https://archive.org/search?query=office+appliances&tab=all

Solvent Parts Washers<br /> https://www.safety-kleen.com/services/parts-washers/solvent-parts-washers

https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Royal+Typewriter+Company%2C+Inc.%22

via Mitchell Vassiliou at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10164208015789678/

Lucky find!! The vintage Typewriter repair tools we have never seen before.<br /> by Walid Saad of Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters

Lucky find!! The vintage Typewriter repair tools we have never seen be<br /> by [[Walid Saad]] of Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters ltd<br /> accessed on 2026-10-10T13:37:39

https://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/Fabric/Current-Collections/TYPE-ography

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10164202692139678/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskOldPeople/comments/kh9fah/what_was_it_like_to_use_typewriters_and_when_did/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10159234560699678/

Typewriter repair pros used Lix mixed with solvent in typewriter tanks to dip machines for cleaning.

• James C. Cagle of The Typewriter Shop, 340 Alder Street, Junction City, OR
• Jack Lacy of Central Printer Resources, 4599 E Ramon Road, Palm Springs, CA

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1o8vjc5/typewriter_type_action_chart_my_personal/

u/N0nob compares the weight versus feel of their typewriter collection:

Cross reference with https://boffosocko.com/2026/09/17/what-words-could-we-use-to-better-describe-the-soul-of-a-typewriter/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10156067793359678/

David Born helped Richard Polt to update the list of typewriter repair shops. domarb@fastmail.cn

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/toledoblade/name/donald-nichols-obituary?id=60525872

https://www.youtube.com/@donnichols2589/videos

https://www.ebay.com/usr/1532xplane <br /> Darwin Raymond, Raymond's Office Machines, 927 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, CO 81601. (970) 945-5872.

via Richard Polt

Servicing the Hermes 3000 Typewriter<br /> by [[Joe Van Cleave]] on YouTube

This Olympia SM9 typewriter has a carriage lock on it indicated by the #1 in the diagram in the manual at https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/OlympiaSM9.pdf Engaging the lock will cause two teeth to engage with a set of matching holes in the carriage on the left hand side of the machine that will lock the carriage in the center. (You should be able to physically see this happen by looking straight down from above on the left side of the front of the carriage as you engage the lock.) The Carriage Release lever (#15 in diagram) will allow the carriage to be moved left or right to properly center & lock the carriage into place.

Please ensure the typewriter is also properly seated into the hardware inside the case and locked so that it can't move and fill in any dead space in the case prior to shipment.

These two precautions will help ensure safe shipment of the delicate internal mechanisms under the carriage.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Why typewriters are having a renaissance in the digital age | PBS News Weekend<br /> by [[John Yang]], [[Lorna Baldwin]] for PBS News<br /> accessed on 2026-10-08T10:49:36

Julian Plys of Haddonfield, New Jersey collects typewriters based on language.

It Sucks To Use A Typewriter In 2026, But It's Also Worth It<br /> by [[David Buck]]<br /> accessed on 2026-10-08T10:37:40

The writer is definitely into the repair portion of the typewriter hobby space and despite some of the FUD he's spewing for lack of experience, he seems on the right track. He's discounting his lack of experience in the general space compared to his experience in computers, games, and guitar repair which he's obviously spent time. At least he can rely on this scaffolding to move forward in the typewriter repair space. Most others won't have this experience at all and that makes it even more difficult.

Example of someone getting an old typewriter as a "fixer-upper" and probably wishing they'd gotten one refurbished from a repair shop.

Longer version of the story appears below the highlighted section.

Most of the FUD here is that people are too cheap to bother having their machines properly serviced anymore and this is compounded by the fact that they don't know how to do most of the basics by themselves.

There's a way to link this to the idea behind Friedrich Nietzsche's discussion about typewriters as tools and how that effects our work.

Author noticing something I've experienced in typewriter articles.

Perhaps it's time to aggregate some of the typewriter articles since the pandemic to see which categories they fall into?

• typewriter nostalgia
• distraction free writing
• escape from AI
• tinfoil hat crowd

writer's take based on article at https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-ai-utility-electricity-water-openai-2026-3

"They" = daisy wheel typewriters

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-typewriters-are-having-a-renaissance-in-the-digital-age

https://voa-story.com/2019-07-14-will-typewriters-become-popular-again/?ref=typebarmagazine.com

Apparently Todd Rundgren has a late 70s love song about onomatopoeia?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN-pnU8hGSw

not obvious, but a tiny nod to escapements may be hiding here...

