1 of 1- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline 
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
So I have a bit of a problem. The ribbon vibrator on my Olympia SM-4 sometimes does not go down all of the way after it goes up when a key is pressed. It barely goes up after the first few. The letters print, but I can hardly see what I'm typing. So it's very annoying. Is there something wrong with it? Or will just some plain oil help?
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,408
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
This thread might be of interest:
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
Hmm... I tried cleaning it out before. I guess I'll go try again. But I also have some oli coming in the mail, so I will use that once I'm finished. Also, a bit more important actually, when I move the carriage at all, it makes a scraping sound. I found out that this is the carriage hitting the body. How can I fis this and is it commin with other machines?
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,408
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
On a SM if the carriage is rubbing on the machine's case it's most likely worn washers that fit between the bottom of the case and the machine.
Oil is not a solution to a binding component. It's a lubricant - to be used very sparingly - on only a few parts of a machine. You need to work through the entire vibrator system, there are many linkages and moving parts involved. It should move freely without oil.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
Ok, looks like I'll be spending tomorrow cleaning out the vibrator then. And the carriage is scraping against the typewriter itself. The paint is worn down on the body. Are there lose screws?
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,408
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
ztyper wrote:
Ok, looks like I'll be spending tomorrow cleaning out the vibrator then. And the carriage is scraping against the typewriter itself. The paint is worn down on the body. Are there lose screws?
Washers, as per my previous post. There's the machine's case (it's body, coachwork, shell, etc...) and with most portables you can also have a travel case. Not the same thing.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
Oh, sorry then. It was late at night so things went over my head. I'll fix everything today hopefully.
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- •
Thread Starter- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
Re: My non-vibrating SM-4 vibrator
A quite update for anyone who's listening: so apparently the vibrator was just slightly bent out of shape. I bent it back and now it works just fine. And I replaced the washers with some cork ones I made. So now all that's left is just to recover the platen.
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- •
Thread Starter