We have fielded three phone calls this week alone from people saying that their Graphotype machine was not running correctly.   The common problem found in each incident was that the callers had cleaned their Graphotype with “Brake” cleaner, “Engine” cleaner and/or “Carburetor” cleaner.

WHAT…?  Really…?  Are you kidding…?

Graphotype machines are fine instruments of machinery much like a Rolex watch; they are not disc brakes or farm equipment – DO NOT USE Brake Cleaner on a Graphotype machine!

FOR THE RECORD and to all future GRAPHOTYPE MECHANICS or TECHNICIANS
THERE ARE NO “BRAKES,” OR “CARBURETORS” ON A GRAPHOTYPE MACHINE!

DO NOT EVER USE BRAKE OR CARBURETOR CLEANER ON A GRAPHOTYPE MACHINE!

Brake cleaner is really bad stuff both in its chemical makeup and use or function.  We are not going to go into detail about how bad brake cleaner is to humans but one of the best articles I can point you to is by Brew Dude – found here.

Brake cleaner does really bad things to Graphotype machines.

Do a “Google” search for “brake cleaner dangers” and you will find 2,200,000+ hits, - Brake cleaner is dangerous!  Not only to you as a human but it is deadly to your Graphotype Machine, NEVER use brake cleaner on a Graphotype.

Brake cleaner should be used ONLY for cleaning automotive disc brakes!
Always read, understand and adhere to instructions listed on the can.
Always read, understand and adhere to WARNING labels, use ONLY as directed.

For this blog, we will consider Carburetor cleaner to be synonymous or THE SAME as brake cleaner.

A few of the bad things brake cleaner will do to Graphotype machines:

• Brake cleaner eats paint off the machine, often removing coatings completely down to the bare metal.  Leaving the machine exsposed with unprotected bare metal, cast iron and steel components will rust and corrode rapidly.  Bare metal MUST be protected, paint is a barrier that protects the metal from rust and corrosion.

• Brake cleaner eats phenolic, plastic and resin keys on the keyboard, it will destroy your keys!  When your keys turn to sticky mush or dissolve away into nothing you can thank break cleaner.

• Brake cleaner destroys anything plastic or rubber, it can damage the gears on some later Graphotype machines such as the 6400 Class machines.

• Brake cleaner will eat and remove protective coatings on springs, parts and components found throughout the Graphotype machine.  Black Oxide coatings, light corrosion, paint, coverings and oil are just a few things that are OK on a Graphotype machine and its internal components, brake cleaner will remove all of these coatings and will destroy your machine.

• Brake cleaner will play hell with the bearings and bearing surfaces found throughout the Graphotype machine.  Brake cleaner removes all lubricant from the bearings and bearing surfaces, with no lubricant the bearings and bearing surfaces will destroy themselves quickly.

• Brake cleaner will destroy textile and fiber (cotton) plugs located in oil holes; it will eat cotton cords used in tension reels.

• Break cleaner will damage electric motors, insulation, wiring and solenoids.

• Brake cleaner will eat drive belts.  The integrity of belts will be destroyed and they will fail prematurely.

Most break cleaners on the market are HIGHLY FLAMMABLE!
The flammable vapors persist long after you think the cleaner has evaporated.

There is nothing good about using Brake or Carburetor cleaner on a Graphotype machine.

Brake cleaner is designed to clean disc brakes and leave bare metal with no residue, that means it strips EVERYTHING off the disc leaving clean bare metal.  The act of driving keeps the brake disc corrosion free as the brake pads rub against the brake disc.

Bottom Line is this… DO NOT EVER use brake cleaner,
carburetor cleaner or engine cleaner on
a Graphotype machine – it will destroy your machine!

To clean your Graphotype machine use WD-40.

WD-40 is the best cleaner you can use on a Graphotype machine; WD-40 is NOT a Lubricant!

After cleaning a Graphotype machine it MUST be lubricated IMMEDIATELY and prior to use AND THEN lubricated AGAIN after several times of use.

Graphotype machines love to be lubricated and they MUST have lubrication to function properly.

Lubrication for Graphotype machines is so important we have a category on the blog dedicated to the subject.   For information on lubricating a Graphotype see our other posts on the subject found under “Lubrication” and “Maintenance”.

The Lubrication of the Graphotype is so important that the manufacturer Addressograph-Multigraph dedicates almost ½ of the operator’s manual to the subject of lubrication.

If you notice in this photo you can see the following items:

• Stop arm
• Stop ring
• 8 retracted stop gates – seated in the stop ring
• 4 extended stop gates – raised above the stop ring

Ok – so did you figure out what is wrong with this photo?  It is the four (4) extended gates raised up above the stop ring.  This machine will not run if these gates are extended.

There can only be one gate extended at a time.  When the machine is operating properly only one gate is extended up and the stop arm swings around to stop on that gate.  The stop arm then causes the Graphotype to trip the hammers that hit the dies and punches which imprint the character on the tag.  Once the character is imprinted the stop gate is reset by the machine in the retracted neutral position down into the stop ring and the stop arm starts to rotate again until it hits another stop gate and the process repeats itself over and over.

How did these gates come to be raised up all at the same time?  There are two possibilities, one is that someone was typing or pressing keys on the keyboard when the machine was turned off.  The other is that someone was typing too fast for the machine and jammed up the machine.

How do we reset the gates into the retracted position?  Use the metal lever on the left hand side of the keyboard with the round ball on top.  The reset lever will pull all the gates back down into the retracted or neutral position.

What other things can be seen in this photo?

• This machine has NOT been lubricated
• This machine has not been cleaned
• There is rust on the stop gates that are extended.

Many times people will purchase a machine that has been sitting unused for years or worse abused and not lubricated.  When you purchase a machine before you start to imprint tags the first thing we recommend is to test all the keys on the machine to ensure they are functioning freely and are properly lubricated.

Check back soon for a blog on testing the keys on the keyboard.

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Give your Graphotype a shot !

Three steps to a happy Graphotype – Clean, Oil, Oil

#1 A CLEAN machine

#2 OIL to lubricate machine

#3 OIL to prevent corrosion to machine

Lubricating a Graphotype is critical to the proper operation of the Graphotype machine.  Illustrated here we have a page from a Class 6200 Graphotype showing the factory recommended oiling points.

 
Oiling Points on Front of a Class 6200
Graphotype machine.  Total of 38 locations.

Oiling points on Rear of Class 6200 Graphotype
Flywheel removed for illustration.  There are a total
of 20 factory recommended oiling points.

The Class 6200 Graphotype has 50+ recommended oiling points illustrated in the factory operator’s manual.  When looking at any Graphotype it is immediately evident there is more than one place to put the lubricating oil.  In fact on Class 6300 and 6400 Graphotypes the lubricating points seem endless.  Class 6100 and Model 350 manual machines are not exempt from oiling requirements either, as a matter of fact the G1 / 6100 Class machines have as many oiling points as the Class 6200.

The main focus of this blog is not the oiling points on a Graphotype, but rather how the heck does one get way down into those tight areas to lubricate everything?  Most of the oiling points are not easily accessible with a standard bottle of oil?

The Tag Tech’s personal preference and one of the most important tools in my Graphotypist’s tools box is a GLASS SYRINGE and long needle.

After much research and trial and error, I found that for me – a glass syringe and long needle was the best solution for reaching into and lubricating those hard to reach places found on all Graphotype machines.

A long blunt needle or long needle such as a catheter/spinal/epidural needle will allow you to reach all those nooks and crannies as well as areas normally inaccessible with a standard oil bottle.

The syringe needle combination also allows me total control over how much oil is applied and helps me not over oil.

Personally I use a B&D (Becton, Dickinson & Co.), 20cc glass syringe with “Luer-Lok” tip and a 6” long blunt tipped 14 gauge Yale needle.  I purchased both the needle and syringe in separate auctions on eBay.

For more ideas on Graphotype oiling and lubrication see our Oiling tools page on the web site.

The Addressograph Multigraph Company said the ONLY lubricant that should be used with Graphotype machines was DURO-VIS.  DURO-VIS was oil that was produced for and marked by the A-M Company up until their closure in the 1980′s.

