Wetter numbering machine is stuck

Any suggestions for loosening up a wetter numbering machine? I’m guessing it is just a bit rusted, but the numbers will not move when button is depressed. Thoughts?

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Waldos and Company, Marinate the said machine, in mineral sprits, kerosene, over night, baste in the morning. retrieve machine & machine oil plunger and shaft. Depending on the machine you can depress the “0” cipher and oil the shaft that way. best james

We stored our numbering machines in a glass jar with gasoline. We used a 6pt wood reglet to depress the “0”s; however not all numbering machines have depress-able “0”s.
Be careful with excess oil as oil adversely affects inking.

Don’t know the Wetter machines but most UK numbering boxes are fully dismantlable, if you know how. Mind you I would be wary of those that can number either forward OR backward! It was a commonplace that the comp room overseer kept all the boxes not in use in a biscuit tin full of petrol (gasoline) on a shelf in his office. Not as dangerous as you might think as comp rooms were part of the main printing building where no smoking was the usual rule (so they took snuff) . Whats more that same overseer kept the knowledge to himself, and that supported his authority. How? well, new boxes came in a tiny tin, with a dismantle leaflet, which he immediately removed and kept for himself! Quite a bit of imposition knowledge was only to be found in his head. One saw him standing absently making chalk marks on the stone, which got rubbed out if you came near. But the office boy, me - not a compositor - was ignored!. .

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Your own *well versed* Mr. J. G. Henry of Cedar Creek Press posted and implied some time ago, that He has or had some *Wetter* numbering box parts and Info. Good luck.