How to clean your   .

The simple way to clean your Trattorina is to use a dry cloth or an old toothbrush. Never wash it or use the dishwasher. It is always good to roll a bit a dough when you first buy the machine to get the oil that is on the rollers out.

For the most serious cleaning, especially for people who use it to make clayworks, I got this information from Desiree McCroreyPlease note, I am about to describe what I needed and went through to remove the noodle rollers, clean and lubricate my Trattorina pasta machine. Your machine may be a little different. Don't attempt removing the noodle rollers unless youíre mechanically competent or have someone around who is.

Good practice: Any screws that are removed should be taped to the part they came from. If you have a digital camera, take pictures frequently as you disassemble. Those pictures will be very, very helpful when reassembling. Remember to take pics of both left and right sides, front and back sides. If you've no camera, get out that pencil and paper duo.

Tools & Supplies

- 8mm socket wrenches (it really helps to have two)
- standard tip screwdriver
- hammer
- metal lubricants (mineral oil, white grease, lubricant with Teflon, etc.)
- degreaser solution (e.g. Simple Green or Natureís Orange, etc.)
- absorbent paper (e.g. packing paper and paper towels).

1. Place your pasta machine and parts on several layers of packing paper. It will protect your working surface from scratches and absorb oil, dirt, etc. Each side panel cover has two screws. Remove screws and pull off covers. You can remove the black dial, but it isnít really necessary. Flip unit to access bottom of base. Remove screws from the rubber-footed bars.
 
 
 

Left side panel cover	Base	"Fenders"

2. There are four horizontal (< ---- >) support or bracing bars; two towards the front, one near the top, one near the base, and two support bars across the mid-back, the ones holding the flat roller scraper blades. With the socket wrenches, loosen (but donít remove!) the eight nuts; grab the two side panels and carefully twist them until things loosen up a bit. If you've loosened the nuts enough, you should be able to pull out the four "fenders". Fenders are the shiny curved sheets; the big one has the "Trattorina" name, and three smaller ones. You should also be able to remove the noodle roller scraper blades.

3. OK, you're getting down to the real guts of the machine: the metal rollers, the metal and plastic gears, the metal scraper blades and some big U-shaped wire pins. Before going any further, make very careful note (take pictures) of the position and position relationships between the white dial (numbered) gear and the other interlocking white parts. Take snap shots if you can.

Removing the noodle rollers (advanced maintenance)

4. You may have noticed the noodle rollers are locked into on one side panel by their gears. You will need to separate the gears from the rollers to remove the rollers from the machine. Given the original sorry condition of my machine, the only way I could do this was to lay the machine either face up or face down and brute-force off each gear with a standard tip screwdriver and hammer. I wedged the screwdriver tip just behind each gear and whammed with the hammer until the gear began to loosen and move closer to the roller's end.
 
 
 

Two noodle roller gears removed	Noodle rollers and accessories removed

5. Once the four noodle roller gears are removed, remove the support (bracing) bar nuts. The frame wonít fall completely apart, but it should be loose enough to twist and pull the machine's two side panels apart to help free the four noodle rollers. Viola! You've just cut the weight of the pasta machine by 60% - 70%!

Cleaning and Lubricating

6. Before applying new grease and oil, you might want to remove the old stuff. If you do, set the entire machine in a pan and pour a degreasing solution over it. Wipe off as much as possible with paper towels. Let the rest dry. Now you can apply grease and oil. Apply grease on the roller gears.

Reassembling

7. The trickiest step in reassembling will be to tighten the support (bracing) bars that hold the flat roller scraper blades. You might need to simultaneously keep twisting pressure on the bar, hold the nut with one socket wrench on one side of the support (bracing) bar while tightening the other. A third hand would be helpful, unless you have exactly the right tools.

8. Generally, reverse the steps you went through to take the machine apart. Retighten the support (bracing) bar nuts; replace the base, the black dial knob (if you took it off), reattach the side panels.

9. You are done. Crank til your heart's content.