DURO-VIS OIL CAN

The official designation of this oil was:
AM INTERNATIONAL, INC., MULTIGRAPHICS DIV.
DURO-VIS/LUBRICATING OIL, PART #:MA-78A, MA-81A
NSN: 9150-00-953-7364

Ok, what is the point of all this information if Addressograph-Multigraph is no longer in business?  We visited with people that knew what DURO-VIS was and people that knew the chemical composition of DURO-VIS they indicated to us that the oil was highly refined 20 weight oil with several special additives that would not attack the bronze bushings and bearings in the Graphotype machine.

DURO-VIS has very similar properties of SAE20 – none detergent oil.

“ DURO-VIS is not Automotive Oil – it is not 10w30 or some other multi-weight oil.
“ DURO-VIS is not Sewing Machine Oil
“ DURO-VIS does not have tackifiers such as Lucas Oil – tackifiers used in this type of equipment will damage the bearings and will not lubricate the machine correctly.
“ DURO-VIS does not contain paraffin’s, wax or soluble wax based emulsifiers added to the lubricant.
“ DURO-VIS does not have additives that attack bronze or bronze based products such as bearings, gears, races, etc.

BUY DURO-VIS:

Where can I get DURO-VIS Oil for my precious Graphotype machine?  At present there are two sources of DURO-VIS Oil.  One is a printing press supply company that only sells it by the case with a minimum order of two cases or you can purchase it from Bruce in his eBay store (eBay – Username: TristateUSA).

TristateUSA Superstore
eBay Username: Tristateusa
Phone Number: 812-744-1060
Store Owner: Bruce

Currently Tristateusa is offering DURO-VIS in 6oz and 2oz bottles.  Please visit their eBay store for current pricing.

Graphotype.net recommends DURO-VIS oil at this time for all Graphotype machines until we can find a commercial equivalent available on the open market.

BRONZE THOUGHTS:

Bronze is considered a yellow metal and it has been used for years as a bearing surface because of it’s unique wear properties.  Just as bronze is a different color than steel it reacts differently to chemicals and lubricants than does steel.

It is important to note that Graphotype machines have many bronze bushings, gears and parts, these bronze parts can be attacked and destroyed by certain types of oils and lubricants available in the commercial sector.  All lubricants are NOT the same, oil is not just oil as many believe – if you care about your equipment you need to educate yourself and use the correct lubricants or you will damage or destroy your equipment.

SEWING MACHINE OIL:

It is important to note here that some sewing machine oils also contain additives that do NOT react well with bronze.  Do not use just any oil available.  Do not use sewing machine oils that have a paraffin base.  Not all sewing machine oils are bad for Graphotype machines but you as an operator must educate yourself to find out which ones are safe and which ones are not.  Don’t just ask the sales person at the local hardware store or sewing machine supply house, make sure you read the data on the sewing machine oil itself.  If in doubt ASK, or review the MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) that should be avaliable with any and all chemicals and lubricants.

THE CLUTCH:

Another note is that there are 20 discs in the clutch, 10 of steel and 10 of Bakelite, the use of the wrong oil in the clutch can cause degradation of the Bakelite discs to where they will disintegrate.  No oil in the clutch is also a major cause of premature clutch failure.  With no lubricant in the clutch the steel discs will wear the Bakelite discs away.  You do not want to use an oil such as 3-in-one as this lubricant contains paraffin and it will build up on the surfaces of the clutch and discs and cause the clutch to not work correctly.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR GRAPHOTYPE AND IT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

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I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people tell me  . . .

I lubricated the whole machine . . .
I used a whole can of WD-40®

Folks – I cannot stress enough WD-40® is NOT a LUBRICANT!

Let me say this again – WD-40® is NOT a lubricant! WD-40® is not a lubricant by any stretch of the imagination and definitely not by the definition of a lubricant as used with Graphotype machines.  So if WD-40® is not a true lubricant, what is it?  It is a great product manufactured by the WD-40® Company that does great things such as clean, preserve and penetrate it also has many wonderful properties that make it an essential in almost any well rounded tool box, but a true lubricant WD-40® is NOT!

