Maintenance toolkit

A toolkit of a few key items will allow most standards repairs on all models of risograph.

The majority of these can be found in any hardware store, but a few will likely need to be special ordered.

Tools

Item	Notes
JIS Phillips #2 screwdriver	The screws in a risograph conform to the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS), not ANSI (used in the US), or ISO (used in Europe). Using a proper JIS screwdriver will provide more torque to stuck screws, and make it less likely that screws become stripped. Recommended product: Vessel 220 P2 150
Metric hex keys	These should be separate L-shaped wrenches, not part of a pocket knife-style connected set. The sizes needed are: 5, 4, 3, 2.5, 2, and 1.5 mm. Hex keys are used for removing and tightening machine screws and set/grub screws, but also to measure small standard gaps when calibrating the second paper feed cams and the feed tray elevator.
Small flat head screwdriver	Primarily for removing e-rings—a thin, strong blade is important. A small butter knife or type tweezers for letterpress make good substitutes.
Needle nose pliers	For reattaching e-rings, and manipulating light springs. For stronger springs, a spring puller or zip-tie handle should be used instead, or hook nosed pliers if they are avilable (so that the spring does not slip off the end of the pliers).
5.5 mm nut driver and/or crescent wrench	Many internal screws in the risograph have an external hex head profile of 5.5 mm. A small adjustable wrench will also do, as will a socket wrench with a 5.5 mm head.
Small vice grips	For removing stuck screws. Also called "locking pliers."
Ruler (mm) and/or calipers	Mechanical calibrations for the risograph are invariably provided in metric.
Lens cleaning cloth	Of the sort used for glasses—a smooth, shiny soft cloth. This is used for cleaning the thermal print head (TPH) whenever a roll of stencils is replaced, and for cleaning debris off the scanner glass (or scanner head).
Small flashlight	A magnetic flashlight is best; a headlamp or bike light will also do.
Fine point sharpie	For marking adjustable plates/screws before and after adjustment, or making notes inside the risograph.
Magnet or magnetic retrieval tool	For retrieving dropped screws and other parts. A magnet can also be clipped near screws and e-rings before removal, to catch them if they fall (but should not be used near circuit boards).
Bristle brushes (nylon & brass)	For cleaning old grit and grease off of hard plastic and metal surfaces respectively. Usually these are useful for cleaning the gears in the riso—but the can also be used to brush rust and oxidation off of internal drum surfaces (use proper ventilation & masking so as not to inhale these oxides).
Optional tools
Metric feeler gauge	A feeler gauge measures tiny spaces between surfaces—in the risograph it is used to adjust the squeegee gap and squeegee pressure in drums on all models, and the G-lever mounting position in Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines. machines. For drum maintenance this should have leaves of 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, 0.10 mm. For the G-lever adjustment additional leaves of 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30 will be useful. Note that an imperial gauge with mm conversions marked on it will not have high enough fidelity to make these calibrations. Recommended product: McMaster Carr Feeler Gauge Set 2334A66
3 mm roll pin punch	Useful for extracting and replacing broken elevator gears on Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines. machines. A proper roll pin punch should have a small protrusion at the tip, not just a flat end.
Retaining ring removal tool	These are used to remove a special type of retaining ring, the "c-ring." These are rare inside the risograph (used at the back of Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines. drums and on some of the main motor gears & pulleys), but this is the only tool that will remove them.
M3 and M4 tap and die	Riso screws are made of very weak metal, and can become easily damaged, which will in turn damage the threads they screw into. Most riso screws are M3 or M4, and having these tap & die sets on hand can allow for easy thread recutting.

Lubricants

Whenever maintenance is done on a unit, that unit should receive a light clean and lubrication—this keeps the friction in the system low and ensures everything is moving smoothly. This is most critical in all the components that are rotating every cycle (for every sheet printed): the paper feed, main drive, press, and paper ejection units.

Item	Notes
Light machine oil	All bearing surfaces (bushings and ball bearings) in the risograph can make use of occasional oiling. A drop of oil on a bearing will wick into the contact surfaces as the shaft spins up. Any light machine oil will do for this purpose (i.e. sewing machine oil, typewriter oil, etc.). Recommended product: 3-in-1 Motor Oil (blue label)
White lithium grease	For gears and sliding surfaces (such as in the vertical channels of the elevator, or the paper guides on the feed tray), a grease is used instead. Gears can get a small dollop of grease (half the size of a pea) on their teeth in a few places around the gear (roughly every 3 cm if possible. Pulleys (which rubber belts ride on) should not be greased. Avoid over-greasing the risograph as this will attract dust over time. A little bit of grease goes a long way, only a small tube is needed—not a large canister for a grease gun.

Cleaning supplies

Item	Notes
Cleaning agents
Odorless mineral spirits (OMS)	Also known as white spirits. Used for cleaning ink off of metal and plastic surfaces. This is a petroleum-based mild solvent, often used to thin or clean oil-based inks and paints. OMS is harmful for both skin and inhalation—it should be used with gloves and in well ventilated areas or while using a respirator. It also has a flash risk—meaning it should be stored in a flammables chest and that rags with OMS should be handled with rag safety. Generally treat OMS storage and disposal as a form of gasoline. Recommended product: GAMSOL There are many alternative, less toxic solvents that can be used instead of OMS, though they may work more slowly. Here are some in use in risograh printshops: Citra Solv SoySolv II Estisol 242 Vegetable oil
Isopropyl alcohol	There are a few places where adhesives are used in the risograph (particularly for attaching the ink blocking sheet to the surface of the drum body in Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines. drums)—in order for adhesives to make a strong bond, the surfaces need to be perfectly cleaned. After removing the majority of the ink with a solvent, a pass with isopropyl alcohol will leave a zero-residue finish when dry.
Dish soap	Neither solvent, nor alcohol should be used on the rubber surfaces in a risograph—as both can dry out the rubber. Instead rubber should be cleaned with simple dish soap.