Cleaning Type
I know there’s lots on the list regarding oxidation and rust, but I wanted to share the following in the hopes that it would be helpfulto tohers.others.
I was fortunate enough to “inherit” some 36 pt Baskerville which is a quite beautiful design. It’s in great shape but very, very dirty - full of that black stuff (ink and such) that time brings. I soaked it in 100% Oil Eater (got it from Amazon) and another batch in 50% water and with the 100%, the grime floated off after about 12 hours, with the 50% a bit longer. I then dried it in the oven and lightly coated it with WDF-40 and I see no ill effects to the the type. It’s not shiny like new type but it’s very clean. I wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area. Hope this helps someone.
lead is cleanable with water to remove dust layers ,spirit wont remove general dust grime so some water will be necessary ,drying after cleaning is a must and whilst i would use anti oxidant or ink retarder to keep moisture off there no reason why oil would pose a problem if you wipe a set forme over with stripper or other spirit to get the oil off before use . It wasnt unusual for monotype cast formes to be quite greasy off the caster and a wipe with a spirit rag did fine .