Pete E. wrote:

I have used a piece of "music wire" cut to length and will bend a u-bend on one end and a L-bend on the other end.

Once the bottom u-bend is in place, I will get the L-bend in place and then use some small needle-nose pliers to bend the L-bend into its final u-bend shape.... snip ....
.

I have also done this successfully, for several missing links in an Olympia SM3 and without removing any parts. (Still haven't figured out how they could possibly go missing!) I used the stiff wire of a T-pin as used in macramé, cut to length, and some fiddling with a needle nose pliers. Be very careful about the length because too long it won't reach the paper and too short it won't rest on the rest (or however it works on a Remington). Not very difficult and the chrome plating adds a little sparkle under the hood.

Ouch! Gosh, Pete, I am not attacking you. I was merely giving some historical info. I thought and intended that, anyway. (And a careful reading of my response will show that I was responding to zpark's inference from what you wrote, not to your statement. I only included your snippet to give context to zpark's.)

You say Tolex can be used as a modern-day alternative; I said, "... it is a good cover for our cases." [Emphasis in the original.] I still think that I am agreeing with you. Then I take the opportunity to promote it and tell other readers where to get it. And then, prompted by your comment, I went on and linked to other modern aids to typewriter rejuvenation, for all the readers here.

I must say, I read all of your posts with fascination for your enthusiasm and care and energy in working with our mutual interest. I am concerned with the vehemence of your response to this one comment and wonder if there has been some tension building up over time. I'm sorry to have given offense, now or in the past.

Happy typing! Good thing you do not need me for that.
 

mikeytap wrote:

. . . . and they made an interesting change in slogans:
"The Aristocrat's Stapler"  > "The Executive's Stapler" 
They surely increased sales by not limiting to Aristocrats.   ..... snip ....
 

There's a BIG difference between "The Aristocrat's Stapler" and "The Aristocrat of Staplers".

The presence of an unexpected money key (pounds, rupees, rubles, marks, francs, whatever) on an otherwise "normal" keyboard is often explained by the need of the buyer (custom orderer) to do business in foreign markets, simple as that. Typewriters with both $ and £ are not uncommon and not surprising given the amount of mutual commerce.

Pete E. wrote:

It might just be the same as 3-In-1 oil for sewing machines.
,,,, snip ....

Oh, please, do not give advice from fields outside your own. 3-In-One™ oil is definitely not a recommended lubrication for sewing machines and indeed is recommended against for sewing machine, as it is for typewriters and all other precision machines, Please do not associate 3-In-One with fine machines; it is good for garden tools, door hinges, rust prevention, etc. In the sewing machine world, it has a reputation much like WD-40 among typewriter people.

Sewing machine oil is a thing, though not a brand name. I use Singer brand, widely available and cheap, on sewing machines and the very rare occasion when I drop a bit of oil in a typewriter. It is thinner and has no tendency to gum, like 3-In-One does.

And, despite their apparent similarities, the two kinds of machine are very different in their lubrication needs: high speed, continuous operation, moderate force, precision bearings vs low speed, intermittent operation, low force, loose connections.

Sorry for all the fuss about this but I want to squelch this 3-In-One idea early.

You might find it interesting that Vaseline petroleum jelly, found in every American medicine cabinet, is a recommended lubricant for certain kinds of sewing machine motor bearings, though not all kinds, and not for other places in sewing machines.

I do not yet have any idea what vaseline oil is but I will learn in the next few minutes.