reply to u/LillieLogang at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1tacody/light_touch_jcpenney/

Before you go too deeply here, is the ribbon made of cloth material (nylon, silk, or cotton) or is it a plastic film/carbon type? And if the latter, is it a proprietary cartridge or typewriter spools? Cartridges with carbon can be difficult if not impossible to find.

There's only one Penny's toy typewriter in the database currently which may give you some idea: https://typewriterdatabase.com/1970-jc-penney-j6772-toy-typewriter.11484.typewriter I don't see these pop up often, but there is a related one listed on SGW right now: https://shopgoodwill.com/item/263548866 which may have some unused "ribbon" you might cannibalize if necessary.

It looks like it may have been a rebranded version of some of the PETITE toy typewriters. https://typewriterdatabase.com/no_info.525.typewriter-serial-number-database

Many of these toys are difficult to adjust or fix (if at all), but they tend to be very simple in terms of the mechanics, so you might be able to puzzle out what isn't working and why by looking at it with the hood removed.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163593836864678/

If typists were Robots

Resemblance to disaster girl?

reply to https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/

to Steve Clancy Zach Hubbird Jean Brunet

I'm curious what the sourcing is on your differentiation of the two models? Are there manuals, advertising, or other details to back up the differences? From what I can see, the phrase "Rhythm Touch" seems to have been an advertising tag for the Underwood SS which started a few months after production of the SS began and there wasn't any difference in them other than the advertising tag.

Robert Messenger has some scant history on the machine and the differences, primarily due to a redesign at the time, at https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html. The primary change from the S to the SS seems to have been a move from a carriage shift to a basket shift and so it seems somewhat fitting that Underwood uses the phrase "Rhythm Touch" as an advertising gimmick much like Smith-Corona were doing with their "Floating Shift" marketing.

Generally standards at the time were not differentiated by different trim lines as standards had all the bells and whistles for office use (potentially aside from custom use cases like decimal tabulators or extra wide carriage). Meanwhile all the trim variations were generally seen in the portable market geared toward home use rather than office. This would seem to support the idea that there's only the SS and "Rhythm Touch" is only an advertising tag line as the SS was newly introduced in January of '46 and "Rhythm Touch" appears around July '46.

There's also some discussion on the TWdB in the commentary at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1950-underwood-ss.23202.typewriter which may add to the question.

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on the idea/thesis that the only model is the Underwood SS which is being marketed as the "Rhythm Touch" or evidence to the contrary to refute the claim.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/

None of the discussion here seems definitive for differentiating the "two models".

1940s advertisement with Underwood Standard that uses the phrase "Rhythm Touch", but which features a short armed carriage return lever.

On This Day in Typewriter History: Underwood and the Emperor’s New Old Clothes<br /> by [[Robert Messenger]] for Oz Typewriter Blog<br /> accessed on 2026-05-06T12:33:38

https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html

via Robert Messenger at https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html

Differentiating between an Underwood SS and the Underwood Rhythm Touch:

comment to James Grooms at https://typewriterdatabase.com/show.23202.typewriter

James, perhaps it's hiding somewhere else in the comments on the database, but I'm curious if you've come across definitive differences between the Underwood SS and the Underwood Rhythm Touch models which have separate pages within the database:<br /> - SS https://typewriterdatabase.com/Underwood.SS.4.bmys - Rhythm Touch https://typewriterdatabase.com/Underwood.Rhythm+Touch.4.bmys

Most of my Google searches don't return anything definitive or with actual sourcing of any sort.

The main page has the SS starting in May 1946 and the Rhythm Touch beginning in July of that year, but doesn't seem to specify between the two in any substantive way. Neither of the two models seems to have had a name printed on it.

Your description here uses both designators, but knowing your penchant for newspaper and magazine advertisements, I would suspect you may have seen specific differentiators.

This Facebook post has some handwaving differentiators: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/ but none seem definitive or sourced. It also uses the phrase carriage shift, though presumably with these models Underwood had moved to a segment/basket shift on their standards.

