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03-8-2015 03:15:13  #1


Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

Just getting used to a new Royal HH from America, and I had previously thought the action was 'OK', if not startlingly good.  Today I put a fresh ribbon in the machine, and suddenly the typewriter is flying; everything is much freer and lighter.

This is, I guess, in part psychological; simply knowing that the ink is fresher, and that the imprint will be darker, causes me, for one, to type lighter and in a more precise manner.

Whatever the reason, a fresh ribbon can transform the whole experience, so I shan't be persevering with old ribbons past their prime again.

Thoght this was worth recording.  Better not judge any machine if the ribbon is not in good condition!  Also, it's the easiest way to improve the performance of a typewriter.   Maybe this was obvious to everyone else, but a salutary lesson for me.

 

Last edited by beak (03-8-2015 03:37:58)


Sincerely,
beak.
 
 

03-8-2015 09:07:06  #2


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

I agree that this is true.  I just received a maroon Smith-Corona Silent and just trying to do a quick typing sample showed that the ribbon is shot and some cleaning will be needed as many of the keys wanted to stick.


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
 

03-8-2015 11:38:36  #3


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

I've done the exact same thing Beak. Compensating for a worn-out ribbon does alter the typing experience, and can cause you to work the machine too hard. Great observation.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

04-8-2015 06:34:16  #4


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

Then again, my lovely Silent-Super that I've managed to get going really nicely - the one flaw is that the print it a bit faint - it's unevenly so, and if you type over the letters agan it looks brilliant, so it isn't that any given type slug is worn out. I've had three ribbons on it and the one that's in there now was taken straight off the other Silent-Super, which was typing dark with it, and is now typing dark with the one that was in the faint one.

Is it the platen? 

Funny, too - I've just begun to discover the joys of reviving a ribbon...

 

04-8-2015 07:41:55  #5


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

There's an area of adjustment fpr typewriters that I don't know enough about, and perhaps it has something to do with this.  It is possible to adjust the distance of the platen from the striking position of the slugs such that the slugs land with the optimum force.  I guess the actual mechanism will very from model to model, and that the adjustment will be a very fine one.  I have to wait for more experienced guidence before I attempt it on any of my machines - but I think one or two of them need it.  Perhaps your S-C does too.


Sincerely,
beak.
 
     Thread Starter
 

04-8-2015 10:35:08  #6


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

KatLondon wrote:

I've just begun to discover the joys of reviving a ribbon...

I suppose it depend on how its done, and what is used. I curse every machine that I get with ribbon that smells of WD-40, which inevitably causes a mess and creates blotchy type. During the heyday of typewriter manufacturing, the preferred method to coax more from a ribbon was to use a few drops of glycine - and not penetrating oil. 

My preference is to replace the ribbon with new, and aside from the predictable and reliable performance a new ribbon provides, I think it's important to keep up the demand for new ribbon and thereby ensure that some manufacturers continue to produce the stuff at a reasonable cost. 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

04-8-2015 12:15:54  #7


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

Hey Beak, there are a couple of nice things over in the Maintenance & Repairs section about adjusting things.  There are even pictures to indicate what needs to be done and where.  Since I already have several machines at the repair shop, I might try working my way through these useful things.

Last edited by colrehogan (04-8-2015 12:27:15)


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
 

04-8-2015 14:48:16  #8


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

Trust me, Beak, I've been keeping the ribbon manufacturers going...! I've revitalised three ribbons. Two worked a treat, one went blotchy. Anyway, I've stopped buying typewriters now. Except for the slightly crap little Good Companion that I got for £15 on Saturday for something to do (and whose ribbon is now almost the best thing about it)...

 

04-8-2015 19:30:38  #9


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

That reminds me, I need to buy some new ribbon...

And Beak,

I know the Remington Noiseless standards had a little dial that adjusted how close the carriage was to the typebar mechanism. It was used for carbon copies so more could be fit into it (or so I've read). As far as I know, that's the only typewriter I know of that does it. It'd be cool if there was an adjustment like tha though.


A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
 

05-8-2015 00:51:40  #10


Re: Keep it fresh - Use a new ribbon.

ztyper wrote:

That reminds me, I need to buy some new ribbon...

And Beak,

I know the Remington Noiseless standards had a little dial that adjusted how close the carriage was to the typebar mechanism. It was used for carbon copies so more could be fit into it (or so I've read). As far as I know, that's the only typewriter I know of that does it. It'd be cool if there was an adjustment like tha though.

The adjustment is not usually available to the typist by means of a knob or lever control, but I think that it must be there somewhere buried in the guts of all (?) machines so that service personal can make the adjustment when required.


Sincerely,
beak.
 
     Thread Starter
 

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