[GreenKeys] GreenKeys Digest, Vol 83, Issue 2

[John Nagle]

On 12/2/2010 9:01 AM, greenkeys-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
> From: "Larry Tighe"<larryradio at att.net> Subject: [GreenKeys] UGC-74A
> Rebirth To: "Greenkeys Greenkeys"<greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
> Message-ID:<F2FDFB4959CA41C7993BD8B939CA5C94 at d2400> Content-Type:
> text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> My UGC-74A is slowly coming back to health.
>
>
> The 74A was not the preferred TTY....the "B" model seems much
> friendlier....no revolving drum and 88 little hammers beating on the
> rotating drum.
>
> I had stuck hammers and was pumping cleaner and WD 40 into the stuck
> ones hoping to free them.  No good.  Finally took the entire hammer
> assembly challenge....removed some of the cover panels and it turns
> out there are 4 hammers on each of the 22 similar cards...a piece of
> cake job.
>
> I pulled all of them out, cleaned the mechanical with paint thinner
> and now they're working perfectly.  The paint thinner seems to have
> cleared out the dissolved infamous platen goo.
>
> It seems this machine will now be dependable and do what she was
> designed to do.  I think the 74A does have potential and should be a
> lot of fun over the years.  They are definitely salvageable after the
> platen "melts" :>)  Please don't junk them anymore ! ! ! !

    That's good to know.

    WD-40 is all wrong for cleaning out small machinery.  It can help
loosen stuck bolts, but it leaves so much gunk behind that precision
machinery will bind.  Simple Green is a good mild cleaner, cheap
enough you can immerse whole mechanisms in it, and not hazardous,
so it doesn't present disposal problems afterwards.  Also, it evaporates 
(at the same rate as water), so there's no residue to
remove.  Unlike kerosene.
See "http://www.aetherltd.com/refurbishing.html"

    For actual lubrication, a non-detergent synthetic motor oil
is good.  5W-20 is about the right weight.  Lucas Tacky Red
Grease is useful on the open gear trains; it's sticky enough not
to be thrown off the gears by centrifugal force.  Both are
standard items at large auto supply outlets.

					John Nagle