I have a Selectic II that I use now and then. Similar problem. I packed a few paper towels in there and sprayed a fair amount of good (not WD40) lubricant (LPS brand if I recall), let it soak for an hour and than wiped the insides out and removed the towels. It works great. This is not a restoration or preservation, but rather how I got a junk selectric II that I got for free to work wonderfully. Got a new ribbon at office depot too. If there was one thing I would like to do would be to have the platen turned down to level out all the pocks from years of use. On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 12:10 PM, John Floren <slawmaster at gmail.com> wrote:

I really did not get too fancy; I did pull the platen out and wiped it down with Naphtha (mild solvent) to get some of the ink off, and then a wash in 409 cleaner and hot water. Otherwise I used the spray can and its tube to direct the spray on to the parts that move. I made sure to wash down the rod that the carriage slides on. It had a lot of gunk on it and dried grease looking stuff. The spray softened it and I could wipe if off with towels. Gently sliding the carriage back and forth to clear the gunk under and inside its bushings, bit more spray and wipe. Other things to look for are dried grease and gunk (dead skin, dust, hair, donut sprinkles...) on the cable pulleys and the cable. I washed these with spray and used a couple of disposable 1" foam paint brushes to swab off the cable and other parts. Give the gears a spray too. Also take the type ball off and spray and wipe the top of the carriage as there are moving parts here that also had gunk and dried lube looking stuff. There is a cable in here that rotates the type ball, I wiped around in there and gave it a good spray. I would suggest something like LPS-2, something that will dissolve the old grease and gunk but also leave a lubricating film that wont flash off. WD40 will dissolve the gunk but its lubrication will flash off in a week or so. I found that the odor of the lube spray went away in a few days. I like to use the Blue shop paper towels you can get at places that sell paint. ( Lowes, HD). And, I am tempted to take a small paint brush (artists) and dab a bit of white grease on the gears and high movement areas but havent done that so far. Just use common sense. Do this where you have ventilation, unplug the Selectric (!), make sure to wipe off any overspray or drips from the finish with a 409 like cleaner after you are done. I am wondering how many different colors the Selectrics came in. Mine is tan. And also if there are any font balls still available. Best of luck with your project. bob. On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 1:06 AM, John Floren <slawmaster at gmail.com> wrote: