That's the stuff. White grease, spray the entire assembly. Then place a bag over it and don't let any one else play with it. Standing on end is how I used to store cranks, but if it was returned to you in a cradle, then use the cradle ( box with supports at each main with felt lining each support ).
Another thing we used to to do was ring the crank with a small jewelers hammer. If it didn't ring, we believed something was wrong. Stand the crank on end and tap the counter weight with a very small hammer, see if it rings.
Hey, what else are you gonna do with some 30 year old superstition?
One more thing; sleeping with it is over the edge. If you find yourself getting up in the middle of the night to look at it and it ends up in bed with you, you need to get a life.