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1x06sz7/made_a_custom_case_for_my_oliver/

https://www.ebay.com/usr/nichols2389

Chenoweth, Katie. 2021. “Faute de Frappe: Derrida’s Typos.” Research in Phenomenology 51(1): 61–77. doi:10.1163/15691640-12341464.

Reply to u/Bonkzzilla at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wx4l50/desk_pickiness/

You'll be hard-pressed to find a modern desk with heights specifically for typewriters.

Most mid-century typewriter specific furniture was designed to put the tabletop for a typewriter at 26 inches off of the floor, but the average modern desk is typically at 28 inches.

Your best bet is either a wooden or metal executive tanker desk with either one or two pedestals. They often have writing drawers which pull out and you can put a typewriter on them to lose an inch or two. Some also had spring-loaded platforms which allowed you to open a door and pulling your typewriter up and out at a better/lower height. Other desks had a rotating desktop to which you could bolt your typewriter and allow you to flip the typewriter upside down for storage underneath the desk. Some also came with a desk return which was attached to the side at a height a few inches lower that had space for a typewriter.

There are also some small vintage typewriter stands, usually with wheels to allow for some modest mobility. These can be found for about US$50 these days.

Examples: - https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/wp-17169128054434698029806415884065.jpg<br /> - https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F51bda2fe-c049-4b48-a057-87457a49e01a_902x882.png<br /> - https://www.google.com/search?q=typewriter+stand

reply to u/orionis1 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wxhe3q/bloquer_lavanc%C3%A9e_du_chariot_sur_une_underwood/

I presume you're going the route in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1upTPepErTY and miming/pretending all the typing with the carriage stuck at a set point by setting the margins so that the carriage doesn't move at all? The typist is then the tenth chair percussionist who is really only playing a desk bell.

I think the illusion is best when the bell is hidden from the audience in front of the typewriter and the typist actually only spaces and machine and does (quiet) carriage returns. The typing sound is then done by electronic keyboard and the carriage returns are played by wooden guiro, washboard or something similar.

You'll notice by watching any dozens of versions of performances of Leroy Anderson's "The Typewriter" that they're ALWAYS CHEATNG on the actual use of a typewriter. As an example, the bell on the typewriter in your video has been disabled/removed and the performer is using a separate bell mounted on the table next to it. It appears that he's finger pecking only two keys and/or only using the spacebar which moves the carriage. Many performances don't even attempt to properly time the carriage returns to the sound. Half of the "performance" is the attempt at comedy in the playing or presentation . You're trying to one up Jerry Lewis in 1963's Who's Minding the Store, which is never easy.

If you've got a practiced enough percussionist/typist, you can do the typing in reality though you may need to mic it up for volume/projection, but I recommend putting the paper up a few inches and not using the paper bale to get a louder percussion of the slug hitting the paper. If you go this route, I would recommend not using a machine with Perspex card guides, removing/disabling the paper fingers if there are any. It's impossible to get carriage returns done properly via sound as there are a few points at which the carriage hasn't moved enough to go more than a space or two.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wwrsir/refinishing_a_wooden_typewriter_case/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1www974/the_mecca/

Left to right: Nick Campano Jay Schweitzer, Scott Connors

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1m44es6/great_visit_to_gramercy_typewriter/

Left to right: Jay Schweitzer, Scott Connors, Nick Campano

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWv8JnhiE-p/

Roses are Red<br /> Violets are Blue<br /> One Typewriter is enough,<br /> I mean each week or two :)<br /> —Mr. & Mrs. Vintage<br /> at https://www.instagram.com/p/DNI6GORsee8/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNgjOPSMUJG/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdEUDBsIIel/

reply to u/Proud_Illustrator266 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wvx18t/manual_vs_electric/

We can't absolve you of your guilt, but you can choose to use what works best for you.

Pretty much none of us are offline (look where we're discussing this). No one is really choosing to type with their heating or air conditioning off, or type by candlelight. You have options about where your analog line could be, just choose one and start banging away.

If you want to talk about guilt, tell us about your 70 typewriters that you're constantly rotating because you feel guilty that they're not all getting enough use.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wvrlad/best_typewriters_for_school/

Advice from a self-identified high school teacher with manual typewriters in their classroom.

https://5formsbags.com/products/100004n-ledger-posting-tray-one-write-9-1-8-capacity-11-x-11

https://5formsbags.com/

With caveats, this is what Ezra Rosensaft uses for external typewriter cleaning using modest amounts on a clean damp cloth.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1386689876983116

Andy Morris reports that Jay Schweitzer of Grammercy Typewriter uses this cleaning formula for cleaning the exterior of typewriters to be applied to a soft cotton cloth and not directly on the machine.

Morris further suggests staying away from decals with this.

Second hand advice, but no reason to doubt it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1386689876983116

"That's the sound of typing. It's the cadence of creativity. It's the percussion of punctuation. <br /> That sound you'll get lost in it. It becomes a rhythm. It becomes a music that will not only tell you—and the other people in the other room—that you're working, it will also spur you on to other areas of imagination that you will eventually create and record forever on your typewriter."<br /> —Tom Hanks in _Secret Talent Theatre" episode "Tom Hanks Changes the Ribbon on a Typewriter" for Vanity Fair on 2018-02-28 [00:02:16]

A typewriter pro would switch the ribbon selection switch to the red setting and jam two keys together in front of the typing point. This raises the ribbon vibrator to it's highest position and makes taking the ribbon out and replacing it much easier.

Tom Hanks does not demonstrate this finer feature.

Though Tom Hanks suggests that you can re-ink your typewriter ribbon, in practice, it's difficult to do and almost no one does.

Tom Hanks Changes the Ribbon on a Typewriter - Secret Talent Theatre - Vanity Fair

Reply to u/BigZibby at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wuaui0/serial_number_location/

In fact, I do! You've probably asked the one person who's spent the time delving into the typewriter database to try to puzzle something out on this front.

I've not seen it in official sources, but the following pattern seems to fit:

Royal Standard serial numbers are generally of the form [MMM][P,E,S]-XX-YY-#######, where:

• MMM is the model designator (X, KHM, KMM, KMG, HH, FP, etc.);
• P is for 10 pitch/Pica, E is for 12 pitch/Elite, and S is for Special (typically special order typefaces);
• XX is the platen length, when not the standard/default size;
• YY is for other special features, typically the number of glyphs in the typeface; and
• ######## is the serial number.

Yours has a YY=86 which typically indicates that the machine has 86 glyphs on the slugs in the typeface and thus 86/2 = 43 character (typing) keys on the keyboard. There are also examples of other YY numbers like YY=88 with 44 keys and YY=92 or 46 keys versus the standard 42 keys. You may notice under your machine that the keyboard has a metal "comb" which may have some empty slots into which addition keylevers and typebar assemblies could be added. Often the YY designator is either for special order keyboards or keyboards for foreign languages which require additional keys.

Thus the 86 means that your machine has an extra key (the +/=) not found on their standard issue keyboard at the time.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1383537200631717/

Hot glue on the tips of the typebar return spring of Brother typewriters to dampen the noise they make. One could similarly use a small rubber washer on these as well.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10169712178659852&set=pcb.1384116267240477

Smith-Corona rebrand with a Standard Elite No 66<br />

via James Yeard, repairman

mive = move

A description from repairman James Yearnd of using peening pliers on and an aligning wrench on a typebar to move the typeface in the vertical plane.

via James Yearnd, repairman

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wu29c7/another_rare_vogue_royal/

Ginger Rogers newspaper article about her using a Royal typewriter with Vogue<br />

Frank Capra writing on a Remington Portable as pictured in The Wisconsin State Journal on August 15,1931<br />

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/1vgulht/harlan_ellison_speculative_fiction_author_in_the/

Harlan Ellison with pipe at an SG3 typewriter

Harlan Ellison leaning on an Olympia SG1 typewriter (alternate angle from photo already in Richard Polt's collection)

<br /> Harlan Ellison with pipe types at an Olympia SG3 typewriter

via u/TomMahalla at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vkvwkx/smithcorona_skyriter_replacement_feet/

He also suggests: Jandorff #61506 Rubber Grommets 3/4" OD x 7/16" ID x 1/4" thick x 9/16" groove diameter x 1/16" groove width which are sold by various places including Ace Hardware

https://www.reddit.com/r/classicfilms/comments/1v4oxom/bogie_and_john_huston_look_like_they_must_have/

John Houston with a cigarette in his mouth as he sits at a Royal KMM typewriter on the set of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros. Pictures, 1948). He looks up to his right at Humphrey Bogart who is leaning over to look at the page in the typewriter.

James Wood aka u/Wooden_Underpants has a small typewriter repair service in Mallorca.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wt5isk/my_first_official_client_and_thank_you/

Reply to Orga A 38 1908 r!!<br /> by Neat_Substance_2084 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wsmhar/orga_a_38_1908_r/

From what I've seen, your only evidence of your claim are a poorly hand scratched marking and some metallurgic tests.

You need a lot more evidence than what you're presenting to prove your claim, particularly given the decade and change of the passing of time.

I can scratch a 1940 date onto my Olympia SM3, but it doesn't mean that it's a prototype from 13 years earlier. Your presumed date is also of the form of an accounting ledger and not one that a mechanic would have scratched in.

Do you have any provenance on your machine? (Who owned it and when?)

Do you have any paperwork from the designers? Patents?

The material tests only show a difference in the metal content, they don't indicate a date of any sort. If they could, you'd need a lot more material research on manufacturing methods and timelines from the historical record to back it up. Typewriter manufacturers were constantly changing their manufacturing lines and designs to make them more efficient and less expensive to improve their bottom lines, so your material science differences would seem par for the course. Can you show similar changes in materials from the companies toy lines over the same period?

You seem to be only sharing blurry photos of screens rather than direct documentation of your material difference claims. Where are the direct documents and which company did the testing?

Given the tremendous amount of focus on design changes and patents in early typewriter manufacturing and sales, how does the design of your machine fit into the early aughts from 1900-1910 versus 1920 and on? Typewriter designs had settled down significantly by the early 1920s, so there should be some reasonably significant design differences between a 1908 machine and one from 1923. Where have you documented those?

What company history physically exists? When did they begin design? When were they producing prototypes in general? 13 years of R&D is a tremendous amount of time to pass in typewriter design in the early 1900s before manufacturing of any sort, even if you discount stoppages for World War I. Are there extant notebooks or corporate papers from the time period you're claiming? They were manufacturing toys for decades prior, so surely they've got some reasonable corporate documentation and correspondence somewhere. Do any of the descendants have papers, receipts, or diaries that could be consulted? What were the market conditions that suggested to them that a move from toys to typewriters was a brilliant idea? Often in a prototype situation, a factor may not have all the manufacturing capabilities in-house or they'd need to make changes to equipment to make a new line. Are there pieces of your typewriter that were outsourced from other factories? Is there evidence that all the parts of the later machines were made in-house?

Think like an archaeologist. Think like a historian. Bring some more research to bear if you want to convince anyone (experts or otherwise) of your claims. It should seem painfully obvious to you by now that what you're presenting is not nearly enough. No one is attacking you. We're just asking for more if we're going to be convinced.

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/x3ixaz/smith_corona_clipper_custom_paint_job/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wse7lh/id_on_this_typewriter_from_twin_peaks/

<br /> Typewriter appears in Sheriff Truman's office

via real_misterrios at https://old.reddit.com/r/pencils/comments/1wrvdtz/why_am_i_like_this/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ws0shz/23k_gold_typewriter_ribbons/

Gold Royal Cartier KMM Typewriter<br /> accessed on 2026-09-27T22:41:47

ROYAL TYPEWRITER HONORS SALES HEAD; M.V. Miller Gets Gold Machine for Ten Years' Service - The New York Times<br /> by [[The New York Times]]<br /> accessed on 2026-09-27T22:37:22

The cost of the typewriter was $1,500.

1939 "The Gold Royal" Typewriter<br /> by Grant Zahajko for [[Antiques Roadshow]] on PBS<br /> accessed on 2026-09-27T22:28:49

Presented 1940-09-01 to Vice President M.V. Miller in honor of 10 years of Sales Leadership by The Royal Typewriter Sales Organization.

Copy of video at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=849718491497922

A gold plated and Cartier engraved Royal KMM typewriter. It was engraved with 1054 names by Warner MacDonald in 1939 at cost of $5,000. It was exhibited at the 1939 Worlds Fair and presented to the owner's grandfather in 1940. He was ultimately the president of the company. Antiques Roadshow appraised it at $30,000 - 40,000.

