How to test a typewriter before buying by [[Retrotype]]

https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/a-different-l-a-jesse-and-the-typewriter-shop

Highland Park's Famous Typewriter Repair Shop Has Packed Up and Left Figueroa ~ An Update ~ L.A. TACO by Javier Cabral

Family Typewriter Repair Business Forced to Relocate After Rent Increase by [[Nic Cha Kim]] for Spectrum News 1 on 2019-04-16

Highland Park repair shop enjoys a typewriter revival by [[The Eastsider]]

Joe Van Cleave makes the interesting observation that while a hobbyist will only take a typewriter apart as much as is necessary to fix the issue at hand, the professional repair person will strip it all down and clean everything out for the coming 50 years to prevent it from coming back to them for something else in the near future thus costing more time, effort, and potential damage to their reputation.

Typewriter Line Lock Repair by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Repairing Bent Typewriter Key Lever by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwMhC_klUByVGdnTTIFP6XmVdLPYwW3mC

Joe Van Cleave typewriter maintenance and repair playlist

Five Fairly Fun Fixes For Free by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Advice for typewriter ribbon printing, especially as silk ribbons age and more quickly gunk up the loops or letters like "e" or "a". Nylon ribbon and a thin plastic backing sheet can be helpfu.

Use of bookbinder's glue on fabric of typewriter cases, then layers of shoe polish.

General advice for replacing feet on typewriter cases.

Small incremental improvements to your typewriter can be easier and more sustainable than trying to do everything at once.

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

Royal QDL Quiet Deluxe Typewriter, Left Margin Stop, Alignment Adjustment, Repaired uneven edge by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

How to adjust the margin stops on a Royal Quiet De Luxe and related portable models.

If you've got heavy impressions going to the level of the backing sheet or things like your period cutting holes directly through your paper, then it's not really so much an issue of typing too hard, but your carriage is slightly out of alignment with respect to your type bars.

Your typeface shouldn't actually hit the platen when pressed (or held forward), but should just kiss the ribbon which then places the imprint onto the paper. Holding your typeslug forward against the type guide you should have just enough space to slip a piece of paper between your slug and the platen. If there isn't a tiny bit of space, your typeface will chew up your ribbon and paper over time. The typing thunk sound that typewriters make isn't the slug hitting the platen (aka cylinder), but the typebar hitting the anvil (aka ring).

The proper adjustment for fixing this is thus commonly called a ring and cylinder adjustment and how it's effected depends on whether you have a segment shift or a carriage shift machine. On many machines it requires adjusting two screws on either side of the machine. It changes the distance of platen from typeface and can prevent your making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good. Sometimes using a simple backing sheet can remedy a bit of this distance problem, especially on platens which have hardened or shrunk slightly over time. Searching YouTube for your make/model (or similar models) will usually show you the adjustment you'll need to make to remedy these problems.

See also: https://hypothes.is/a/AegRziHnEe-Ud_stVcPQLA

Reply to u/Bitter_Rent_141 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dnnh2n/is_this_normal/

Test typing and adjustments

• Ring and Cylinder adjustment (distance of platen from typeface; the type shouldn't touch the platen or you'll find you're imprinting on your paper, making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good) [Interestingly Dul doesn't mention this particular adjustment]
• evenness of the letters (on feet)
• alignment between capital and lower case (motion)
• margin consistency
• line scale height
• adjust escapement "so that it's moving the proper distance both up and down to prevent skipping or missing spaces"
• adjust the height of the ribbon, this is done to make sure the entire letter is printed (and presumably so the bichrome is properly usable when available)

How A Rusty 1930s Royal Typewriter Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished | Insider

Done by Lucas Dul. Some particularly interesting portions on adjustments after restoration. He generally touches on the order of adjustments he makes, but in brief rather than completely.

https://typewriterchicago.com/

Run by Lucas Dul

https://www.phillytypewriter.com/#/

https://tsesaraheverett3.wixsite.com/justmytypewriter/team-4

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 234: Royal QDL Spacing by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

For yellowed glass keys on typewriters, there's usually a key top covered by a piece of paper with the key glyph on it which is sandwiched in with a small piece of glass and a metal ring that holds it down with several metal tabs underneath the key to hold it all in place. There are custom keyring pliers for quickly removing and replacing the papers which needs care not to crack the glass. Otherwise you can manually bend the metal tabs on all your key rings to remove them and replace the papers. (This is generally a LOT of work either way.) See: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1csni4d/neat_find_on_clients_kmg/

I prefer the yellowed patina of the older key papers, so I tend to leave them versus spending the time and effort to replace them.

Often after you resurface a platen, it slightly changes the configuration of the platen with respect to the typeface. As a result one usually may need to do three adjustments in a specific order to get things to align properly again. These can definitely be done at home with some patience.

Usually the order for tweaking is: * Ring and Cylinder adjustment (distance of platen from typeface; the type shouldn't touch the platen or you'll find you're imprinting on your paper, making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good). Sometimes using a simple backing sheet can remedy a bit of this distance problem, especially on platens which have hardened or shrunk slightly over time. * On Feet adjustment (vertical adjustment so that letters are bright and clear and neither top or bottom of characters are too light/faint) * Motion adjustment (the lower and upper case letters are at the same level with respect to each other) You can search YouTube videos for your model (or related models) and these words which may uncover someone doing a similar repair, so you have a better idea of what you're doing and where to make the adjustments.

Here's Joe Van Cleave describing some of it in one of his early videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0AozF2Jfo0 The general principles for most typewriters are roughly the same with slight variations depending on whether your machine is a segment shift or a carriage shift. You should roughly be able to puzzle out which screws to adjust on your particular model to get the general outcome you want.

Related blogposts: * https://munk.org/typecast/2022/01/23/adjusting-ring-cylinder-on-a-brother-jp-1/<br /> * https://munk.org/typecast/2013/07/30/typewriter-repair-101-adjusting-vertical-typeface-alignment-segmentbasket-shift-typewriters/

You might find a related repair manual for your machine with more detail and diagrams for these adjustments via the Typewriter Database or on Richard Polt's typewriter site.

For those not mechanically inclined you may be better off taking it onto a repair shop for a quick adjustment. https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html 

Reply to u/Acethease at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1d76ygx/got_a_as_a_gift_corona_3_recentlyish_and_i_need/

https://typespec.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCqcWwg5hDXgYMLRQZR3gRg

Run by https://www.reddit.com/user/Doctor_Will_Zayvus/

https://reeselectronics.com/typewriter-service-department/

Helmut is an amazing engineer/repairman via https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/w8viia/comment/ihrw7cg/

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

Removing the Platen on Mid-Century Olivetti Typewriters. by [[Dr. Typewriter - Venneburg Typewriters]]

To be more specific on solvents for beginners, potentially try mineral spirits (white spirit in UK), paint thinner, naphtha (lighter fluid), kerosene, varnish remover, PB B'laster, or carburetor or brake cleaner. Be careful as many of these are flammable and some can remove paint or decals; use all of them in a well ventilated area. You may see some recommend household variations of alcohol, but these do contain water and generally aren't very effective solvents for the types of oil/grease/dust you'll probably want to remove; professional typewriter repair shops would not use alcohol on a machine. And for those in the back, no one but a psychopath would use WD-40 on a machine's internals.

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

Good luck. That's a lovely machine!

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

Taming The Tinny Typing Sound of a Brother JP-1 Typewriter (Part 3 – the Finale?) by [[Theodore Munk]]

Adjusting Ring & Cylinder on a Brother JP-1 by [[Theodore Munk]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/21zpri/what_you_should_know_before_cleaning_your/

Note the stated 33 year experience as typewriter repairman

Due to the nature of online communication, it may often be the case that typewriter collectors and their colloquial advice may drown out the more experienced and professional typewriter repair people.

Most typewriter shops did not use alcohol as it was ineffective and contained water. Industrial alcohols contained keytones and acetones that will melt plastic and remove paint.

Solvents for typewriters used in repair shops: - White mineral spirits with a squeeze bottle. (Sometimes also called Varsol, Stoddard's Formula, and possibly Inhibisol) - Naphtha (aka lighter fluid; used in Zippo lighters, and frequently seen in Europe). PB B'laster is essentially pressurized naphtha in a can. - Auto carb and brake cleaners, usually pressurized in a can. These usually have acetone in them and will melt plastic. Will remove WD-40 if accidentally used on a typewriter.

For cleaning typeslugs, one can use naphtha or mineral spirits with a brass bristle brush.

For platen cleaning try mineral spirits or fedron.

Only oil the carriage rails for the bearings or trucks.

(This is all colloquial advice, albeit with experience, so check specific facts about what certain products contain.)

should find a better reference

Ames Segment Pick, an Artisan Tool – For Sale $24.95 by Paul of Bremerton Office Machine Company

Is it telling that a typewriter shop around since 1947 only has one segment pick?

Everyone mentioned most of the usual tricks, but one.

