On Fri, 2005-06-17 at 10:34 -0700, Dwight K. Elvey wrote:
From:
"Jules Richardson" <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk>
---snip---
I've been using sewing machine oil so far (which is the lightest stuff
I've got). I just wonder if leaving it in a (slowly circulating /
filtered?) bath of oil for a week or so would be useful for freeing
stuff up and getting all the dirt out...
Hi
You might try first removing any rubber parts and then
soak the entire assembly in a pan of oil. You might use
straight weight motor oil and dilute it down with a little
kerosene. Let it sit for some time and then work it manually
while in the oil. This helps to wash things out, like rust
and little bits of abrasive material.
Tony might want to comment on this, he has worked on more
mechanical items than I have.
That's the sort of thing I was thinking. I've got a spare 12V car
windscreen washer pump that might even do to move (diluted) oil around -
coupled with some sort of filter on the inlet it could do a nice job.
All the rubber bits come off easily, as do the keytops. The motor and
associated switches / wiring don't look too difficult to remove. The
only non-metal bits that would be left would be the indicator dials on
the carriage. Those are plastic, and I'm not sure how they'd fair being
soaked in oil...
Regarding Sellam's squirrels, there's just no access to the innards of
the machine from the bottom or sides with the case on - the vents in the
base were too small for the acorn to even get in. I don't remember there
being sufficient room at the top around the carriage either, but I can't
check that until I put the case back on. I'm having fun concoting a
story where someone got the machine for cheap / free because it was
broken - when it was they who'd planted the nut in there, being able to
blame it on animals if it happened to be discovered :-)
cheers
Jules