There are 2,257 parts in a Royal KMM.

See newspaper article:<br /> ROYAL TYPEWRITER HONORS SALES HEAD; M.V. Miller Gets Gold Machine for Ten Years' Service - The New York Times<br /> by [[The New York Times]]<br /> accessed on 2026-09-27T22:32:07

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wpyqmz/what_becomes_of_typewriter_shops/

Anecdotes of what has become of old typewriter shops.

Based on the Royals on this post and Reddit, Ben Jones is u/harperjones

See:<br /> https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1383329093985861<br /> https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ws0gy7/royal_futura_alignment_issue/

via Claude Medearis at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1979-underwood-electric-565.12254.typewriter

See: https://westcoastbelts.com/product/new-replacement-belt-for-silver-reed-electric-8700-typewriter/

https://westcoastbelts.com/

Replacement belts for typewriters

Ed Medina reports that beading wire can be used to replace typewriter drawbands.

26 pound test strength.

via https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1377709554547815/

Reply to Louis Cornelia at https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1373494441635993/

Most of it is marketing in nature. The vast majority of typewriters have a standard courier serifed typeface, but manufacturers sold italic and cursive faces for a more "personal" touch in your correspondence. Italics was particularly marketed toward business executives to the point that many have the name "Executive". Many banks and accounting applications preferred used Gothic or double gothic typefaces for accounting work. Some banks also had custom faces to make it more difficult for people to wash checks.

At the Smithsonian, Maya Angelou's typewriter holds a place of honor : NPR<br /> by [[Daniel Ofman]] for NPR<br /> accessed on 2026-09-27T13:31:46

While described as "well worn", most typewriters with plastic keys don't really show heavy wear, so it's not surprising that "You can still read them."

This is a museum curator creating a feeling of typewriter nostalgia by way of unintended misinformation.

This tracks with the Adler Meteor 12 from Soboroff's collection which is already documented on Richard Polt's page.

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/26/nx-s1-5979931/at-the-smithsonian-maya-angelous-typewriter-holds-a-place-of-honor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1381249050860532/

1958 Olympia SM3 manufacturing changes regarding adding a rule for the rear tabulator sets.

reply to u/Novembree at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1hfncyz/had_a_typewriter_for_awhile_could_use_help/

Welcome to the Royal KMM club! Seems like lots of these have been posted in the last day including one by u/betternatured and another by u/the-other-gusta along with a very similar Royal KMG by u/Jacki-san.

The serial number puts yours down as a KMM with an 11 inch platen manufactured in 1945. Cross reference: https://typewriterdatabase.com/royal.72.typewriter-serial-number-database

Manual: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/RoyalKMM.pdf

These were really popular and ubiquitous, standard (large desktop) typewriters in the mid-century that were the workhorse of many offices. Because they were so common and so heavy, they only go for $5-25 in the used market in either unknown or marginal condition. If they're cleaned up and well-serviced they can go for more with a cap of around $300-400 depending on the level of restoration. Some with special features (like special typefaces) or provenance may go for more.

The Royal KMM was known to have been used by writers including: John Ashberry, Harry Ashmore, Russell Baker, Ray Bradbury, Richard Bratigan, Richard Brooks, Pearl S. Buck, Johnny Carson, Norman Corwin, Frank Herbert, Ken Kesey, G.W. Lee, Harper Lee, Ursula K. LeGuin, David McCullough, Margaret Mead, Grangland Rice, and Dorothy Parker. This was also the model famously used by Angela Landsbury's character on the TV show Murder, She Wrote.

Spools and Ribbon:<br /> The spools for the standard Royal typewriters (Ten, H, KH, KHM, KMM, KMG, RP, HH, FP, Empress, 440, 660, etc.) have a custom metal mechanism for their auto-reverse. The spools are known as the T1 (which is the same as General Ribbon part # T1-77B , T1-77BR, and Nu-Kote B64.) If winding on universal ribbon onto them, remove the eyelette which isn't needed and may interfere with the auto reverse.

If you're missing the original spools, Ribbons Unlimited carries them: https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/6N064-Royal-Standard-Electric-Ribbon-64-p/6n064.htm or you might source an original metal pair from a local repair shop.

Duane of Phoenix Typewriter has a video about how to change and spool up your Royal standard.

Collector Sarah Everett can show you most of the functions on her YouTube Channel for Just My Typewriter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Zvc1m-8aI.