To get your sticky typewriter keys working again, while you're flushing out the segment with your solvent of choice (lacquer thinner, paint thinner, mineral spirits, alcohol, etc.), actually move the typebars using the keys or by other means. This will help to get them moving and allow the solvent and subsequently compressed air to help flush the oil, dust, hair, etc. out of your machine. You've already got a mechanical cleaning device of sorts (the typebar itself) inside the segment, so move it while you're flushing it out!

It may take a few repeated treatments/attempts to get it all clear for all the keys, but it's far easier than taking everything apart.

reply to u/nogaesallowed at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cp75ln/how_do_you_clean_a_1mm_gap/

People were recommending all sorts of ideas and solvents here, including folded card stock, tooth brushes, floss, toothpicks, interdental brushes, wood cuticle sticks, Swiss Army knife tweezers, microbrushes, and even an ultrasonic cleaner.

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]]

Watch Phoenix Typewriter in Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter, Skipping Letters, Adjust Escapement, Type Bar Trip

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

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 100: Loosen Up, Brother! by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Aligning a Montgomery Ward (Brother) Signature 511 by Bill M.

How To Guide- Swapping Type Bars on a Manual Typewriter -Full tips and tricks by [[The HotRod Typewriter Co.]]

https://typewriterfeet.com/

J.J. Short Associates, Inc for Typewriter Platens, Feed Rollers, Bail Rollers, Finger Rollers, and Power Rollers https://www.jjshort.com/typewriter-platen-repair.php

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1csni4d/neat_find_on_clients_kmg/

Keyring pliers are used to remove the metal rings off of both circular and tombstone glass typewriter keys so that the legends can be replaced or even covered over with black paper circles for teaching or learning typing. They take some practice and skill to use, but speed up the replacement of legends significantly.

Update on the Urban Legend Institute by [[Richard Polt]]

Polt, Richard. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century. 1st ed. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2015.

annotation URL: urn:x-pdf:65fe580cf845ed035c4e57ad02a987cf

alternate annotation URL

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.

Want to run a typewriter shop? by [[Richard Polt]]

http://www.cambridgetypewriter.com/

CAMBRIDGE TYPEWRITER<br /> 102 Massachusetts Avenue<br /> Arlington, MA 02474<br /> 781-643-7010

Shop owner Tom Furrier hoping to retire sometime in 2024

Olympia SF Companion adjustments<br /> by [[Typewriter Justice]]

Repairing a 1961 Olympia SF

Smith Corona Vintage Typewriter Straighten Chrome Ring Keytops Twisted Crooked Letters Repair by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Remington Quiet-Riter carriage lock help by [[Typewriter Justice]]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFM54VKKc4<br /> How To: Replace a Ribbon on Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter by Typewriter Minutes

Read Repairing a 1957 Remington Quiet-Riter typewriter from 2018-06-16

Royal Typewriter Platen Variable Repair, Roller Removal by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

I'm seeing this issue on my 1949 Royal QDL. I figured it'd be an easy fix.

Turns out, it was exactly my issue and the pieces had "frozen up". A quick clean out and we're back in business in under 20 minutes.

TWVS Episode 20 - Adjusting Upper and Lower Case Positions by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

via u/Pelicram at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cg6e3t/platens/

Replacing the key cap [as a means of switching from QWERTZ to QWERTY] isn't going to help at all, it's just a label. You'd have to swap out internal parts too. Depending on the model, you'd either have to remove and swap typebars or remove the head off the typebar and resolder it onto the appropriate alternate (and ensure that it's properly aligned, not an easy task). Then you'd have to swap the key caps (labels). It's definitely a mechanically doable process, but it's probably almost never done in practice. Doing it as a newbie probably isn't recommendable; you're better off having a repair shop do it for you if you decide to go this route. Depending on the keyboard/model, you'd also have to deal with accents, umlauts, etc.

Given the difficulty (or cost) of the process and the potential end results, you're assuredly better off locating a QWERTY machine and paying a bit more for shipping to your area if necessary.

Your mileage may vary depending on model.

reply to u/imprisoningmymemory at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cg1avp/replacing_keys/

Hermes Rocket feet repair advice.

Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter Sticky Keys Segment Flush Clean by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter Shift Repaired by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

reply to u/EquivalentHead3589 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cbzx1n/how_do_you_price_typewriters/

The primary difference is that listing prices don't indicate actual value. That is only determined by actual sales price. Things are worse for the listings which don't indicate much about condition as you're probably more likely to need to have the machine serviced and/or replace or recondition parts. This can often add a few hundred dollars (or significant research and time, tools, and elbow grease) to the bottom line to be able to use a machine.

