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14-10-2013 06:31:46  #1


What were Typewriter PLATEN-KNOBS made of?

Hey folks. 

I'm restoring a 1920s Underwood 5 Standard. 

The right-hand platen-knob on this machine is pretty bashed up and broken. What were these knobs made of? 

If they were simply carved from wood, I'm wondering if I can replace it with a carved wooden replacement, or something similar. Or are they made from some early form of plastic?


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

14-10-2013 16:36:23  #2


Re: What were Typewriter PLATEN-KNOBS made of?

I'm pretty sure that these are plastic - a sort of Bakelite.  I actually have an Underwood Five parts machine and I'm pretty sure the platen knobs are intact.  If you want one, I could check and let you know (it's in my loft !)

 

14-10-2013 18:16:40  #3


Re: What were Typewriter PLATEN-KNOBS made of?

That's appreciated, but I'm all the way down south in Australia. Wouldn't it be pretty expensive? I don't know if I could pay to have it sent this far. If you're sending it as a gift, though, it'd be appreciated. This is my first-ever typewriter restoration. 

Here's some pictures of the machine: 

One of the paper-bales is missing because I was in the process of resurfacing them when this photograph was taken. 



That black nub is all that remains of the right platen-knob. Somenoe smashed it well and truly off. My plan was to chip off all the old plastic, and make something out of wood to glue onto the shaft, using the left knob (which is intact, thank god) as a guide for thickness and diameter. 

Last edited by Shangas (14-10-2013 18:19:24)


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

15-10-2013 11:11:46  #4


Re: What were Typewriter PLATEN-KNOBS made of?

You have a lot of options, Shangas. If you are willing to carve one from wood (The Underwood 5 platen knobs were not made of wood.) then that is probably the quickest way for you to get a decent knob on your machine. Or you could use papier mâché and hold it on with a hose clamp. If you attach it by some means other than glue, then you can easily replace it with a better, more proper knob when one turns up.

The Underwood 5 is a very common typewriter, often avilable in "parts condition" where it would not be a shame to strip it for parts you need. Maybe not so common in Australia, I don't know, but a small knob can't be that costly to ship.

As to what the original material actually is: likely some kind of plastic (there are many possible kinds) or hard rubber or synthetic rubber. Probably not Bakelite, which is famous for being brittle, but maybe; it was in wide use in the '20s. (People tend to think that any object that looks old and is black or dark reddish-brown is Bakelite--it ain't necessarily so.) Then, too, this model was made for many years and the material specs might well have changed during its run. But in any case, you're not going to mold a replacement out of whatever we decide the material is, are you? If you can do that, you'll be in huge demand!

Good Luck and Have Fun!
==  Michael Höhne

 

16-10-2013 02:18:56  #5


Re: What were Typewriter PLATEN-KNOBS made of?

Regrettably, I live in Australia. Everything here costs five times what it costs in America, Europe, Asia and the UK. Thanks to the fact that Australia has 0 manufacturing, and EVERYTHING has to be imported. 

Finding a replacement platen-knob is not impossible, but the price would be so prohibitive, I wouldn't bother. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

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