Depending on your level of typewriter knowledge try out some of the following short films which will also provide some tips, tricks, and maintenance advice common in the era of your machine:

• Basic Typing: Methods. Vol. MN-1512a. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztyzGit1dTI
• Basic Typing: Machine Operation. Vol. MN-1512b. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-REJEArnjE
• Advanced Typing: Shortcuts. Vol. MN-1512c. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUJfCfqgsX0
• Advanced Typing: Duplicating and Manuscript. Vol. MN-1512d. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ve5JnTUzvo
• Maintenance Of Office Machines. Vol. MN-1513. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocdxgkxKAKo

Happy Typing!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10164182544099678/

Webster XL 747 typewriter with Piclite type

I am scared by random people writing this and that with compressed air.<br /> We learned in typewriter school in the navy.<br /> 1. remove rubber bumpers platen and feed rolls. 2. Mix 1to 1 superagetine and mineral spirits. Stoddard solvent also works.<br /> 3. Soak overnight.<br /> 4. Drain and rinse with fresh solvent.<br /> 5. air dry or bake @95°F.<br /> 6. cool and manually re oil<br /> Now a day oil only with synthetic 0 weight oil.<br /> 7. check and brush typefaces.<br /> 8. Clean platten.

Reinstall and type test, align typefaces. Only permanent align is peening typebars.<br /> This is the way I maintained 200 typewriters on an aircraft carrier.<br /> This what worked for me.<br /> Spring scale at .75 Lbs. For tape tension.<br /> Adjust the rail clamps and clean under if required. Carrage should slide with 3 oz or less

via professional Navy repairman James Yearnd at https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1382145190770918/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1381071097544994

An Olympia SM2 pained electric blue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wqa69b/elf_typing_paper/

Leaves described as "elf typing paper".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1381074304211340/

I was an IM rating in the Navy. As a instrument repairman I was responsible for repairing typewriters of all types regardless of the make or model as well as adding machines and the calculators of the time like the mighty Monroe 1000 gear long division moving carriage machine.<br /> I retained many special tools and books and have knowledge that will go away when I die

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wpglhv/professional_elite_font_on_my_olympia_sm3/

u/Every_Bandicoot2321 is Tom Fasano of https://tomfasano.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/shavian/comments/1wp1yjj/announcement_of_the_worlds_first_shavian/

Taken from “Imperial News”, Volume 20, Number 2, Winter 1963-64.

This would have been published after 1963-11-22 which is mentioned in the article.

History of the Shavian Keyboard Imperial Good Companion Portable Typewriter<br /> by [[Robert Messenger]] of oz.Typewriter accessed on 2026-09-24T10:20:26

https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/254367

Typewriter- 'Imperial- good companion' which types in the Shavian alphabet

https://xoverit.blogspot.com/2015/02/olympia-sm-series-part-1-1948-1964.html?showComment=1426029814779#c1385367975247315702

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for LA's totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser & Spot Remover<br /> https://sds.chemtel.net/webclients/safariland/raw_materials/AwesomeProductsIncorporated_LAsTotallyAwesomeAllPurposeCleanerandDegreasersandSpotRemover_01-10-2011.pdf

https://www.reddit.com/r/CleaningTips/comments/12z2pqo/las_totally_awesome_why_its_awesome/

I Bacteria Tested La's Totally Awesome<br /> by Field of Focus

https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wmszod/whats_this_key_for_on_my_groma_kolibri_luxus/

• m/n (moneda nacional - aka use national currency like the Argentine peso rather than other currencies)
• o/s as oro sellado (sealed gold or gold currency); might also have been used for orden de servicio or orden de salida as service order or dispatch order respectively

A: Personally, I think it's a pica hobby.

via https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ucwo5s/are_typewriters_becoming_an_elite_hobby/ot7mnib/?screen_view_count=2

via Tomi Aho at https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1375748211410616/

Secretaries Get to Throw Their Typewriters<br /> The Best of the Iowa Traveler<br /> by Iowa's News Now

Found via https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10164157502764678/

<br /> —via https://www.latercera.com/culto/2021/04/28/40-anos-de-cronica-de-una-muerte-anunciada-la-novela-que-garcia-marquez-consideraba-su-mejor-libro/<br /> Photo of Gabriel García Márquez in front of a standard typewriter with the brand name Underwood on the back.