I do recall a burgundy Olympia SM3 which sold in the last 4 months for right at $300 which was regularly used (loved) and serviced and in excellent condition with some fantastic photos. If you compare it to this Burgundy/Gray machine (https://www.ebay.com/itm/404901285037) for $299, but which has a missing key cap, and a damaged case, and may likely have other hiding issues. If you consider that you'll likely need to put a minimum of another $100 into this to get it up to the fighting shape that the first was in and it's still got damage, you'll start seeing the stark difference. The people with listings at $550-800 know they're not selling and they're just sitting there, so why not email them and ask more specific questions about condition and get a typed typeface sample of all the keys. Then make an offer for $200 +/- with some wiggle room for service costs once you've gotten it to see if they'll sell?

As an example, look at https://www.ebay.com/itm/226016437104 which is a Gray SM3 originally listed for $549 and now on sale for $428. The seller knows it's not moving. They state that they got it at an estate sale (probably for around $25) and they definitely did no work other than quick check of the keys. If you demonstrate that you've savvy enough to know the specific machine (what shape are the rubber washers on the frame next to the feet to prevent the carriage from rubbing against the frame? how what is the durometer measurement on (how hard is) the platen?), the market (in top shape maybe $300), and what servicing/repair costs are, they'd probably accept an offer of $150-200 and you're off to the races and they've made a solid profit.

The biggest issue in the typewriter market at present is the broad lack of information and knowledge about them on both the buyer and seller side. If you can demonstrate you've got more knowledge than the other side, you'll be in a far better position to negotiate, otherwise a seller can sit and wait an undetermined amount of time waiting for a sucker who will likely never show up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1caofcz/how_to_get_my_silentsuper_to_not_rotate_to_the/

Because of aging, the rubber feet of many typewriters can harden thereby reducing their friction against the table on which they sit. As a result, this can cause one's typewriter to "walk" across the table as they type for extended periods necessitating their recentering from time to time. To remedy this, one could use custom made typewriter mats with rubber bottoms to prevent this walking as well as to protect the table underneath. Other options which may also work are either wool or felt pads from fabric stores or from Chinese/Japanese calligraphy stationers. In Japanese these mats are called shitajiki.

https://munk.org/typecast/2013/07/30/typewriter-repair-101-adjusting-vertical-typeface-alignment-segmentbasket-shift-typewriters/

https://typewriterdatabase.com/1948-smith-corona-clipper.21427.typewriter

From Typewriters to Futuristic Office Machines, Adapting with the Times Helped One Family Run Company Stay in Business for over a Century by Brandon Villalovos on 2017-03-15

Need typewriter repairs? This Pasadena business has been fixing them for a century by Kevin Smith

Anderson Business Technology celebrates 100 years by Jim McConnell, Staff Writer

https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html

https://www.thetypewriterman.co.uk/index.html

https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/

https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/

Some cheap typewriter ribbon spools don't have grommets on them to force auto-reverse of the spool. Without grommets, some machines may sense ribbon tension for reversal, otherwise one needs to switch direction manually.

There are grommet installation tools that one can use, but this often requires getting one's hands dirty to install them.

Ribbons Unlimited has a good reputation in the r/typewriters community for providing good sales and service.

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

Typewriter Cleaning and Repair Basics #3 Bell Fixed

Keep in mind that some typewriters don't have hard mechanical margin stops, but rely on the user to hear the bell to know the margin is approaching and return the line manually.

Bell hammer mechanisms may simply need to be cleaned to get them into functioning order. Dirt and grime may prevent the hammer mechanism from having enough force to strike the bell. Beyond this replacing the spring may be necessary.

https://thetype.space/

Sales, service and repair of typewriters. Also has some parts access according to some.

https://www.reddit.com/user/Dangerous-Ratio6448/

From 2012: A typewriter renaissance

VIN Locks and Right-to-Repair

Looking for a fencing contractor? We are Cambia, providing garden fence repairs, domestic and Industrial Fencing in Luton and Dunstable. Get a no obligation quote today!

Dideriksen, C., Christiansen, M. H., Tylén, K., Dingemanse, M., & Fusaroli, R. (2020, October 12). Building common ground: Quantifying the interplay of mechanisms that promote understanding in conversations. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/a5r74

I’m so grateful to my friend, John who introduced me to ROOTKITS CREDIT SPECIALIST who proved to me that they have professionals that can get the job done in time with no hiccups. I have been trying to get a home but got rejected due to bad credit score of 528 which also made it difficult to get loan approval but after I had a deal with this team my score was sky rocketed to 790 in just 72 hours. You can reach them on rootkitscreditspecialist at gmail dot com for quick repair.

Is this dependent on geographic location? How might the sights and sounds of repair and maintenance services be different in other areas?