Clearly stated on WD-40®’s own web site is these words:

Did you know . . .

• WD-40® can clean your bike & tools, remove grease, and lubricate locks, hinges & all moving parts
• WD-40® removes paint, gum, rubber cement, stickers and other adhesives
• WD-40® loosens and penetrates rusted or stuck bolts and plumbing joints

A great CLEANER, penetrating oil and light preservative: This is what WD-40® is; but a true lubricant it is not.  In the world of “Graphotype Machines,” WD-40® has its place in every Graphotypist’s tool box but NOT as the primary source of lubricant for these machines.

On the WD-40 web site they state: “WD-40® is the ultimate multi-purpose problem solver. WD-40® cleans/degreases, penetrates to loosen up stuck parts, prevents corrosion and is a light lubricant.”

The WD-40® Company does make two different products that we as Graphotypist’s indeed consider to be true lubricants.  These true lubricants that will interest Graphotypist’s are:

• 3-IN-ONE® Multi-Purpose Oil
• 3-IN-ONE® Motor Oil

On the WD-40® web site they define 3-in-one oil® as: “3-IN-ONE®, with it’s special drip spout, enables you to lubricate without any overspray or splatter. 3-IN-ONE® is ideal to use on tools, rollers, hinges, in-line skates, wheels…nearly everything that moves.”

If WD-40® is not a lubricant what purpose does it have being in my tool box if I am working on or maintaining Graphotype machines?

When you come to possess a new machine with an unknown maintenance history, are restoring a machine or just need to clean an existing machine in your inventory, WD-40® can be an essential tool to help you clean and properly maintain a Graphotype machine.  Improperly applied or over applied lubricants over time collect dust, dirt and grime as well as become thick and sluggish gumming up the workings of a Graphotype machine.  To clean gummy and thickened lubricants, rust, dirt and grime from your Graphotype WD-40® is great and GRAPHOTYPE.net recommends this product for cleaning.

Graphotype machines that sit idle will corrode, rust and gum up.  The keyboard gates and the gate ring on the Class 6300 Graphotypes seems to be particularly susceptible to sticking and corrosion.  The keyboard what and what kind of ring – I don’t know what you are talking about?  If you remove the cast iron cover just above the keyboard on a Class 6300 machine you will see a horizontal platen that has a round ring with cut outs around the circumference of the ring.  The cut outs are slots for gates that slide up and down transferring the keyboard selection to the die carousel so the desired character is imprinted.

We will be blogging about this ring at a later date and how to care for and maintain this ring at that time but for the purpose of this post we will use this ring as an example.  If your keyboard is stuck, or difficult to operate you might take a look at the gate ring as a starting place.

If the gate ring has visible corrosion, dirt or grime then it is time to clean the gate ring.  We would recommend using WD-40® on the gate ring allowing it to soak into the gates and saturate the metal.  After a good soaking and the proper manipulation of the keyboard to ensure that everything is working correctly, it is time to clean the WD-40® off the machine.

We recommend cleaning the WD-40® from the machine with rags and paper towels. Once the WD-40® has been removed as much as possible it is time to actually lubricate the gates and gate ring.  We recommend that you actually take a true lubricant such as the 3-in-one® oil and lubricate each gate with ½ a drop of oil per side of gate.  The gates only need the slightest layer of lubricant on them to function properly.  Over lubricating the gates can cause problems just as much as not lubricating the gates.

3-IN-ONE® Multi-Purpose Oil

This oil is fine but it is not recommended by GRAPHOTYPE.net as your primary lubricant.  Being a Multi-Purpose oil this formulation has some addatives that are not needed for Graphotype machines.  If no other oil is avaliable then use this oil as an emergency alternative until you can locate some proper lubricant.

See our BLOG about DURO-VIS for the correct lubricant for Graphotype machines.  If you cannot find DURO-VIS then use 3-in-one® Motor Oil (for electric motors – in the blue and white can) as an alternative until you can find DURO-VIS.

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