Other than the chrome side detailing moving from 3 strips to 5 as you've noted, one of the few differentiators I can see in this era is the shift from the shorter carriage return lever to the longer armed version around 1948 which Robert Messenger notes in https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html. However that same page also has an advertisement on it with the words Rhythm Touch featuring a short armed (older style) carriage return.

Is there really a difference between the SS and the Rhythm Touch or are they the same model with the phrase "Rhythm Touch" used as a marketing tag to compete potentially with Smith-Corona's "Floating Shift"?

Thanks!

via Erik Bruchez at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1949-underwood-rhythm-touch.10882.typewriter

https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Typewriting%22

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161611646934678/

1950 Underwood Rhythm Touch with Victoria Elite typeface, 12 CPI, Slugs marked "EV".

https://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1935-royal-portable-typewriter-ad-wm-steig

https://www.typing.com/student/lessons

https://www.typing.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jdflj0/underwood_master_without_key_labels/

Black legends used for teaching typing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Tangora

reply to u/SlumberCrow at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1orwxqq/type_writer_leaving_small_divets_in_paper_when/

A new platen will certainly help, but it's also a question of having a proper ring and cylinder adjustment across the length of your platen and segment. Often letters that punch through tend to be the . , and o which are at the extreme end of the segment. Some machines have adjustment screws at either end of the carriage and the adjustment should be checked at not only the center of the platen but both ends. If you don't have an experienced mechanic who knows how to do all of this properly you can easily get issues which will most often show up at the far ends of the the segment/platen.

Beyond a proper adjustment, it's also the case that the surface area of the . and , are smaller than other characters and so they tend to get more force even when actuated by the weaker fingers on the right hand when touch typing. Some older manuals and training films will suggest putting less pressure on these keys when typing. This is likely even more important for those who hunt-and-peck and are likely using the full force of their index fingers.

Unless your ribbon is obviously dry or marginal, replacing your ribbon isn't likely to help much. Slugs are made out of hardened steel and you'd have to do something incredibly drastic to damage the slugs, so don't sweat that too much. Backing sheet will help as a stop-gap particularly on machines with older/hardened platens, but there's only so much help that will do without a good platen and a properly adjusted machine.

reply to question about tension control at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1orxtvt/strange_lever/

Joe Van Cleave has a great video on this with respect to the Smith-Corona 5 series that will give one an idea on the entirety of adjustment points that are at play in some typewriters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYOXgqiHBmg

Personally, I've yet to run across a vintage Series 5 machine whose user-facing control lever was adjusted in a way such that it did anything at all because the linkages were so far out of whack. I suspect this may be the case on a lot of vintage machines.

On some machines the adjustment isn't controlling the amount of finger force one must apply, but it's controlling springs relating more to the return of the typebars and the slugs so that touch typers can type much faster without having issues with typebar return jamming things up.

Further, on many machines the dynamic range of forces involved is so narrow that most hobbyist and occasional typists aren't going to really notice a significant difference. This may be different for those who are more experienced and used to typing on a manual machine for several hours a day.

Top 10 Worst typewriters<br /> by [[Walid Saad]]<br /> accessed on 2025-09-18T23:49:39

traditional input devices such as a keyboard or mouse, a touch-screen interface allows users to interact directly with what they see on the display. By using simple gestures like tapping, swiping, or pinching the user can give commands and control applications without the need for extra hardware. This approach is widely used in smartphones, tablets, ATMs, and kiosks because it feels natural and easy to learn. The main benefit of a touch-screen interface is that it creates a more intuitive and hands-on experience, making technology accessible to people of all ages.

Raymond Chandler was not a touch typist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocking_on_wood

https://www.mohawk-finishing.com/products/wood-touch-up-repair/fillers/fil-stik-putty-sticks/

Putty sticks (aka paint sticks) are good for filling in nicks and dings on furniture.

