- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
Offline - From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,006
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
That's kind of how I'm looking at it.
- Markmotown
- Touch Typist
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- From: Villanova, PA
- Registered: 16-12-2015
- Posts: 183
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
This Remington Noiseless has been sitting around my neighborhood Craigslist for a while, taunting me.
I've never seen one with quite this brown/beige color, which makes it of interest, despite it's condition and one ribbon spool cover missing. But you can't go wrong with the price, I suppose.
I should probably just stop procrastinating and get it... right?
- MancFrank
- Platen Punisher
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- Posts: 64
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Hi Mark,
I always take the view that cosmetic issues are never going to be as straightforward to resolve as the average mechanical fix, so I'd be inclined to pass such a machine over unless it's truly a rarity. I'm not so sure this is, though, I've seen a couple here in the UK (in similarly grim condition!), so am inclined to think that a better one will crop up sooner or later.
That said, it could well be a useful parts source, even if it proves unworthy of a full resto & $25 isn't a lot of money... I'd still make a low ball offer though, pointing out its many flaws to see how the guy responds. If he's been trying to 'get rid' for some time, he might just go for $15 (although I'd start by offering $10).
- skywatcher
- Moderator
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 712
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Hi Mark
Just took a look at the Craiglist ad linked to your post, I've seen these units in this color before, though not a common as black. The machine is also filthy and will require a complete take down and a solvent bath in order to get all that dirt and grime out of the mechanism. The body work looks like it would be benefit from an application of Scrubbing Bubbles™, a gentle scrub with a soft bristled brush and rinse off with hot water in order to get down to the true color. Just be careful around the water transfer lettering.
The condition of the platen would be a complete unknown, but by the pictures, it doesn't really look that healthy. With being a less common color, the chances of getting a replacement spool cap would be pretty slim. Other than that, the machine looks like it would be an interesting challenge. 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)
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
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Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Go check it out, at least. If it seems a total disaster then walk away or offer very little. But if it seems to be restorable, then what the heck. You should be able to find a spool cover (some color) somewhere. The noiseless machines are remarkable pieces of engineering, and when they work well, they are great. Don't forget to check the feet -- easy to forget to turn it over. Oh, and you will need heavily inked ribbon for these, which may require a little extra searching.
- Markmotown
- Touch Typist
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- From: Villanova, PA
- Registered: 16-12-2015
- Posts: 183
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Just came across this listing in an estate sale. I know Smiths aren't super rare, but what the heck is going on with the carriage here?!
- Markmotown
- Touch Typist
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- From: Villanova, PA
- Registered: 16-12-2015
- Posts: 183
Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Here's another view from the listing. Why is the carriage up so high?
- Uwe
- Moderator
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
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Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Safe to say you can file that one as a 'needs work' machine.
It's not a new phenomenon that some typewriters end up being butchered by those who think they can repair them, but instead end up abandoning the machine in some state of disassembly when they realize that they've attempted something that was over their heads. It happens often enough now, but the dust on that L.C. Smith proves that it used to happen back then too. The other side of the coin is that it needed repair and parts, and its previous owner opted not to bother with the expense, but given how this particular typewriter was left I'd put money on the first scenario that some shade tree mechanic had a crack at fixing it.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
- Moderator
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- From: Toronto, Canada
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Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Markmotown wrote:
Why is the carriage up so high?
Someone removed it, presumably as part of a botched repair, and then used a length of typewriter ribbon to tie it to the machine (for some reason).
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- •
Thread Starter- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
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Re: Possible Acquistions Thread
Someone with a Smith Premier totally needs this:
