Groma Kolibri 1
I am still positively giddy about my Groma Kolibri that I committed to making its cleaning my very first project.
It has jumped to the front of my priorities list. If I were to be logical about it, I would probably clean every typewriter’s case first.
Here is my current stash:
Then, I’d prioritize cleaning by first cleaning my least prized typewriter, likely my Smith Corona Silent Super or my 1950s Royal QDL. These two are my lesser prized because there are so many of them out there and they can be replaced. I hate to say that but it is true nonetheless. Back to the topic, I would clean the more common typewriters first because I honestly have never cleaned a typewriter before.
Don’t get me wrong, I am prepared.
I have bought the following products as suggested by many typewriter sites especially Mr. Richard Polt's Basic Typewriter Restoration page and and nearly every typewriter repairman and enthusiast alike:
- loads of Lysol Disinfectant spray
- some bottles of compressed air
- a bag of dental picks
- rubber cleaner & rejuvenator and Plasti-dip
- Hoppe’s solvent
- Gummi Pflege Stift
- Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish
- Evapo-rust
- water-based Mineral Spirits since CA has banned VM and P Naphtha (despite my efforts to procure the real deal)
- Soft Scrub
- PB Blaster
- Steel Wool
- super fine sandpaper
- some shitty screwdrivers (which I might probably will likely return so I can get real good screwdrivers)
- bag of rags including about a dozen old boxer shorts (I am mercifully saving your eyes from the pics)
Yes I am an overexcited newbie and I look at all these products and I know I overdid it. But you know what, I am already having fun and I think through all this typewriter thing, that’s what it’s all about.
Back to my Groma.
Here is her case:
She’s pretty. Two-toned.
She set me back some but was worth it and i probably would have paid more in fact:
Here is a close up of her typeface:
Her imperfections are plentiful however, including that stupid carriage return lever scraping her ribbon cover for decades:
Additionally, she has some paint loss due to scraping on her bottom back end. The other problem is that she has a couple sticky keys which by the looks of it, i should be able to remedy using some of the stuff i bought.
I started a light cleaning already with just some dishwashing soap and water and a cotton rag. She immediately brightened up.
Consider this the BEFORE pics and hopefully soon i can present some after pics.
It has jumped to the front of my priorities list. If I were to be logical about it, I would probably clean every typewriter’s case first.
Here is my current stash:
Then, I’d prioritize cleaning by first cleaning my least prized typewriter, likely my Smith Corona Silent Super or my 1950s Royal QDL. These two are my lesser prized because there are so many of them out there and they can be replaced. I hate to say that but it is true nonetheless. Back to the topic, I would clean the more common typewriters first because I honestly have never cleaned a typewriter before.Don’t get me wrong, I am prepared.
I have bought the following products as suggested by many typewriter sites especially Mr. Richard Polt's Basic Typewriter Restoration page and and nearly every typewriter repairman and enthusiast alike:
- loads of Lysol Disinfectant spray
- some bottles of compressed air
- a bag of dental picks
- rubber cleaner & rejuvenator and Plasti-dip
- Hoppe’s solvent
- Gummi Pflege Stift
- Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish
- Evapo-rust
- water-based Mineral Spirits since CA has banned VM and P Naphtha (despite my efforts to procure the real deal)
- Soft Scrub
- PB Blaster
- Steel Wool
- super fine sandpaper
- some shitty screwdrivers (which I might probably will likely return so I can get real good screwdrivers)
- bag of rags including about a dozen old boxer shorts (I am mercifully saving your eyes from the pics)
Yes I am an overexcited newbie and I look at all these products and I know I overdid it. But you know what, I am already having fun and I think through all this typewriter thing, that’s what it’s all about.
Back to my Groma.
Here is her case:
She’s pretty. Two-toned.
She set me back some but was worth it and i probably would have paid more in fact:
Here is a close up of her typeface:
Her imperfections are plentiful however, including that stupid carriage return lever scraping her ribbon cover for decades:
Additionally, she has some paint loss due to scraping on her bottom back end. The other problem is that she has a couple sticky keys which by the looks of it, i should be able to remedy using some of the stuff i bought.
I started a light cleaning already with just some dishwashing soap and water and a cotton rag. She immediately brightened up.
Consider this the BEFORE pics and hopefully soon i can present some after pics.
I'm happy you finally got your Groma! Your cleaning "kit" is impressive. Gen xo
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are ready to make this sweet typewriter shining new!
ReplyDeleteThe scrape on the ribbon cover is there on 99% of Kolibris. It's a design flaw: the carriage return lever folds down, there is no carriage lock, and there was originally a piece of protective plastic on the bottom of the lever but it has usually fallen out. I'd put some felt or something in there.
PS: You have some stuff I haven't even tried yet myself, like Hoppe's Solvent and Plasti-Dip.
ReplyDeleteRichard - I'll take your advice and put a slim layer of felt on there.
ReplyDeleteDo you think its possible to maybe do a fix-up paint job on the paint scrapes? Wondering if you've ever attempted such a thing.
As for all that stuff (cleaning supplies) - ive done some cleaning and whats hilarious is that i used a rag, some water, and some dishwashing liquid. HAHAHA!
but i do plan to use all that stuff eventually LOL
The only paint that's easy for me to fix up is black -- I touch it up with a black permanent marker and call it a day. Even that isn't perfect, though, since the black is rarely a perfect match. Other colors can be very hard to match and I don't have a good method.
Delete