These putty sticks and some crayons are also great for restoring the colored index lines on typewriters as well as other colored metal parts and occasionally on some plastic typewriter keys.

M231-10104 SYY Red<br /> M230-0054 Crimson Rose #SN292<br /> M230-0046 COCONUT, COTTON, BRIE, HEAVY CREAM, SNOWFLAKE <br /> M230-0090 Picket Fence

Analyse sentence structure -- How can we demonstrate that: there is true touch, the real physicality as opposed to in the ceremony, as opposed to the Commander trying to force Offred into having sex with him.

Yanni Giftakis recommends melting crayons into the letter groves of typewriter keytops to replace their missing paint with a heat gun, much the same way D&D players will fill in the groves on their dice.

This is similar to Richard Polt's recommendation "To restore faded paint on keys and scales, try Lacquer-Stik Fill-In Paint."

via https://www.facebook.com/groups/typewritermaintenance/posts/3831371387100282/

Part 4: COMPLETE Olympia SM3 Service and Repair Series: STICKY RIBBON LIFTER by [[The HotRod Typewriter Co.]]

The universal bar lifts the ribbon vibrator.

Adjustment points to adjust the ribbon lift heights for issues with red/black on bichrome use.

Maximum travel of the universal bar adjustment screws on crossbar that attaches to springs. timestamp 5:29

Screws at the ends of the cross bar which are attached to the key springs can be adjusted slightly to provide for heavier or lighter touch control. Timestamp 6:07

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

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

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

the importance of colours

https://web.archive.org/web/20221216204933/https://classroomsupport.usu.edu/alexa/

Konik cites Raccoon Nation on PBS which indicates that a racoon's most heightened sense is it's sense of touch, a sense which is increased when the hands are wet or under water.

Is this tied into the popular stories of raccoons which presumably like to "wash their food?" Is it really their sense of touch and affordances which come from that that presses this impression?

Allyson Pollock. (2022, January 2). I am told that masks obey the law of physics! How does theory translate into practice? How often do you touch mask, wash it, shove it in your pocket? If you sneeze/cough do you a) take mask off, use a handkerchief, wash hands b) keep mask on -if so where does the snot go? [Tweet]. @AllysonPollock. https://twitter.com/AllysonPollock/status/1477737957054365696

Meijer, L. L., Hasenack, B., Kamps, J., Mahon, A., Titone, G., Dijkerman, H. C., & Keizer, A. (2021). Out of touch: Touch deprivation and affective touch perception during the COVID-19 pandemic. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/peq7m

Chicago office building constructed with coronavirus-fighting features. (n.d.). Construction Dive. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.constructiondive.com/news/chicago-office-building-constructed-with-coronavirus-fighting-features/581201/

WABC. ‘Coronavirus: Glasses Wearers Less Likely to Get COVID, Study Says’. ABC7 New York, 24 February 2021. https://abc7ny.com/10365580/.

While the apparatus was meant to see if there is an attachment to the cloth mother versus the wire mother or empty box. The monkey did not discriminate and opened the box no matter what was in it. There may be another type of connection that was needed besides just visual cues.

Refers to someone who is uneducated. Already, Eliot has referred to "Classic Literature" that most people in today's modern society aren't aware of. This is his way of mocking those people.

To summarize:

1. Sense emotions by touch only (though some difficulties with gender barriers for angered women and compassionate men).
2. Much healthier (even granting survival) children in orphanages who are held.
3. Differences in culture for cafe convo, # of touches: England, 0; USA, 2; France, 110; Puerto Rico, 180.
4. NBA teams that touch more are more likely to win.
5. A pat on the back by researcher heavily sways prisoner's dilemma participants.

I'm kind of partial to this argument that everything is touch, somehow.

The theme/relation of touch & armor is pricking my ears/eyes/spidey-senses.

The body as a limit that separates what it also joins.

So Aristotle is saying that the flesh of the body is not the organ that perceives touch, but like a shield which covers the body, something inside of which perceives touch. An interesting bid to fix interiority and exteriority as opposite things.