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Maintenance & Repairs » New Drive Belt source for Smith Corona Electra 120?? » 29-3-2023 21:08:36

OregonJim
Replies: 51

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PU belts sound interesting.  Do they seem to be "grippy" enough?  It would be convenient to make your own belts of any size from that stuff...  

Maintenance & Repairs » New Drive Belt source for Smith Corona Electra 120?? » 29-3-2023 19:57:14

OregonJim
Replies: 51

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Ixzed23 wrote:

Never mind folks!

I took the belts out of my 1964 SCM Electra 120, made in Canada (it might be different than thebones made in the USA).

The front belt is actually 311 mm long but I would settle for 310 mm while the rear one (with the silver mark) is 320 mm long. Measured by walking the outside flat side on a measuring tape.

The rear belt has a pretty bad set that has not gotten better since October 2021, when I became its new owner.

Daniel

Keep in mind that the central pulley (the one that both belts attach to) is not on a fixed shaft - it moves.  When the machine is running, the pulley is not in the same position as it is when at rest.  So, a pair of 315mm belts work just fine.     

Portable Typewriters » SM9 1970 vs 1977 » 24-3-2023 11:31:57

OregonJim
Replies: 6

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Penhurion wrote:

I have read several comments that the SM9 was boring or unremarkable.

I think operas are boring and unremarkable.   That says more about me than it does operas.  

I like the SM9, even though the touch is...not my style.  It has a clean look.  I would trust it to hold up under heavy use.   

Standard Typewriters » swapping out entire keyset Royal HH » 21-3-2023 16:49:18

OregonJim
Replies: 4

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lazydog wrote:

Well that makes sense of course--I guess what I am revealing is my complete ignorance of what is going on under there, whether escapement is "part" of key basket etc or carriage assembly.

The escapement is the clock-like mechanism buried deep inside the typewriter (some are more accessible than others).  There is also a rod that runs across all the typebars (the "universal bar").  When one of the typebars contacts this rod (as you type a character), it trips the escapement, causing the starwheel to "tick" the carriage one character space to the left.  The escapement is usually mounted underneath the carriage rails near the center.

I don't have an HH or a KMG, but I believe a "total guts swap" would be rather involved as many of the controls (touch control, ribbon color selector, ribbon reverse, tab set/clear, etc.) would be in different locations and have different mounting hardware between the two machines.

Standard Typewriters » swapping out entire keyset Royal HH » 21-3-2023 11:41:07

OregonJim
Replies: 4

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If you are  changing the type slugs from pica to elite, then you'll have to change the escapement as well.  The starwheel is pitched differently because the character spacing is different (10cpi vs. 12cpi).

And if they don't have the same vertical pitch (pica and elite are *usually* both 6lpi), then the line spacing mechanism on the carriage has to be swapped, too.

Type Talk » Choppers or parts sources? » 19-3-2023 23:00:47

OregonJim
Replies: 3

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If it were me, I'd reach out to a reputable dealer, like https://www.phoenixtypewriter.com/ or https://acetypewriter.com/ before resorting to eBay.  These guys need our support to stay in business, and they're a valuable part of the typewriter community.

Electric Typewriters » Sears "The Graduate" » 18-3-2023 01:32:28

OregonJim
Replies: 6

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Pete E. wrote:

Jim,

Were these made in Japan by that time ?

Yes, by Nakajima near as I can tell.  It's definitely a different design than my Silver-Seiko-made Royal electrics from the same time period.
 

Off-Topic » Faster typing = WORSE than slow typing » 17-3-2023 13:33:40

OregonJim
Replies: 11

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Electronics generate heat.  That heat causes electrolytic capacitors to dry out, chips eventually die of thermal shock, contacts oxidize, and batteries lose capacity.   Anything electronic is, by nature, going to have a very limited lifetime.

Electric Typewriters » Sears "The Graduate" » 17-3-2023 12:08:53

OregonJim
Replies: 6

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Pete E. wrote:

Is the "paper advance" key like the vertical space-bar key on other machines ?

Yes.  In the Sears catalog, they call it a "powered paper injector".  I suppose that's one way to think of it...

Kalani wrote:

Is it a "keeper"?

It is for now, if only for the fact that it reminds me of several childhood adventures I had at Sears.

I'm also partial to typewriters that have an un-shifted apostrophe key - makes it easier/faster to type for me.

Early Typewriters » Oliver 5 » 17-3-2023 11:59:55

OregonJim
Replies: 5

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Kanar wrote:

C'mon, give us some pics of your progress! 

I can imagine it will be a quite beautifyl machine after the work on it is done.
Also, I like the shape of the keys.

I'm waiting for the weather to warm up before doing any cosmetic work.  In the meantime, my wife has snagged it as a decoration in her craft room.

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