You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

Electric Typewriters » Another Freebie » 29-4-2020 08:21:01

GramsRoyal
Replies: 5

Go to post

I wound up with two Coronamatic 2500's and they work fine.  The ribbons are still available on Amazon here in the states, but according to the pictures, they may well be a NOS supply.  Don't know if they are still being made, but people are buying them.

Maintenance & Repairs » 1964 Remington Travel-Riter Deluxe [GR936555] » 03-9-2019 18:05:42

GramsRoyal
Replies: 3

Go to post

Niels; 
Welcome to the forum!  Fixing the flattened feed roller is simple enough: once you get it removed (you may have to bend the tabs that hold the roller in place), take it to an auto parts store and match the rubber to a length of hose you can purchase there.  It's a matter of removing the old rubber from the shaft and sliding the hose on to replace it.  There are a number of videos on youtube showing how this is done.  For the ribbon feed, check the entire mechanism, from the spool holders and the drive gears to the ribbon vibrator ( the device that holds the ribbon for the type bar to hit it accurately).  Usually it is a matter of dirt, grease, or a lack of lubrication (but only use a little!), and beyond that, there could be something out of adjustment.  Try and check the typewriter database (typewriterdatabase.com) under the manuals section, and they may have a service manual for the Travel-Riter (yours looks like it's from the '60's).  Be patient and don't force anything, and you should solve the issue.

Maintenance & Repairs » Ball Bearings! » 21-11-2018 09:19:02

GramsRoyal
Replies: 2

Go to post

Your typewriter should have four bearings; I have the same model that's a 1935, and it has four.  This might sound strange, but a friend gave me their machine to work on to see why the carriage wasn't moving as smoothly as it should.  As I was checking the adjustment on the carriage rails, I discovered that there were only two bearings.  Not much to do, since I don't have any extra.  In your case, check carefully for the other two--if you don't find them, you will need a trip to the repair shop, and hope they have some extra.  If you want to do it yourself, then the bearings are 1/4", and I have heard they are compatible with bearings from a Smith Corona portable from the same period.  You might check Ebay for parts.  After that, on the Typewriter Database there are service manuals detailing how to install bearings into the carriage.  It's tricky, because they have to be placed in the exact position.  Good luck; your Royal is a good machine.

Maintenance & Repairs » Royal Quiet De Luxe bail rollers and platen recover » 05-9-2018 20:34:24

GramsRoyal
Replies: 6

Go to post

Glad it all worked out for you; now you get to actually type--my Quiet DeLuxe is waiting for a platen.  Should be here sometime next week.

Maintenance & Repairs » Royal Quiet De Luxe bail rollers and platen recover » 03-9-2018 13:14:04

GramsRoyal
Replies: 6

Go to post

Yikes!  Just my luck; you happen to be the owner of an early model, which has the long sleeve on the left side with two screws in the top.  Sorry; mine has the one I described, which changed sometime around 1946.  Anyway, you may have to loosen the paper bail arm with the sleeve so the bail rod will slide out.  There are not any other attachments, so unless the sleeve is rusted on the inside, it should come off.  If not, you could try some penetrating oil.  Then, tap LIGHTLY and check for free play and movement.  Hope that works for you; you have a great machine there.

Maintenance & Repairs » Royal Quiet De Luxe bail rollers and platen recover » 02-9-2018 08:07:12

GramsRoyal
Replies: 6

Go to post

Hello;
If I understand you correctly, you would like to remove the paper bail rollers from the bail rod which rests over the platen.  It's really straightforward; the rod has four screws, one on each end on the side, and two in the front, one on each end.  just remove the screws on one end so that the rod is loose, and you can slide the rollers off the rod.  Be careful of the flat springs inside both rollers, they are small and can get away from you.  After they are off, you can replace the rubber.
I'm not sure about the platen; Quiet Deluxe models have two rubber sleeves, so it is more difficult to cover (and more expensive).  You can find instructions on how to remove the platen on the Typewriter Database (http://typewriterdatabase.com) in the Service Manual under Portable Typewriters.  I have a 1947 model and am in the process of getting the platen recovered professionally because mine had a separated cover and a cracked core.
Good luck!

Maintenance & Repairs » Tower Commander Portable » 23-7-2018 18:02:58

GramsRoyal
Replies: 0

Go to post

Picked up a Tower Commander Portable at the local flea market Saturday, and while it's in fairly good shape, it has a major issue with the right-hand margin stop and line lock.  I found out that it was sold by Sears and built by Smith-Corona, but I'm not sure the mechanics for the margin stop are the same.  I think the machine might have had the carriage hit by something because the stops look pretty bent up.  Anyone have one of these?  Is this a common problem? 
Thanks
P.S. haven"t had a chance to set up a photo site yet; sorry I have no photos.

