- OldGreyBeard
- Platen Punisher
Offline - From: England
- Registered: 25-9-2016
- Posts: 54
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
I'm just going to clean the dirt off and treat the rust. I don't mind fading, dents or scratches!
- OldGreyBeard
- Platen Punisher
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- From: England
- Registered: 25-9-2016
- Posts: 54
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
I finally got the covers off without any damage. I've also got it working again especially the auto reverse which didn't work. A lot of the muck looks like disintegrated wool felt.
Now for the felt & rust.
I have removed the rust with fine grade emery paper starting in a place which isn't visible when the covers are on. Then treated it with renaissance wax to keep the damp out.
My thought about the rust on the exterior of the case is to sand it off and then treat with clear lacquer. The worst bit is one of the back corners of the cover. I think clear lacquer would look better than trying to paint it. I want the machine to work & not deteriorate further but look as old as it is (68 years).
I have bought a new ribbon in anticipation!
The aim is to have it all done by my Summer hols so I can take it with me.
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Thread Starter- CoronaJoe
- Touch Typist
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- Registered: 24-1-2016
- Posts: 141
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
What a great find! Glad you are fixing it up. I would shy and walk away from WD40, for anything. I've used it for years and the results are not complimentary, it just gums up in the end and there are much better penetrants. Here in the States I use a product called Kroil by Krano Labs. Used it for years now and it's the best out there though spendy. For tough jobs, I also use wintergreen oil; it's also known as methyl salicylate. Some drug stores, or pharmacies, carry it; or it can be found it online. Some folks mix a bit of acetone with it too, but keep the acetone away from any paint, decals, or plastics. Whatever you use, patience is a major ingredient in all pursuits. For over all parts cleaning and de-gumming with little harm or residue I use mineral spirits, or white spirits. Sometimes it's called Stoddard solvent. Some typewriter shops here use it in their dunk tanks. Some research with the cosmetic cleaning can yield excellent results and you will also have that patina that can be very attractive for the age. I have an old 40's Smith Corona portable given to me from a lady who wanted it out of her barn. It looked pretty close to yours. A typewriter shop cleaned, oiled, and adjusted it. I didn't have time for that with the day job paying for it, but I also used the experience to learn a thing or two from the shop. Today it is one of my best looking and best typing machines I own. The brown "patina" in places contrasts nicely with the shiny chrome.
- OldGreyBeard
- Platen Punisher
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- From: England
- Registered: 25-9-2016
- Posts: 54
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
I didn't find it as such, I inherited it having found it in a cupboard in my parents' house when we cleared it (my parents threw nothing away). I used to use the typewriter as a child & really loved it which is why I'll put in a lot of effort to get it right again.
I used a UK product called PlusGas to free the screws and methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) to clean up the mechanism. I haven't tried white spirit yet but it might be good for cleaning off the black glue which holds the wool felt in place. I know white spirit has worked for cleaning my hands after using a bitumen based glue when re-roofing the garden shed. The glue in the typewriter looks like bitumen & smells like it. I have found a source for replacement wool felt as the original has been eaten by moths.
I wouldn't say I'm naturally patient but I do know that when you're dealing with old equipment it pays to do nothing slowly rather than the wrong thing quickly. My plan is to have the typewriter ready for my summer hols in August. We go to Southwold in Suffolk which is where George Orwell lived in the 1930s. In fact the house we rent is across the road from where he used to live. Perhaps I'll be inspired! Sadly I lack his eloquence & economy with language but perhaps I can type letters to family that they can actually read...
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Thread Starter- CoronaJoe
- Touch Typist
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- Posts: 141
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
OldGreyBeard wrote:
We go to Southwold in Suffolk which is where George Orwell lived in the 1930s. In fact the house we rent is across the road from where he used to live. Perhaps I'll be inspired! Sadly I lack his eloquence & economy with language but perhaps I can type letters to family that they can actually read...
Brits and their history, fascinating. I've been typing letters to family for the last couple of years. They do appreciate them, and most keep them. Something with effort means so much, as if the writing is as much the message as the words.
- OldGreyBeard
- Platen Punisher
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- From: England
- Registered: 25-9-2016
- Posts: 54
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
Brits and their history, fascinating.
The whole place is riddled with it. It's what comes from living on a small island. My own house was built in 1880 and that is by no means unusual & easily not the oldest building in town.
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Thread Starter- CoronaJoe
- Touch Typist
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- Registered: 24-1-2016
- Posts: 141
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
Here in the States my wife and I like the BBC, and public television features many British shows or series. She worked in England for our military some years back. I believed she lodged in somewhere around Oxford on one of her gigs. As much as we appreciate history, she said being there even for a visit, really connects the dots. There are so many empty churches, cathedrals?, and other massive works of masonry.
- OldGreyBeard
- Platen Punisher
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- From: England
- Registered: 25-9-2016
- Posts: 54
Re: Empire Aristocrat, 1949
I live about an hour's drive from Oxford. A great place to visit. If you like old churches, cathedrals, castles etc, England is a good place to visit. Basically a lot of what went before is still there.
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Thread Starter