[GreenKeys] Pete's M15...

[Kenneth Gartland]

Hi all!

Varnish, the "Bane" of all Teletype gear...

Been there, done that!

Seriously tho, this machine has good "Bones" &  is a good
candidate for restoration...

It may be too varnished for a cleaner like Simple Green
to handle...

I gess being an "Old school guy", if it was my unit, I wud
use the tried & true Varsol & oil treatment...

20wt. (Non-detergent) oil always worked for me, a mixture
of abt 70% Varsol to oil...

The machine shud for proper cleaning, be immersed in
a motorized cleaning bath to circulate the cleaning mixture...

Not everyone has this luxury, so the cleaning may have to be
done in some large container and hand brushed...

Depending on how brave the person is, the magnet cores,
and any reasonably removeable wiring shud be taken off
first...

The dis-advantage of using solvent cleaners is that it is very
hard to get out of wiring harnesses and clutch felts...

The main shaft shud be removed, dis-assembled and
serviced separately...

The typing unit dashpot shud be removed as well as the
platen & feed rollers...

If you go the Varsol/solvent and oil route, after cleaning,
the assemblies shud be allowed to drip dry, and then
any excess cleaning fluid left can be mostly blown
off with compressed air...

Following all the above, the assemblies shud now
be rinsed thoroughly with moderately warm water
and  blown off with compressed air...

Units can be set aside outdoors to dry further, or
If your good wife or significant other is not watching,
place it in the stove oven at around 100 degrees
for at least 3/4 an hour or so...

This will ensure the assembly is completely dry...

Next & final step is to ensure very complete oiling...

For me, I used to completely immerse the assembly
in light weight oil, and allow to drip dry to remove the
excess...This followed up by further spot oiling
and greasing as required...

Sounds like a lot of work, it is time consuming, but the
results well worth the time...The assemblies will look
like new!

There are many cleaning methods out there, I am sure
others have tried, and have produced mixed results...

I have used the Varsol/oil cleaning on many machines,
even 32/33's, and works particularly well on the older
"Varnished" machines...

Hope this helps a bit for all, and good luck to Pete
with his "New" M15!

Cheers!

Ken
VE3-HMQ
i-Telex 61663
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