reply to u/actualwoey at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1gqhied/recommendations_for_reliable_new_small_spool_1_58/

You could see if a local repair shop is parting out a machine or has spools that would work for you. iirc the Corona Zephyr, Skyriter, and the later versions of the Corsair all used that smaller spool size, usually described as 1 5/8" or 1 2/3". https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html Once you've got the correct sized spools, you can wind your Amazon ribbon onto them, but you'll likely have to trim it down to fit. (2" spools usually have 16 yards of ribbon while the 1 5/8" accommodate about 12 yards.)

If you can't come up with original metal spools to respool your 1/2" ribbon onto, you can try https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/category-s/12779.htm which will sell you both in one go.

Some other ribbon options: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-faq.html#q1. I've had good luck buying bulk ribbon from both Baco Ribbon and Fine Line.

I've heard some have successfully re-juvenated old ribbon by spraying it (unspooled into a box) with WD-40 or glycerine to re-wet it and then respooling it.

Smith Corona Vintage Typewriter Margin Rack Alignment Stop Adjustment by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

In the video for Walk on Water (2017), a song about art, aging, self-doubt, insecurity, criticism, and creativity, Eminem and his various clones use SMC Classic 12 typewriters to type random words in a nod to Émile Borel's 1913 analogy of dactylographic monkeys with respect to statistical mechanics.

The video closes with Eminem showing typed evidence of his creative genius: "So me and you are not alike / Bitch, I wrote 'Stan'".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryr75N0nki0

Notice the overlap of the dactylographic monkey idea and the creation of combinatorial creativity in Eminem's zettelkasten practice. The fact that he's brilliant enough to have created Stan (2000) is evidence that he's not just a random monkey, but that there is some directed thought and creativity which he has tacitly created during his career. https://boffosocko.com/2021/08/10/55794555/

Smith-Corona typewriters generally have either Hulse or RaRo slugs.

Both used the number "1" as their code for their Standard Pica typefaces.

Hulse slug pattern:

RaRo slug pattern:

via Pelicram at https://discord.com/channels/639936208734126107/639939010541649951/1289001269712916595

Typewriter Basics: Carriage Locks by [[Sarah Everett]] of [[Just My Typewriter]]

Sarah describes having a common spacebar issue when repairing a typewriter, bending the spacebar down which causes the machine not to work/advance as a result when it's put back into the typewriter shell.

Sarah also shows some type bar benders, but doesn't demonstrate how she (or her father) used them to do the repair.

If the "Hanks Effect" was really so prominent, then we should see the commensurate rise in price of 5 Series Smith Coronas and particularly the Clipper and the Silent which he's also mentioned several times. In fact, he's said these would be the typewriter he'd keep if he had to get rid of all others. Given this fact, it has to be, in part, a variety of other factors which inflates the prices.

Personally I think that it's a combination of the fact that they were manufactured at the peak of typewriter use and manufacturing and before companies began using more plastic and cheaper manufacturing methods, but were also done in a later timeperiod when exterior design and color were on the rise as a differentiator in the marketplace. Quality, form, and function become part of a trifecta which drive desire and collectability.

Smith Corona Skyriter Shift Repair, Ring & Cylinder Adjustment for Even Quality Print by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

He misspoke about "ring and cylinder" adjustment here. Duane does an on feet and motion adjustment in this video for a Smith-Corona Skyriter.

Smith Corona Manual Vintage Typewriter Main Spring Removal Flush and Re-Lube Draw Band Attached by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Duane puts a few drops of red oil on the mainspring of typewriters as a lubricant before blowing it out to thin it down.

Here he demonstrates how to re-tension the mainspring of a Smith-Corona typewriter.

Smith Corona Classic Galaxie Typewriter Ribbon Lift Install Arm Adjustment Squeeze Style by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Smith Corona Typewriters 1935 - 1980 Type Alignment / Shift Motion Upper Lower Case Adjustment by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Duane starts out by showing the two adjustment screws for the upper and lower case motion adjustment on a 5 Series Smith-Corona portable. (This should be the same across several decades of machines and include the 4 and 6 series as well.)

Smith Corona Typewriter Changeable Type Slugs Faces Styles Demo by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Short demo of changing the typeface on the Smith-Corona 6 series+ using the Smith-Corona Changeable Type functionality.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074SV5WTX

Drive belts u/NisKildegaard recommends for SMC electric typewriters. via https://new.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1f7mhz6/comment/llb1peu/

Song: Carmelita<br /> By: Warren Zevon<br /> 1976-05-18

https://genius.com/Warren-zevon-carmelita-lyrics

Based on this example and several in the TWdb, the Smith-Corona Coronet Automatic has a high likelihood for having exotic typefaces.

