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14-4-2018 02:28:05  #11


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

After partially dismantling the carriage I have found the cause of the margin stop failure - something has snapped off. I think this may be due to a design fault, with the manufacturer overenthusiastically installing some heavy continuous roll feed mechanism onto an already hefty 18" carriage without upgrading the end stop. There is no buffer or shock absorbing mechanism so it is metal to metal contact taking the full deceleration force when right margin is reached (and possibly the left margin - I think the same sliding bar may deal with both stops but cannot confirm this until I have repaired and reinstalled it).Off to the garage for a spare part hunt!

 

17-4-2018 02:52:15  #12


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

The lower bar in the picture is the salvaged one. The spur (which has snapped off in the top one) engages with the margin stops.  This brings the carriage to a halt when the sliding bar comes up against its end stops (seen in earlier picture).


This picture shows part of the bell actuator mechanism. The part from the broken typewriter is bent and has a crack in it. It was preventing the smooth movement of the carriage when the bell was supposed to be triggered, requiring quite a push to force it past the margin stop which engages with it to rotate it and ping the bell.
I replaced both broken parts. The carriage now moves sufficiently well to check out whether it will switch the motor off when the right margin is reached. And ... IT WORKS!

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17-4-2018 03:35:35  #13


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

The ball bearings which the carriage runs on are scored and some are rust pitted. 

The right hand carriage release button is seized but as the left one works it can be moved when necessary.

The typewriter was already missing most of the paper feed mechanism when I got it.  Also, I wouldn't want to use a continuous feed anyway. The rubber on the platen is cracked and several of the paper rollers are seized.  I have a spare 21" carriage which is what I would prefer to use. However it has elite spacing and the electric machine has pica. There is no paper bail bar with the electric machine. Irritatingly, although the carriages are the same size, the platen in my spare one is 5mm too wide to fit. This is due to the the fancy paper feed arrangement taking up more space at the ends of the platen than the standard paper bail.

Options which spring to mind are:
1) see if I can switch the platen, paper rollers and paper bail bar mechanism from the spare carriage. This will require the creation of 5mm extra space somehow to accomodate the wider platen but probably has less work than the next one...
2) exchange all the 12cpi components on the spare carriage for 10cpi components from the machine I am working on. The margin stop bars look like being the easiest. There is a toothed rail which engages with the escapement mechanism - this has vertical adjustment only. The tabulator stops are on a bar which has lateral AND vertical adjustment. So, plenty of scope to get things wrong! Also, this would give a machine with a two colour paint job. Unless I can disassemble the carriage ends and swap the covers. And the numbers on the paper bail would not be exactly in line as the carriage moved - but I'm sure if I get that far I could live with it!

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17-4-2018 17:10:19  #14


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

That is really tough, having got so far.  Further possibilities would be to look for a derelict Pica (10cpi) machine on e-bay as a further parts source, or I could arrange to have your platen re-rubbered - however it isn't cheap (£115 plus postage).  I would say that you could buy a complete parts machine for much less, but the platens are usually rock hard so you might end up with two duff platens.  The broken stop doesn't at all surprise me.  The Hermes Ambassador was a wonderful machine, but the Ambassador Electric (based on the manual) was pretty horrible.  Your electric carriage return machine is also under-developed.  Every other manufacturer fitted a carriage return buffer to their electric typewriters to cushion the blow of the carriage hitting the left hand margin.  But obviously not Hermes - hence the broken stop !

 

18-4-2018 00:52:47  #15


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

How sophisticated would a carriage return buffer need to be in order to be effective? If I cut a piece of hard polythene from a kitchen chopping board for example and fitted this do you think it would work? The fact that it might look like a real bodge doesn't matter as it will be hidden from view!

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18-4-2018 03:23:10  #16


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

A proper carriage return buffer, as fitted by other manufacturers, is usually a piston acting in a cylinder.  Typically, there is an adjustable screw which exposes more or less of an air exit hole to regulate how much air is expelled when the piston actuates.  Obviously, you would be changing the Hermes design but you are a resourceful chap who knows what he is doing so I would say that as long as the mod. is reversible, give it a try.  I am not sure that polythene would give enough cushioning.  How about hard rubber ?

 

18-4-2018 06:13:26  #17


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

Hmmm! I wonder whether this Olympia buffer might just help to upgrade the Hermes....There's enough front to back space but not enough vertical height with the current configuration. Also, I've only got hand tools so I can cut/drill/file but not machine any new parts. Definitely something to think about.
My typewriter budget doesn't extend to a platen resurfacing but a pica Hermes to cannibalise would make life easier. Perhaps it makes sense to wait and see what eBay comes up with for a few weeks before embarking on an Elite to Pica transplant with the carriages I already have. . . Though the project does have momentum at the moment!

     Thread Starter
 

18-4-2018 16:10:27  #18


Re: Electric carriage return, Hermes Ambassador

What a shame.  That buffer from your scrap Olympia SGE50 would otherwise have been ideal.  Unfortunately this is the sort of problem that you tend to hit when trying to transplant parts from different makes or models.  Maybe the best way to go is with a small rubber buffer to add a little cushioning, and see if you can find an adjustment for the carriage return clutch to allow a little slip so that the action isn't so fierce.  And wait for a donor to come up on e-bay !

 

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