.
  • If still not, try PB Blaster (it’s awesome, but hoowhee it stinks).
  • If still still not, try bending the key slightly (it’s metal, it can take it!); sometimes it’s just catching an edge.

• To replace the ribbon
  • My go-to is calculator ribbon, which they still sell at Office Max & Office Depot; it’s the same width as all typewriter ribbon – just re-spool it on your machine’s original spools.

• To clean the platen (the rubber roller thingy)
  • Use rubbing alcohol and cotton balls.