Some of the Smith-Corona 6 series machines (electrics) came with copper shipping restraints that were meant to be removed by the dealer prior to sale. Sometimes they can be found inside cases and in other instances, inside the typewriter itself.

via: https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ew971o/need_help_finding_where_this_came_from_more/

See also:<br /> https://imgur.com/a/xbo6SoY<br />

https://imgur.com/a/PMPCXN5<br />

Smith Corona Typewriter Main Spring Rewound Repaired Replaced by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Smith Corona Vintage Typewriter 5 Series Draw Band Install Mainspring Connection Wind Tighten by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Smith-Corona 5 series drawband and mainstring attachment and tightening.

https://willowcreektypewriters.com/products/jeweled-escapement-sticker

https://willowcreektypewriters.com/products/still-collecting-more-sticker

SCM could stand for Smith-Corona Marchant, but some typewriter collectors think it stands for Still Collecting More.

Empire Sky-Riter Typewriter Review by Smith Corona: The End of Empire by [[Lazy Dog Typewriters]]

Around 1960 Smith-Corona bought out British Typewriters Ltd. (aka Empire) in West Bromwich, England and used the plant to make a version of the Smith-Corona Skyriter which they sold under the Empire name.

Smith-Corona Series 5 and 6 typewriters had a small piece of rubber around a portion of the escapement which can wear out or become damaged. This in turn causes the escapement to not work properly and cause the dogs to get jammed resulting in large movements of the carriage while typing or spacing.

Joe Van Cleave calls it the "return silencer" and replaced his by tracing out the damaged piece on a sheet of 1/32" rubber and cutting it out as a replacement.

Duane at Phoenix typewriter describes replacing it with rubber tubing (possibly something like heat shrink?) instead. See: https://hypothes.is/a/tG4BWk77Ee-jczsjoM8SzA

Typewriter Escapement Repair by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Smith Corona Typewriter Repaired Flying Carriage ! Fixed Escapement Pawl by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Pawl was frozen on escapement. He also took out a piece of the rubber which he planned to replace with some surgical tubing to add a small layer of spacing.

This repair is similar to part of that at Smith Corona Typewriter Power Spacer Escapement Repair Adjustment No Silencer Model

Smith Corona Typewriter Power Spacer Escapement Repair Adjustment No Silencer Model by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

SCM typewriter escapement and margin lock/release by [[Nis Kildegaard]]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/09/11/playing-with-ire/

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 232: Galaxie XII by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

He's done another video on this machine before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWuny5KFccU

Typewriter Video Series Episode 41 - Smith-Corona Galaxie 12 by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

SCM Electric Typewriters by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Tips for cleaning the Smith-Corona 6 series electric typewriters and details about how they work.

S-C also made this series of typewriter for both Sears and Singer under their branding. (including the Singer Electric in this video.)

The belts on the electric motor and cams was originally a rubber 'V' belt which is no longer manufactured. Using 1/8" round cross-section o-rings of appropriate sizes (for water cannister applications) is the recommended replacement, however one may need to slightly move the drive motor down a bit so that the belt doesn't hit the frame of the typewriter and thereby destroying it over time.

Cleaning and lubricating the drive motors and moving pieces before using may help before trying out a typewriter which has been sitting for long periods of time.

Some later models had an electric return, which can tend to be violent. Electro 220 and Coronet Automatic 12 have an additional clutch and draw band (and lack of return lever on the carriage) for their electric returns.

reply to u/Deep-Seaworthiness48 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e5gh4p/two_5_keys_sc_poweriter/

Things like that happened on alternate language/region typewriters. I've got a Dutch keyboard layout that repeats a % symbol twice.

It's likely that the pound symbol was needed/required so they pulled one from a pre-existing typeslug and key cap on a keyboard where the £/5 key was common and replaced the 1/! which in the era was widely known could be done by alternate means (aka lower case 'l' and '.' backspace '''.

The value of the £ was more important to the typist and because of typeface manufacture was probably easier to do in the £/5 existing combination from something like the English No. 1028, International No. 1060 keyboard, the Brazilian No. 1065, or the Danish No. 1047 all of which paired the £/5. See also: https://munk.org/typecast/2023/02/03/1954-smith-corona-scm-typewriter-type-styles-and-keyboards-catalog/

Off hand, I don't see another S-C keyboard combination from that time period that had a £ paired with any other glyph/character. In the "change-a-type" time period they likely wouldn't have done a custom black key for the £/5 when they were already manufacturing one in a matching white. If they didn't also swap out the key at the far right end of that bank, I would expect it to be a standard black '+/=' key cap and slug.

