Any Norma fans out there?

I just picked up a Norma and, being the sort of non-mechanical type, want to make a few maintenance adjustments to get it working even better than it already is. I have Phillip Morgan's excellent guide to restoring a Norma but it doesn't cover a few things--or they are not clear in the guide.

First question, all of the movements work well on mine but the rise and fall. Very hard to move at first, getting slightly better the more I play with it. What is the right way to clean the rods/rod chambers? I assume lubricating is a bad idea...

--Darin