Not included in Richard Polt's collection of typers as of 2026-09-19

This article has a variation of the same photo credited as "El escritor colombiano y premio Nobel Gabriel García Márquez / Foto: archivo Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia"

Profile photo of Gabriel García Márquez at a 1970's version of a cartridge-based Smith-Corona electric typewriter. <br /> Potential variations of this typewriter are already in Richard Polt's collection of typers, but this particular photo is not as of 2026-09-19.

Qyx High Speed Typewriter Commercial 1980

Typewriter force curves, bellcrank classification, and velocity curves<br /> by Haelscheir's Haven on YouTube

Smith Corona Electra 210 Typewriter // Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive<br /> The New York Historical

reply to Kirk Jackson aka u/NashvilleTypewriter at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wjidrf/what_words_could_we_use_to_better_describe_the/pal3wez/

This is great. I find it to be the case as well.

Watching other spaces like note taking applications (and methods), stationery, planners, notebooks, pencils, pens, fountain pens, etc. it repeats itself over and over. Some will really love a particular object which seems to work for them while others don't. Fora are filled with people asking, what do you like? how do you use it? when instead they ought to be attempting to figure out what they like and how they would use it.

Some turn their love of a particular thing into a religion (Apple vs. IBM comes to mind) which also tends to make others doubt their own choices and what might work best for them. Instead of experimenting around a bit to see what works for them, they take the supposed "magic" propounded by others and wrongly try to make it work for themselves. This is one of the primary reasons I tell potential new typewriter stewards to visit shops or type-ins so that they can put their hands on a variety of machines to see which "speaks" or works best for them and their needs. There are so many people limping along out there on dreadfully maintained machines because they haven't tried others (or even cleaned, oiled, and well-adjusted ones) and don't know what they're missing.

I was reading/listening to a series by APM recently called Sold a Story about how some academics and scientists created a "new method" for teaching reading and sold it as a products to school systems all over the country. While it managed to work for a terrifically small population, it was broadly wrong for the majority of people. Decades of harm was done to children and the educational space because everyone went with what these experts said (and which may have seemed logical) rather than doing some work, trusting testing and results, or continuing to experiment with a variety of strategies. Similarly, while computers and writing software may work for many, some of the older tried-and-true methods out there using tools like pencils, pens, loose paper, index cards, notebooks, notepads, and typewriters can provide dramatically different affordances in ways of working with them which are actually better for some of the things one might wish to accomplish with them. Some tools have the ability to speak to you in ways that others do not.

(P.S. Thanks for your observation as this may become the kernel of the introduction to the book I'm slowly working on.)

Typeface Identification

It's a lot easier to identify typefaces of typewriters if you include a few things in your photos: <br /> - Full frontal picture of the machine with clear shot of one or more of the rulers (so one can attempt to determine pitch as well as more easily identify the make/model for cross referencing).<br /> - A full typed sample of all the characters, especially some of the more unique ones like Q, 3, 5, 4, 7, &, G, A, E, and W in both upper and lower case.<br /> - A close up shot of the slugs which clearly shows the foundry marks (generally found in the middle of the slug) of both letter slugs and special character/number slugs as sometimes the latter are different.

Princess 300 with RaRo Elite Imperial typeface

The "AR" foundry mark is a shorthand for Albert Rodrian, one half of RaRo. If you ever see an R inside an octagon that's the mark for the other half, Alfred Ransmayer.

The "84" on the foundry mark is typical of RaRo's 12 pitch Elite Imperial which can be found with a sample at: https://typecast.munk.org/2023/02/04/1961-adler-typewriter-type-font-styles/

You can also compare other known Princess typefaces at the database: https://typewriterdatabase.com/twdb.0.typefaces?mfr_search=70&model_search=100#

If you put a ruler up to your type, you should find that there are 12 characters per inch.

You can also cross reference the following: - the Hass catalog, page 3, row 1:<br /> https://archive.org/details/typewriter-foundry-marks-haas/page/n1/mode/2up<br /> - RaRo Catalogue Page B3-4 "Elite-Schatten Ro 84":<br /> https://www.sommeregger.name/typewriters/files/RaRo/rarotype_katalog_1980_OCR_20160523.pdf

Reply to u/CaptainCulinary at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wjb0gk/princess_300_with_typeface/