Royal QDL or Smith Corona 5 series? by [[JustMyTypewriter]]

Comparison of 1950s Royals and Smith-Coronas

Pacemaker Platen Removal?!???! by [[Just My Typewriter]]

1968 – Smith-Corona SCM Typewriter Typestyles and Keyboards by [[Theodore Munk]]

Smith-Corona 5-Series Touch Adjustment by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

These have been selling at auction sites over the past several months for $45-$75 plus shipping based only on pictures and without any information at all about their working condition, so all-in you probably got a great deal. I'm just finishing up work on cleaning up a 1951 2Y series Skyriter myself, and I really like its typing action. Don't throw away the spools if it came with them as they're non-standard and slightly smaller than the ubiquitous universal spools. This being said you can buy the standard 1/2" ribbon and manually spool new ribbon onto your existing spools. Mine didn't have spools at all, but I found some replacements (with ribbon) at https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/. Take note that it's not a bichrome machine, so you can buy a single color ribbon.

There are two screws that hold the chassis of these into the bottom of their case. They're hiding just underneath the carriage. Once removed, the typewriter lifts back and up and out of the base. You'll find the serial number on the right hand side of the frame underneath the platen and can use it to date your machine with the database: https://typewriterdatabase.com/smithcorona.86.typewriter-serial-number-database. Based on appearance alone, I'd place it as a 1960 3Y series based on the color, the badging and the white keys. You can look at others' individual models and notes at https://typewriterdatabase.com/Smith+Corona.Skyriter.86.bmys. If I'm right about the date, Richard Polt has online manuals available for the 1960 as well as others at: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-manuals.html.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjumGF9NFE8 is a pretty solid cleaning primer. Searching YouTube will uncover some potential additional advice in addition to what you can find at https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-restoration.html or in his book. I will say that in cleaning mine, the mineral spirits dissolved the glue holding the felt on underneath the typebars, but it was in terrible shape anyway and needed replacing. The foam strip underneath that felt came out unscathed without much effort on my part to be careful with it.

Most of the mechanics are pretty basic and easy to clean/service. Unless there's something dramatically wrong with it, you could very likely clean and service it yourself. (As an example, I had to re-slot the mechanism for the margin release which was almost too easy.) Even the mid-level repair issues for it can be easily found on YouTube if you're handy with a screwdriver (Joe Van Cleave and Phoenix Typewriter in particular have several model specific videos on the Skyriter). The platen and rollers come out fairly easy with a small screwdriver and removing one half of a spring on the back of the paper tray. This gives you great access to clean the escapement from above as well as to potentially send them off to JJ Short Associates for replacement via https://www.jjshort.com/typewriter-platen-repair.php. If you're less handy, Polt's website has a list of repair shops around the world that could clean/repair it for you.

Good luck with it. I hope you like yours as much as I like mine. They're one of the most solid and sought after ultra-portables out there.

1954 Smith-Corona (SCM) Typewriter Type Styles and Keyboards Catalog – To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth… by [[Theodore Munk]]

Smith-Corona (SCM) Font Styles – To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth… by [[Theodore Munk]]

Replace the carriage string in your 1950’s Smith-Corona Silent by [[Theodore Munk]]

Smith Corona 5 Series Typewriter Keyboard Adjustment for Lighter Touch Silent Super by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

How to Change the Platen and Feed Rollers on a Typewriter - The Smith-Corona Skyriter, Part One by [[CreateX3]]

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 175: Skipping Skyriter<br /> by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

My first "ultra-portable" (Skyriter 1955) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

55 had an integral cover versus later versions which had bags.

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 143: Rocket Versus Skyriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 121: SCM Skyriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Joe likes this better than the Hermes Rocket. Solid ultra portable.

I was in a vintage shop about 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles earlier in the week and the proprietor had a mostly functioning 1950 Smith-Corona Sterling for sale for a roughly equivalent US $150. (One key was disconnected, but fixable, and some keys were sticky, the ribbon was disintegrating, it was incredibly dirty, with a case in very poor condition.) The Sterling was similar to the Silent, but without some of the extra bells and whistles. She wouldn't accept an offer of $40 for it, which I thought was a reach for the dreadful condition it was in. Her reasoning was that she was sure that someone (read: a sucker) would pay the $150 for it. At a yard sale it might be worth $5. Cleaned up a bit maybe $30. In online platforms they're going for a bit more, but you're also saving yourself some level of "shoe leather" in the work of searching for the exact model you want.