Electric Typewriters » Smith Corona Electra 220 » 20-7-2018 07:26:32

GramsRoyal
Replies: 2

Go to post

Well, I didn't think this was going to happen; was out yesterday trying to sell some surplus yard tools and wound up at the local thrift shop.  Saw an electric typewriter on the back shelf, and since it was the first one I've seen since starting to look, went over to check it out.  It's a Smith Corona Electra 220, and the carriage made a grinding noise when I tried to move it back and forth--but since it was only $7.00, I bought it.  Got it home and found out one of the keys (the "n") was completely disconnected and the linkage to the typebar was bent.  Got that fixed and the carriage was okay, too.  the back cover was out of position and pushing against the back carriage rail.  Once that was fixed and I put in a good ribbon, it was working perfectly.  This must be what it means to be "bitten."
Anyway, I don't know anything about this typewriter; the serial # is 6ELO 133921 and doesn't match anything in the Typewriter Database.  There aren't many listed in the Database, and I have no manual.  I'm assuming that it is from the late '60's, but I don't know for sure.  It's filthy and really needs disassembling so it can be properly cleaned, but I'm not going to take it apart without having something to go by.  It's a great typer, if you like electrics--I still prefer the manuals' touch.  Any suggestions or info?
Thanks.

Maintenance & Repairs » What do YOU use to revitalize platen rubber? » 18-7-2018 08:18:38

GramsRoyal
Replies: 10

Go to post

I'm a newbie and I have been surfing some of the posts on this forum; don't know a lot about typewriter repair yet, but I have used Varn Super Rubber Rejuvenator for thirty years when I was in printing.  It is more accurately called a "super cleaner" because it will remove paper glaze, dried ink, white-out, grease, and dried oil.  It also removes some paint, dissolves plastic (as I found out to my dismay when using it on older letterpresses), and is quite expensive at $40-50 per gallon.  I would only use it on a platen off the machine, and then maybe once initially and then use less caustic stuff like alchohol to keep it clean.
What it doesn't do is "rejuvenate" the rubber.  It will deep clean, and give a very thin film of close to the original finish, but it cannot restore the rubber to its previous condition.  If it has flat spots, or grooves from type slugs hitting it over the years, they will remain.  The hardness will remain as well.  Platen rubber is too thin to do much with once it hardens;  Even press rollers, which were formulated to take far more punishment than platens, hardened and shrank.  We would grind the larger diameter rollers down 3-4mm to restore the original rubber, but they were around 20-25mm thick.  3-4mm is about the thickness of a portable typewriter platen.  As I've seen from a lot of posts here, recovering is the only solution for a super-hard platen.  Having said all this, I would like to know if anyone has actually used Varn on a platen;  I like to be very cautious when working on old machinery--and very cautious when using industrial strength solvents.

Type Talk » New Member Thread » 13-7-2018 15:34:14

GramsRoyal
Replies: 984

Go to post

Hey, all; my name is Rich and I'm a retired printer living in Metro East St. Louis (Illinois side).  My interest in typing goes back about 50 years when I was a kid watching my grandmother typing on her kitchen table--correspondence to friends, congressmen, TV commentators, and then poetry and stories about the family; her genealogy research got me started on my own family tree search.  I inherited that typewriter, a Royal standard portable #0-412248 made in 1934.  I kept it in storage until I decided to return to school in the 80's and taught myself how to type on that machine.  It went back into storage again (computers were becoming all the rage) until quite recently--a couple of months, when I gave my uncle's Corona 3 (another inheritance) to my nephew's wife, who is a history teacher in Michigan.  That Corona was carried through the Argonne Forest in 1918, and she uses it to help teach the story of doughboys in WWI.  She and my nephew were so fascinated by the machine that I decided to look into any interest in typewriters, and I found this forum among other sites.  I'm a newcomer--I have Gram's Royal, my mother's Quiet Deluxe (1947), and any new ones I come across.  I love to tinker and fix old machinery, and my preferences so far in Typewriters is for portables in the 30's -50's.  Am also looking at Royal and Smith Corona standards--40's and 50's.  Looking to learn all I can, so will be asking lots of questions.  By the way, I have a little knowledge about paper and its usage, having 40+ years in printing, including 20+ years in letterpress and typesetting.  Guess that makes me something of a relic.
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum