They are not rare and today certainly not desirable or collectable, judging by online offers - the later-models Dalton adding machine are pretty big and 'boring' machines with, well, limited functionality. Nevertheless, got distracted further from ordering new 3D prints and started taking apart the donor-machine to see what could be done to make it look a bit better. On the one hand it's not a machine worth the effort, but on the other hand would be no big loss if it all fails and it's reduced to parts-donor.
The re-designed Dalton 10-key Adding Machine launched in 1921 as the "Super Model". With this re-design the company did away with the original-model's four cast-iron frame-plates inside a single-casting housing, and replaced this with four stamped frame-plates and thin sheet-metal panels on the outer frame-plates. This did make it lighter (a bit), but it certainly made assembly more complex and made the frame part of the exterior. To re-paint, the frames have to be removed!
Removing the outer frame-plates only one at a time, much of the mechanism is held in position - this limits the trouble in getting things back together again. Only a few levers and brackets come off - in this state it is even possible to see the register-wheels, but only just. That the register wheels are so deep inside the machine and obscured, with every mechanism connected to every other mechanism must have made it a nightmare to assemble (costly too).
Despite the sorry-state of the machine on the outside, the mechanism was only dirty and completely rust-free! One other reason to take it apart this far, was to try to fix the oil-damper. That failed - the damper can be taken out fairly easily and be cleaned on the outside. It however could not be opened, it's just been tightened too hard with a copper gasket - and has no filling-plug. Dalton likely did not anticipate this to ever need servicing; to be fair, a reasonable design-decision back then :)
The fancy machine-spotting applied on some of the internal parts also came out very clean again. Still looks great - but normally hidden behind the body-panels.
With the machine broken-down to the core-mechanism, the typeslugs can be accessed for a cleaning. Just as in typewriters, these do catch ink and 'lint' from the ribbon - especially the lower columns digits were clogged.
After debating what colour to paint the machine (crystalline green? ivory? silver?), settled on plain black. The function-keys on a Dalton are color-matched to the body - and these are black on the machine. It'll just be gloss-black however, instead of crackle.
It should come out nice - that is: if it comes together again!
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