Now proud owner of a pristine type I (#24990, made in 1954) that seems to work perfectly--appears to almost never have been used. Is there any reason to send this Curta in for a lubrication/cleaning, despite the near new appearance? Thanks, and apology in advance if this has already been answered elsewhere... CurtaPilot

Unless the machine has a problem, I'd avoid sending it in. Just like my watchmaker charges quite a bit to disassemble, inspect, clean, and lubricate my various watches, Curta service is rather expensive. Jack Christensen charges a couple of hundred dollars for this and I'm not sure the gentlemen in Europe are any cheaper...see here for Jack's page about this http://home.comcast.net/~timewise1/curta/curta.html

Anyway, the machines are quite robust provided they are not abused; the Type 1 that lives on my desk and is used daily hasn't shown any hiccups in its operation in the years it's been there. I'm not sending it in until it starts doing its sums wrong!

And congratulations on your excellent-condition machine. You'll find it gives you plus 5 HP on Boring Cocktail Party Guests to Death in certain role-playing games, too.

Thanks, Pete. Good info...see ya 'round the cocktail party circuit!