Many thanks. Now I know exactly what to look for. I have found a similar material here, but not as thick as 3 mm. No matter, I'll start by looking at the local store's laminate flooring section and see what they have. I had previously looked in the roofing department because they have felt-like materials there too, but none of it seemed like the right thing to be gluing inside a typewriter case. Even the felt that I linked to in a previous post would work well too I think; it certainly looks very similar to what was originally installed in my machines.

thetypewriterman wrote:

It is sold as a premium wood laminate floor underlay. Sorry that this tip seems only applicable to the UK.

I found another underlay material that's available from my local big box; is this the stuff you're talking about? Because it looks like it woud be a good material to use and it's only 1/8 in. thick.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_90773-22925-PC100_4294856497__?productId=3570560&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=

ProfessorC30 wrote:

Some people have had good  luck with felt carpet padding. Use spray contact cement to attach. I've been using a noise-control foam that closely matches the original in IBM Selectrics

Thanks for the suggestions Clark. Carpet underlay, at least the stuff that I'm familiar with, seems like it would be too thick. I was intrigued by the charcoal foam though, that was until I saw how much it costs.

One attribute of whatever I end up gluing inside my typewriters is that it be mould resistant - I really can't stand the smell of some of the machine that I've bought or the idea of what is living in their sound deadening material - so I'd like something that will help to prevent that. The laminate flooring and carpet underlay suggestions will probably both fit that bill.

 

thetypewriterman wrote:

Although not original to pre-1950's typewriters, I've noticed that Do It Yourself stores sell thin closed cell foam for use as an underlay for wood laminate flooring.  This is nearly identical to the material that Brother were using in their 1970's portables.  I've sucessfully silenced a clattering Silver-Reed Silverette with this stuff !

Given you're in a different country there's a possibility that the building materials you use aren't the same as what we'd find here in Canada. We have two types of underlay commonly used for laminate flooring, one is something similar to what you've described, it's white and only a few mm thick. Is this the stuff you're talking about?

If it is, I would never have ever imagined using it in a typewriter, but if you've had good success with it, I'll certainly give it a go. What did you use to adhere it to the case?
 

Amelia wrote:

It is available in the US through Amazon for $24.95 (6 left in current stock).

I had seen that and would have bought the DVD for that amount, but unfortunately getting it shipped to Canada by Amazon adds another 40 percent to its price. And for some reason it isn't offered on Amazon.ca, but I'll keep checking...
 

So the conundrum is to either destroy the decal and have a clean typer, or preserve the decal and have a  dirty machine. I have to say that I'm surprised that yours only came off with a bit of gentle wiping with a Q-Tip.

I've see a few replacement decals too, and I guess that would be the obvious route to take if whoever is selling them has the ones you need, but otherwise?

I guess when they used to build typewriters back in the '20s and '30s it would have been considered a bizarre extravagance to clear coat the paint and decal to protect the finish of both.