beak wrote:

I have the same problem (typebars not quite reaching the paper) with one of my SG1s.  As far as I can tell, the mechanism which prevents typing when you reach the right margin is not set correctly, but I can't see how to release or adjust it. 
If the typebars are moving freely, then perhaps you too have the same problem that I do.  Shall be investigating further when time permits, since the feeling is exactly the same as when the typebars are interrupted at the end of a line.
ALSO, there is a mechanism on some machines that prevents full movement of the typebars when the machine is in transit, and is assocciated with the carriage lock.  It may be worth investigating these linkages too.

Old post, I know, but did you ever find out some hard data, beak? I recently purchased a 1935 Underwood Universal with some sticky keys. Pulled it apart, cleaned it, got all the keys working, reassembled it, and.....the keys are stuck after the end of every line. I'm guessing it's the right margin stop that's caught or something as you suggested. If I tip it backwards, usually it clears and I can resume typing, but that's not really the way to go. Anybody have tips either with margin stops or Universals in general?

Hey folks,
More foibles with my Optima. Carriage seems to drag heavily on the rails despite cleaning and a light oiling. It's so heavy that it catches sometimes and I have to jimmy the carriage a bit before it'll slide across. I'm pretty sure it's the carriage height, I've heard it's a relatively common issue and all it takes is some adjusting to find the sweet spot. Unfortunately I have no idea where those screws are and I'd hate to fumble around in there uninformed.

If anybody has an Optima and would like to show me with pictures (lots and lots of pictures ), I'd be really grateful!

So I took off the shell and looked at the innards and tried to figure out what was going on a little more. I didn't find anything to be fixed, but I did notice

1) Definite resistance on the carriage rails, perhaps the bearings are stuck or dirty

2) There's a spring underneath that does expand when the carriage actually advances, and doesn't when stuck. But this seems like a symptom, not the problem.

3) Gravity helps! When I tipped it on its left side, the carriage advanced more often than when it's resting horizontally. So is the main spring weak?

4) The carriage often catches when all the way to the left and I push it over to start a new line. I have to jiggle it before it will slide on the rails, and then I notice problem 1 again.

JoeV wrote:

If you grasp a platen knob and pull the carriage release lever, does the carriage slide left and right on its rails freely? As you pull from left to right, you'll feel the tension of the draw band; does it feel normal, like there's sufficient tension?

How far you can thus move the carriage is limited by the margin settings. It's possible to have them both set toward the center of the carriage, limiting the motion to a very narrow range. It is more commonly a problem with machines that have quick-set margins, like Hermes 2000s and Royals with their Magic Margin.

Does your machine have tabs? If so, try working the tab settings and see if that helps.

~Joe

Yes the carriage moves freely when the lever is released, although it does seem to scrape along the rails  where it didn't before

I'd like to get something going if anyone is interested. Maybe a once a month thing, international or domestic. PM me if you like!