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28-6-2015 18:36:14  #1


Underwood Sx-150?

I wasn't sure whether to put this in new acquisitions or maintenance/repairs.  It probably belongs here because it's going to need some maintenance.

So, this is the underwood I picked up on vacation in Foley, AL.  I'm glad I didn't pay that much for it.  I was in a Hurry with two bored kids who'd rather be swimming, and a husband who kept saying, "get it, it's cheap!"

I think it's an Underwood SX-150, but I'm not fining much about them.  The serial number is 8,045,190, which I think puts it at 1957, sort of towards the end of production of this model, if I understand correctly. It says "Golden Touch" on the front sticker, and a sticker under the ribbon cover says to use underwood 150 ribbon.  It does have some spools in it, but I will have to wind new ribbon on.  I don't think it will take universal spools, and the ribbon is fairly faded. It is missing a back cover, which I did not notice in the store.

The carriage is balky, though better with just a bit of cleaning. The typebars are sticky, also better with some initial cleaning. A the worst news was that the right ribbon mechanism was completely frozen, but my husband and and I got that sorted as it was due to a bit of rust down in the mechanism.  It moves now, but I have not put a ribbon back on it. I have started cleaning the outside with some soft scrub, and you can see a noticeable difference in the half I have cleaned.

There is a glob of rust on the bottom, but I'm not sure what part it is that is rusted and how important it is to remove.  I've been spraying on pb blaster and scrubbing with a wire brush, and it's slowly coming off, but I don't know how much I will be able to remove.

So, I think it will be mostly deep cleaning, but I'm starting this here for future issues.

The pics:
The front


The top


The rust


The back

 

28-6-2015 19:42:08  #2


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Wll the good news about the missing cover is that its easy to get into it, and those machines are common, so you should have very little problem finding the plate on ebay or somewhere.


Back from a long break.

Starting fresh with my favorite typer. A Royal Futura!
 

28-6-2015 19:46:37  #3


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Oi.  Every time I get something working on this, something else quits working, lol.  Got the ribbon mechanism working, loaded the ribbon,  then the margin stops quit working,  got those loosened and the color selector fell off.  Got that back on and working and decided to quit while I'm ahead.  I'm learning a lot though

It's typing fairly well now.  I may try to find another cover.  If I buy a parts machine, it may be better than this one, ha,

Last edited by Spazmelda (28-6-2015 19:54:12)

     Thread Starter
 

28-6-2015 21:59:59  #4


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Spazmelda wrote:

Oi.  Every time I get something working on this, something else quits working, lol.  Got the ribbon mechanism working, loaded the ribbon,  then the margin stops quit working,  got those loosened and the color selector fell off.

Oooooo, it's a HAUNTED typewriter!:D


 
 

28-6-2015 23:43:20  #5


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Jeez, you'd expect better from an Underwood! Especially one that even isn't that old!


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

29-6-2015 15:58:22  #6


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Things are working better today!  I wound a new ribbon onto the spools.  Now I need to adjust the type alignment.  The uppercase are too high.  Does anyone know what screws to adjust on these guys for typeface alignment?

     Thread Starter
 

29-6-2015 16:07:28  #7


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

I have heard good things about Evapo-Rust for removing stubborn bits. You can wash it off with water, and as long as you dry out the parts immediately with a hairdryer, the rust will be banished. I keep meaning to buy the British equivalent. That typewriter sounds like a needy machine that's trying to bond with you!

 

29-6-2015 16:53:01  #8


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Yes, bond, lol.

I got the type aligned, but now I need to figure out what I did to the vibrator movement with the red black color selection, the letters are mostly black when I move the dial to red.  I adjusted something else (on the bottom of the machine) before I found the typeface alignment nuts, and that's what messed up the red. Now can't figure out how to get it back.

For posterity, here is how I aligned the uppercase letters. This nut adjusts how far up or down the basket moves when shifted.




Before


After

Last edited by Spazmelda (29-6-2015 18:35:32)

     Thread Starter
 

01-7-2015 10:07:28  #9


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

Wow, I wish I could turn back time and leave this machine in the shop.  Anyway, I have it now and I should make the best of it. 

I was feeling so proud for figuring out the type alignment, but realized last night that I also have to somehow align the type when I press shift lock.  In shift lock, the type is still too high, so there must be an additional adjustment.

Also, I can't figure out what I did to mess up the red black color selection.  The ribbon does not throw high enough now.  I messed with two little screws on the bottom before I found the type adjustment nuts. I'll add a pic in a minute.  I keep trying to adjust them, but I can't seem to get the ribbon to go high enough.  I don't think it was the adjustment I made to the nuts in the previous picture, as I was adjusting them to type lower, and previously the red black was working fine even with the higher caps.  I can pull the vibrator up with my finger and get the red to work, and I can pull the screws on bottom (they are attached to the universal touch plate, or something like that) forward to get red to work, but I can't figure out how to make it throw higher when I strike a key. 

I found some diagrams online for different Underwood typewriters, and the screws on bottom are definitely related to ribbon throw, but I don't understand exactly how. Then, I find some other instructions to form the arm that attaches to the vibrator, but I don't think anything I did would have bent that, so I'm hesitant to go in and start bending things on purpose.

     Thread Starter
 

01-7-2015 22:51:20  #10


Re: Underwood Sx-150?

malole wrote:

I have heard good things about Evapo-Rust for removing stubborn bits.

I love Evapo-Rust for pieces that I can remove and soak. They clean up beautifully. 

However, I have found that Evapo-Rust leaves a very sticky residue. I made the mistake recently of using it on some rusty typebars still on the machine and it left a sticky mess. I use Evapo-Rust now only on pieces that I can remove, soak, rinse and dry afterwards.

Also, I should mention that Evapo-Rust is not paint-friendly.  I found that it softens paint a great deal.  I use it only on unpainted surfaces.
 

 

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