repairing an old cash register

[Lucky]

I picked up an old cash register from around the 1950's at a flea market for 10 bucks a couple of weeks ago.  the guy said it was a boat anchor... to quote Tweety bird: "He don't know me very well..do he?"

Anyway, it's an R. C. Allen machine. all steel, (no rust!) built like a typewriter.  The handle wouldn't budge when i got it, all the old machine oil has turned to gum.

i've managed to free a lot of it up using copius amounts of heat from a heat gun, Gumout, Brake cleaner & lacqer thinner.

as a kid i took my share of typewriters apart, & don't remember getting any of them back to working condition, but it did teach me a lot:

1) most of these things are put together as subassemblies.
2) whenever possable don't remove any of those little springs... (i haven't  ;) )


here's where i'm at, and my question:
--I have it removed from the nice wood base/draw assembly.
--all the covers are off. the ribbon subassembly is off (functions reasonably well) as well as the number subassembly & shutters ('cause they're painted)

I can now pull on the handle & get most of it to move.. but the levers need to *snap* back into position.  righ now many of them just "glide" back...

also there are shafts in it that contain 'axels' and the axels don't turn freely.  removing the axels would entale complete dissasembly & i'm NOT going to do that...  heat & sprays just won't penatrate that far..

Here's what i'm thinking:  a nice warm bath (just shy of a simmer) in laqure thinner or even carb dip for an hour or whatever.  there are no materials used on this thing that won't take the heat.  it's really all steel.  other than the buttons (which can come off, after photographing) there is NO plastic or even bakelite.

Also i don't want to overheat the springs..

what else would be good or better to use to completely disolve the gum?  thoughts and ideas are appreciated.

--Lucky

[67GTO]

When I worked on Burroughs bookeeping machines we would remove the motors and then soak them in a
laundry tub of degreaser. This was followed by a soaking in a tub of thin machine oil. They came out like new
all old grease gone, everything free moving.
  I'm sure the degreaser is banded by now.

Dan

[fret not]

One old family friend used to have a side business of watch repair at his home.  He was pretty good at it and had quite a bit of business in the early 50s.  I recall he would use kerosene for a lot of things because it was a solvent and also a very light lubricant.  He used to hang delicate watch mechanisms over a container of kerosene as an initial process to free them up.  It is not nearly as aggressive as lacquer thinner and probably not nearly as expensive either.

I know a cash register is not a fine mechanism like a watch but I think it would benefit from a good soaking and swishing just the same.  The light oil bath sounds like a winner too.  Somehow I don't think heat is your friend here, it might just further dry the old grease and dust.  Can you run ATF through a pressure washer? :D

[Lucky]

Heat is the one thing that's helped the most, but i'll try it without heat first...
I'm going to start with the thin solvent first though, it needs to be able to penetrate into the shafts...

[mdskinner731]

try looking up a product called "free all" it puts PB blaster to shame and works amazing on lubing parts that are rusty! penetrates the rust/corrosion in minutes!!!  it actually takes the oxygen outta the air...

(works great on sliding new ends on to hydraulic hoses to...)

[Lucky]

 A bath in laquer thinner did the trick.  some new hammer paint, a fresh ribbon & a roll of paper & it works like a charm.  needs a few adjustments..

[AdvRich]

Glad to hear it Lucky. Pics sometime would be nice.

[Lucky]

sorry they are so big..
in the second shot i hadnt painted the base yet.  it got a couple of coats of leather brown oil based.
before:

After

[vadasz1]

no pics mate...