When we use the command line on Linux, we often refer to it as a terminal. It’s a word with a past invoking images of serial terminals, rows of green-screened machines hooked up to a central computer somewhere. Those in turn were electronic versions of mechanical teletypes, and it’s one of these machines we’re bringing you today. [DipDoT] has a Lorenz teletype from the 1950s, and he’s taking us through servicing and cleaning it, eventually showing us its inner workings.
The machine in question had been in storage for many years, but remained in good condition. To be this long out of use though meant it needed a thorough clean, so he sets about oiling the many hundreds of maintenance points listed in a Lorenz manual. It’s a pleasant surprise for us to see keyboard and printer unit come away from the chassis for servicing so easily, and by stepping it through its operation step by step we can see how it works in detail. It even incorporates an identifier key — think of it as a mechanical ROM that stores a sequence of letters — which leads him to believe it may have come from a New York news office. The video is below the break, and makes for an interesting watch.
He’s going to use it with a relay computer, but if you don’t have one of those there are more modern ways to do it.
@05:40 “The oil I’m using is just standard sewing machine oil”.
You mean that stuff that dries up after 2 years and forms a sticky and gummy residue that does not lubricate?
I once bought a 2nd hand sewing machine that was so gummed up with that stuff that the motor could not even turn anymore, and I had to disassemble and clean half the mechanism.
It’s better use balistic oil here, I think.
On other hand, why not let the machine suffer a little bit ?
It would just be fair, considering how many people’s hearing it harmed over the years.
Keep Ballistol far away from sewing machines or other fine mechanics.
Ballistol was originally made for oiling and protecting the mechanisms in firearms. Its composition is designed for this use. It is not made for other uses – and it stinks besides.
The teletype itself stinks, too.
Real sewing machine oil doesn’t do that.
The 3in1 oil that you buy at the grocery store will dry up an go gummy very quickly. Despite saying “for sewing machines” on the can, it is not appropriate for use on sewing machines
Good quality sewing machine oil will still lubricate after decades.
Buy good quality sewing machine oil specifically made for sewing machines. The machines will thank you with long and faithful service.
i’d be interested in a more detailed write up on this phenomenon. It’s ever-present, someone saying “don’t use that oil, it gums up.” Though usually it’s the other way around, more like Joseph Eoff’s comment — do use sewing machine oil, because it doesn’t gum up.
Anyways, just speaking from my own experience, here’s my hot take. Based just on my own experience of course.
It’s all a bunch of hooey. Every oil will gum up if you get it dirty or let it sit long enough. 3in1, WD40, wildcard machine oil, 10W30, diesel, brake fluid, even ‘synthetic with teflon’. and any of the above will lubricate well enough in the short-term.
Don’t get me wrong. The in-between differences matter. WD40 will not lubricate as well (or as long, at least) as any of the heavier oils. The heavier oils will typically collect gunk a little faster. But everything collects gunk, nothing that lasts evaporates cleanly, everything polymerizes at the margins over decades.
But if you pull something out of someone’s garage and blame the last guy to oil it, you’re missing the mark. The decade of disuse in a garage caused your problems. If the guy had kept oiling it the way he was going, it would still be moving smoothly today.
i’m just saying because i rode a bike around with the derailleur rusted solid for a decade before i was like “why not?” and i doused it in WD40 and exercised it and it worked for 2 years on just that treatment. “WD40 doesn’t lube,” you say. pfft.
i think the reason old men are so confident in their recommendations is that they really did solve their gunking and seizing problems. But they solved it with elbow grease, with careful application, with frequent inspections and maintenance, with cleaning. Young men are not doing those things (anyways, i wasn’t). Our problem is not that we used 3in1, but that we just added more oil to something that was already full of gunk from being over-oiled, instead of cleaning.
And in that vein, if you’re going to use just one oil, use WD40, because it really is much better at cleaning. The difference in long-term lubrication is nothing compared to the difference between cleaning or not cleaning.
I’m impressed; that’s actually quite a thoughtful comment.
It doesn’t seem very often that people make the effort to differentiate and care about the nuances. IMHO.
Especially the use of WD40 has many pros/cons to begin with.
It can be used against rust and for lubrication, although the effect won’t necessarily last very long.
Anyway, it’s a handy universally tool.
A classic next to duct tape, luster terminals and zip ties. :)
Certain things are better to be left in the past.
And that’s one of them, maybe. The noise alone made people deaf.
I had a brief career in a suburban bank branch in Australia in 1980, using Olivetti teletype machines.
Feed the customer’s passbook into the machine, type the various commands and it would print deposits and withdrawal details into the passbook. Updated instantly – with balances but excluding uncleared cheques – over who knows what kind of data link to central.
I once watched in awe as a technician serviced the machine. So….many…..gears.
Hi! These are some great memories! 🙂👍
Personally, I do like mechanical typewriters (esp. the travel types) and electro-mechanical relays of all kinds.
My negative comment about the Lorenz typewriters is mainly because they’re so very loud.
Relay computers and mainframes used to be behind walls of glass,
so the operators could sit in a different room using peaceful glass terminals (CRT terminals; or modern, quiet teletypes).
Same can’t be said about those Lorenz teletypes, however.
Operators had to endure their noise for hours and days, months, years..
Now let’s imagine there’s a dozen of them. 🙁
Former Teletype repair person here. We used 30W motor oil, which is also recommended for Selectrics. For grease (bushings and cams) we used Mobilgrease 28.
I’m interested to note that the keyboard seems to be a US one
Is this related to Lorenz teletype used in ww2 by the nazi and decrypted by Colossus?
Same company, or at least the successor to the Nazi-era Lorenz. The device here looks to be almost a clone of the Teletype Model 19 or 17.
What kind of applicator did you use? i mean, the biggest reason i never use motor oil is that i can’t really imagine pouring from the big plastic jug into the tiny ports on my sewing machine :)
It’s on my mind because my WD40 pressurized aerosol let out the gas and i ripped off its little nozzle and now i apply it by holding the can upside down and letting it dribble / capilary-action out of the exposed nubbin. Pretty unsatisfactory. Meanwhile my 3in1 has a great little 3 inch straw coming out the top of it with a tiny hole, which is great for a lot of things. As i’m going to buy a new can of WD40 for the first time in 10 years, i realize my only complaint is the form factor. i kind of want to just buy a jug of the juice and put it in a syringe or a small squeezy bottle?? Ideas?
WD40 is available in 0.3 oz “pens”. I can’t tell from the description if it’s pressurized or not.
WD40 is also available in 1 and 5 gallon cans and a 55 gallon drum. Good luck finding a retailer that has it.
Small squeeze bottles are available from Michaels, eye droppers from health food stores.
Get a high quality turbine oil for lubrication of most everything you can think of. The stuff works great and lasts a long time. https://www.supco.com/web/supco_live/products/MO98.html
I work in HVAC/R and this stuff is great. I also used it on my Singer featherweight with great success!
Teletypes are like strippers… good fun to watch, use and maintenance on the other hand