I've been specifically watching this model and a few related ones for a few months, and machines of indeterminate condition (though in my experience they're usually reasonably functionable or easily fixable), like this go for about $50 on ShopGoodWill.com (as auction items). There are usually about 4-5 per week which come up as this was a popular model in the 50s. You can probably find similar prices on eBay, though sellers there usually have a little more information about the working condition. They're definitely common enough that you could easily wait for the exact color options and typeface (pica or elite) that you're looking for, and could also probably purchase two for the price he's asking (including shipping.) I've been watching for a similar mid-50s Smith-Corona Clipper with similar colors and elite type for a while and just bought one online last week for $35. Patience definitely pays off.

I would only go as high as $150 on that machine if I knew it was well functioning and had a brand new platen in the last several years. You can tell him that most of the expensive machines in the range he's asking for are all fully functioning, have been well maintained and/or recently serviced, and often have new platens, rubber rollers, and feet replaced. He'll know that this isn't the case with his and may come down in price. They're likely pricing it based on other listings they see and not pricing it based on actual sales. If it's their only machine, wait things out until they see that there aren't any takers. If it's a vintage shop, simply move on.

The Smith-Corona Silents from this time period are really spectacular and solid machines, so good luck in your search for the perfect one.

Most Smith-Coronas in the 40s and 50s have similar ribbon set ups. Hopefully this photo and description will help:

(Alt Text) Smith-Corona typewriter ribbon thread sample. A view into the type basket with the hood of the typewriter raised showing the ribbon coming out of a spool on the left, through a black ribbon guide (which actuates the autoswitch when the eyelet at the end of a spool gets stuck between it and the spool) next to the spool cup, and then into the two metal guides of the ribbon vibrator on either side of the the typing point. A silver pen's tip is pointing to the ribbon guide next to the spool cup at about the point where an eyelet clipped onto the middle of the end of a length of a ribbon would trip the ribbon auto switch.

If your ribbon auto-switch isn't working one can usually switch the direction manually with the ribbon reverse lever usually found on the front left side of most machines.

To speed up changing the ribbon on many machines, it can often help to switch the color selector to the red setting and then simultaneously press the G and H keys gently so that they're stuck together almost at the typing point which will raise the ribbon vibrator and make accessing the slots for threading the ribbon easier. Once the ribbon is installed, release the G and H typebars and select the correct color setting for the portion of the ribbon you want to use.

Patti Smith used a late 60s or early 70s Smith-Corona (SCM) portable typewriter.

Source: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

link to: https://hypothes.is/a/e-zWRgHOEe-cIEt7dzry5A

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/191956978<br /> 2024-03-02 sold $102.00 !! 4 bids

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192328912<br /> 2024-03-02 sold<br /> $9.99 fair<br /> 1 bid

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192125668 <br /> 2023-03-02 sold<br /> $18.00 (opening price)<br /> 1 bid

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/191521413<br /> 2024-03-02 UNSOLD<br /> $24.99<br /> 0 bids

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192252614<br /> 2024-03-02 sold<br /> $36.00<br /> 2 bids

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192474910<br /> 2024-03-02 UNSOLD<br /> $11.99<br /> 0 bids

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192152257<br /> 2024-03-02 sold<br /> $23.50 3 bids

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/192262866<br /> 2024-03-02 sold<br /> $23.00<br /> 4 bids

https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/searing-cutlass-typewriter-in-taylor.html

The replacement typewriter ribbon for my Smith-Corona Clipper is 1/2" nylon ribbon with eyelets on 2" diameter spools.

https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/category-s/5415.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/2rru4x/where_can_i_buy_the_key_to_the_case_of_a_smith/

https://typewriterdatabase.com/smithcorona.86.typewriter-serial-number-database

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3007091

https://typewriterdatabase.com/Smith+Corona.Clipper.86.bmys

Friday<br /> 7 July <br /> 2017

Lee,

You are a wise and brave man. This 1930's era Smith- corona Clipper will last you for the ages..

Happy to have served you...<br /> /s<br /> Tom Hanks

Hanks wrote this letter to an interviewer who purchased one. Lost here on the viewer is the fact that the Clipper wasn't manufactured until 1946...

This is what I would suggest: if you wanted the perfect typewriter that will last forever that would be a great conversation piece, I'd say get the Smith-Corona Clipper. That will be as satisfying a typing experience as you will ever have. —Tom Hanks on CBS Sunday Morning: "Tom Hanks, Typewriter Enthusiast" at 07:30

—Tom Hanks in TribLive 2020-05-22 at https://web.archive.org/web/20200522085215/https://archive.triblive.com/aande/books/tom-hanks-on-his-love-of-typewriters-and-the-free-press/

I've seen several sites and listings for Smith-Corona typewriters which mention this interview quote.

https://typewriterdatabase.com/1947-smith-corona-clipper.15249.typewriter