1 of 1- ThePrez
- New Member
Offline - Registered: 01-11-2017
- Posts: 2
My first problem: line not straight.
Greetings, all!
First off, let me say I'm glad to be a part of this forum (I am new). I have tinkered with typewriter repair in the past, though it was all newbie-level stuff (freeing stuck keys, reconnecting linkage parts, adjusting typeface alignment, cleaning type heads, etc). I am looking to get into typewriter restoration and repair as a hobby.
Two questions for the kind folks in this group:
1) Where is a good starting point, in terms of documentation? It seems everything I find is either "typewriter basics" or really advanced. For instance, I don't understand much of the terminology used on this forum. Any suggestions for a place to start?
2) My first real problem: I'm working on a Corona Smith Corsair portable typewriter. It works well, except that there's a noticeable "hump" in the line when I type it. Right in the middle (around the 4.5") mark. If I slide the carriage back and forth, I can see the carriage dip at this point (explaining the hump in the line).
Now, I'm thinking either the carriage guide (?) is bent/damaged, or there's some obstruction somewhere. Looking as best I can with a flashlight, I don't see anything wrong with the guide. Here's the deal: I'm a complete newbie, and don't know how to get the carriage off the machine safely, to see what's going on. Is there a "common" technique for this? Again, everything I've found assumes one knows this. Sorry for this beginner-level question. And thanks in advance for anybody who can help me out!
- M. Höhne
- Key Master
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- From: Maine
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 623
Re: My first problem: line not straight.
Start here: < and check out "Other Books by this Author" at the bottom. Have fun!
One nice thing abut typewriters is that you can figure them out by patient, careful observation. Keep watching the action in your Corsair until you get it. That's a technique you'll need throughout your typewriter-repair career.
It's usually a bad idea to remove a carriage if you expect the typewriter to ever work again afterwards. They are very tricky to get back on and "timed" correctly, with their geared ball bearings and all. (Yes, i know some machines are made with easily-removable carriages, but most are not and OP is not likely to encounter the easy ones soon.)
Beyond that, just keep your eyes and ears open and ask specific questions.
- ThePrez
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- Registered: 01-11-2017
- Posts: 2
Re: My first problem: line not straight.
M. Höhne wrote:
Start here: < and check out "Other Books by this Author" at the bottom. Have fun!
One nice thing abut typewriters is that you can figure them out by patient, careful observation. Keep watching the action in your Corsair until you get it. That's a technique you'll need throughout your typewriter-repair career.
It's usually a bad idea to remove a carriage if you expect the typewriter to ever work again afterwards. They are very tricky to get back on and "timed" correctly, with their geared ball bearings and all. (Yes, i know some machines are made with easily-removable carriages, but most are not and OP is not likely to encounter the easy ones soon.)
Beyond that, just keep your eyes and ears open and ask specific questions.
Thank you for the reply! So if the carriage is not to be removed, any ideas on how a dip/hump would be there, and how one might try to fix it? (the total hump is about 1.5 inches wide and about 2mm at its highest point, so quite noticeable)
- •
Thread Starter- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 712
Re: My first problem: line not straight.
Hi Prez
Your problem description pretty much points to a bent carriage rail. The machine may have been dropped or had something dropped on it, or the cover may have been forced on with the shift lock still engaged. Either way, it sounds to me like the carriage is going to have to come off, then remove the carriage rail from the machine so it can be straightened. I've done this with an Olivetti Lettera 32, and it was quite the challenge getting the anti-creep wheels or carriage ball pinions as Smith Corona calls them, and carriage roller balls properly timed again.
The SCM Smith-Corona Lightweight Portable Typewriter Service Manual 6YC will be very helpful for this job. I downloaded this manual from typewriterdatabase.com, but don't see it there now. If you can't find a copy, PM me and I'll see if I can e-mail you a PDF copy. All the best,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
