[GreenKeys] Teletype Selector Magnets

[Don Robert House]

Dave,

All teletypewriters with magnetic selectors should have their
selector armatures cleaned with 3/8" wide 20# bond paper
strips on a regular basis.  Keep pulling the strips through
while holding the armature in the marking position until
they come out clean.

Best,
Don


On 16 Apr 2010, at 5:29 AM, Dave Hunter wrote:

Hi All:

Well, I learned something last night...

I got an email from Joe Leitsch, referring to the selector
problem I had, and he tells me that back when he was
working on teletypes, that he often had this problem. The
cause? Oil getting on the selector magnet pole. He told me,
"The magnet surfaces that pull down and contact the clutch
release lever should be COMPLETELY FREE of grease, oil and
dirt! If not the release lever may stick slightly to the
magnet surfaces and not release freely, which was a major
cause of bias issues for us".

This could very well be the cause of the necessity to reset
the selector, and not long before I began to have this
problem, I had oiled components in this area, and some
might have gotten on the magnet. I am sure I am the only
person in the world who wasn't aware of this, but I thought
I would mention it anyway.

Of course, I will degrease the area today and see what
difference it makes..

Yesterday, I got a piece of new plexiglass for the broken
paper feed lid. We were in Charlottetown - Linda was taking
me out for a birthday supper, so I stopped by Island Glass
to get a piece. Although I hope that this is going to be a
temporary repair and that I will soon have a new lid, I
decided to try my hand at replacing the plexi and repairing
the chunk missing from the beige plastic portion. It worked
out pretty well. After replacing the plexi, I made a form
where the broken beige plastic was originally, then filled
it with epoxy (of course masking the new plexi.) Once it
set, I was able to tool it and paint the assembly with
matching beige paint.

It doesn't look new, but looks quite acceptable!

It will do at least, until the replacement comes!

Incidentally, Bernie - another source of Novus Plastic
Polish, I discovered yesterday is at Apple Auto Glass on
North River Rd., where Island Glass is now also located....
They tell me they keep it in stock.

Dave

The Telephone on Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/phones.html

The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!