I'd have said that ordinary crafting felt would be a good bet. You could glue layers together to get the right depth.

A few of my typewriters are on the musty side, but I can't see any sign of mould. These are portable machines in cases, so I might try dropping a few bags of silica gel inside them to mop up any residual moisture.

Last edited by Stevetype33 (31-3-2013 08:45:45)

The smell, I assume, is the mould?  It gets wet and humid here sometimes, and mould is an occasional problem.  Classic cures are to ensure good air circulation and a good dose of sunlight regularly - though how much of that you get in Canada I don't know (just kidding). 

If mould is there, and you can't get rid of it, I would recommend ripping out the material and replacing it all anyway - mould could spread to more sensitive areas, and it's not good for the health either; some people are very sensitive to it.  A wash down of the surfaces with diluted bleach before sticking the new stuff in would help kill off any remaining spores.

There are several fabric sprays available here, intended for furniture coverings - tried those? 

A call to the local museum may be profitable - conservators are often helpful, I've found.

As to sound-deadening, look for fabrics or foams with a course, knobly texture; surface area should be as large as possible, and smooth fabrics have less surface area.

Last edited by beak (08-4-2013 07:56:24)

thetypewriterman wrote:

Although not original to pre-1950's typewriters, I've noticed that Do It Yourself stores sell thin closed cell foam for use as an underlay for wood laminate flooring.  This is nearly identical to the material that Brother were using in their 1970's portables.  I've sucessfully silenced a clattering Silver-Reed Silverette with this stuff !

Given you're in a different country there's a possibility that the building materials you use aren't the same as what we'd find here in Canada. We have two types of underlay commonly used for laminate flooring, one is something similar to what you've described, it's white and only a few mm thick. Is this the stuff you're talking about?

If it is, I would never have ever imagined using it in a typewriter, but if you've had good success with it, I'll certainly give it a go. What did you use to adhere it to the case?
 

Some people have had good  luck with felt carpet padding. Use spray contact cement to attach.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/felt-carpet-padding

I've been using a noise-control foam that closely matches the original in IBM Selectrics:
http://foamforyou.com/charcoal_foam.htm#Charcoal%20Regular