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13-6-2015 08:34:34  #1


Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Help!

I have got this very pretty little 1950 Skyriter - with the go-faster stripes - which was typing like a little dream until the drawband snapped.

I've got some fishing line. I've got the typewriter out of its case. And I can't get the end of the old drawband out of its slot. I've pulled quite hard, but - how hard are you supposed to have to pull? I don't want to break anything...

There is a screw on the side of the drum, and the plate on that side of the drum is turning - i.e., if you try to hold the drum still by holding onto that side of it, it turns anyway - I actually thought to gently and surreptitiously remove the plate to have a look at the workings inside, and see what was going on wit hthe string, but when I tried, nothing happened. I then pulled on the cord again and also nothing happened. 

So now I'm a little flummoxed - what I thought was going to be straightforward, if finicky, is turning into one of those things where I have pieces of typewriter everywhere. If any of you lovely people have any insights into this issue, I would be profoundly grateful.

Last edited by KatLondon (13-6-2015 09:00:19)

 

13-6-2015 11:05:56  #2


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Hi Kat - I hope I can help. I have a few typewriters that I had to replace the draw string on and they were all just a bit different though the concept is the same: energy from the wound mainspring is harnessed by a cord that pulls the carriage from right to left.  I have a 1952 Skyriter which I didn't have to fix the draw string on but I took some pictures of it.

First off you have to get the remains of your old drawstring off the machine.  I had a heck of a time getting an old decaying string out of my Royal.  I had to use tweezers and a sharp tool to basically pick it out of the small oval hole in the mainspring drum. You will be pulling the pieces of the old string to the center of the oval so that you can pick and peel out the old knotted string.  Here is a picture from my Royal repair of my sharp tool that I used to pick the knotted end out of the main spring:



After you get the old drawstring off, cut some fishing line to a similar length. One knotted end will go onto the far right end of the carriage.  The drawstring will run underneath your carriage and the other knotted end will be inserted into your mainspring drum.

Here is another picture of the path of the of your drawstring:



Here's the knotted end of the draw string on the right side of the carriage - view from below:


And here is a picture where it ends at the mainspring:



I like to work from right to left (if you are looking from the front of the typewriter) though I have read that other people use a left to right approach.  I attach the draw string to the far right end of the carriage, use a thin wooden skewer to feed the string under the carriage to the mainspring.  I wind up my mainspring and then either hold the tension with my pinkie or have a family member hold it while I insert the knotted end into the oval hole in the mainspring drum.

I was inspired in my first repair by a drawstring repair post I saw on Robert Messenger's site:
http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2013/11/reattaching-drawband-to-mainspring-on.html

and also by Beak's repair on this site:
http://typewriter.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=107
 

Last edited by Mech (13-6-2015 11:18:27)

 

14-6-2015 07:07:44  #3


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Hi Mech, THANKS! Yes, I've got Robert Messenger's site up - and although I'd done some searches pn here I hadn't found Beak's post, so that is wonderful. My main issue was getting the string out and you have expanded beautifully on that. I have a house full of little [pins, hairpins etc and feel sure something will be the right amount of pointy/strong to help me get it out.

In one sense it's hardly surprising, as the cord has been in there, under pressure, for 65 years!

I will have a go and report back. Many thanks indeed.

 

     Thread Starter
 

14-6-2015 13:22:38  #4


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

KatLondon wrote:

There is a screw on the side of the drum, and the plate on that side of the drum is turning - i.e., if you try to hold the drum still by holding onto that side of it, it turns anyway - I actually thought to gently and surreptitiously remove the plate to have a look at the workings inside, and see what was going on wit hthe string,

You should exercise caution when working on a drawband drum. The mainspring is housed inside and if you don't open it correctly it can fire out of the drum and potentially injure you. I've repaired several mainsprings and one once got away from me; fortunately, I was prepared for the coiled snake's strike and it harmlessly hit the wall behind my workbench.


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

14-6-2015 16:52:10  #5


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Hi Uwe, yes, I've decided against messing with that! However...

... the lastest news is that I got the cord out of the slot. but it wasn't knotted - it was just wedged in there so tight that it took a very good yank with some needle-nosed pliers to get it out! The replacement cord I have, which is fishing line, is actually thinner than the original but there's apparently no way it will fit in there. The poriginal must have been held in place and the drum assembled around it or sometihng. I just can't wedge or push anything into that space - the space has closed up around where the old cord was.

Hmm... so back to square one and slightly worse off from the looks of it.

Should have done Beak's idea of tying the new cord to the old one, but I thought it would come out and then I'd expose some sort of slot or something where the new one would fit in...

Last edited by KatLondon (14-6-2015 16:57:19)

     Thread Starter
 

14-6-2015 17:26:20  #6


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Well, you can probably hot glue it to the drum and wrap it around a few times, glue it again, and then connect it.


Back from a long break.

Starting fresh with my favorite typer. A Royal Futura!
 

14-6-2015 18:17:13  #7


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

TypewriterGuy wrote:

Well, you can probably hot glue it to the drum and wrap it around a few times, glue it again, and then connect it.

You were kidding, right?


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

14-6-2015 18:21:29  #8


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Yes, about the glue, but you get the idea. It doesnt have to be perfect. Just has to be attached to the drum some how.


Back from a long break.

Starting fresh with my favorite typer. A Royal Futura!
 

14-6-2015 18:32:40  #9


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

KatLondon wrote:

I got the cord out of the slot. but it wasn't knotted - it was just wedged in there so tight that it took a very good yank with some needle-nosed pliers to get it out!

Maybe the knotted section broke off and is still in the drum? 

KatLondon wrote:

The replacement cord I have, which is fishing line, is actually thinner than the original but there's apparently no way it will fit in there. The poriginal must have been held in place and the drum assembled around it or sometihng. I just can't wedge or push anything into that space - the space has closed up around where the old cord was.

The mainspring is more than likely pressing against the opening for the drawband, which makes it difficult to squeeze a knotted end in there, but it can be done. You might need something like a curved dental pick to press the mainspring down a little so that you can slip the new drawband in the opening.

Incidentally, what type of fishing line did you buy. It's not all the same and too light a line might break. I use 40 lb. line and have never had any issues with it.


KatLondon wrote:

Should have done Beak's idea of tying the new cord to the old one...

The old drawband already snapped once, so why would you tie a new replacement to a old piece that could also break? A drawband is only as strong as its weakest link. It's always better to just replace the entire thing even if it's a little more work.
 


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

14-6-2015 20:50:50  #10


Re: Replacing the drawband on a Skyriter

Kat - I am so sorry to hear that you have run into problems with your draw string repair.

Uwe wrote:

The mainspring is more than likely pressing against the opening for the drawband, which makes it difficult to squeeze a knotted end in there, but it can be done.  

I agree with Uwe that the mainspring is probably pressing against the opening in the drum where the drawstring is inserted.  When the mainspring is wound, it may contract when under tension, pulling away from the opening slightly and allowing for easier insertion of the drawstring.

Uwe wrote:

The old drawband already snapped once, so why would you tie a new replacement to a old piece that could also break? A drawband is only as strong as its weakest link. It's always better to just replace the entire thing even if it's a little more work.
 

Once again, I agree with Uwe. It's best to start new for strength and reliability. Also, If you knot old to new, your knot may catch projections under the carriage
 

 

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