1 - Asher Black
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Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
I bought a Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV typewriter and want to know:
1. What are the red knob under the cover and the C/S dial next to the keys for? Why is there a chrome handle just behind that red knob, that lets me slide set the carriage to left or right? What's that for?
2. Why does the C/S dial not stay on C, but slides right back to S when I try to set it to C? (see photo)
3. How can I adjust the space bar, so I don't have to hit it so hard to advance. It feels like the linkage is a millimeter too long or something. (see photos).
Thanks,
Asher Black
Last edited by Asher Black (05-8-2015 17:56:15)
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- Uwe
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
Welcome to the forum! Please read the FAQ page in the Type Talk sub-forum for instructions on how to post photos.
To answer your questions:
1. The red knob is used to adjust the touch control for the keys. As you turn the knob you should be able to feel how it affects the amount of pressure needed to actuate a key.
2. The "C/S" dial is a part of the tabulator system. "C" stands for clear, and "S" for set. It shouldn't stay at "C", nor do I understand why you think it should. Once you let go of the dial to clear a tab stop it should reset back to a midway position between "C" and "S".
3. I'd have to pull out a Monarch to see how the space bar linkages are set up on that machine. If you follow the linkages from the actual space bar to where it engages with the escapement you should be able to see if there any adjustment points along the way.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Asher Black
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
This is good info. Thank you. I don't yet fully get what a tabulator is for, or how to use it. I've been hunting the answer in google. But at least that clears up the C/S. May I ask one more thing? There's a chrome handle just behind that red knob, that lets me slide set the carriage to left or right. It clicks into place left, then clicks into place right, like it's my choice. Any idea what that would be?
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Thread Starter- colrehogan
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
If you have ever hit the Tab key on your computer keyboard, the tab key on a typewriter is for the same purpose.
Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
- Asher Black
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
Ah, I thought maybe a tabulator was some kind of automatic multiple tabber. Tabulator = tab - got it. So now just to figure out what that left/right thing is. with the bar.
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Thread Starter- colrehogan
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
It lets you move the carriage (by hand) to wherever on the line you want to type. Equivalent on a computer keyboard may be the left/right arrow keys.
Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
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- Platen Punisher
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
Asher Black wrote:
I don't yet fully get what a tabulator is for, or how to use it.
I think a lot us who have been using typewriters for more years than they care to remember forget that most people using typewriters now were never taught how to use one. The tabulator is used for typing columns of figures and I have had to do countless documents with those on. It's rather like people not knowing what a backing sheet is which was discussed elsewhere. Maybe one of us "Professional"
typists should post the ten golden rules of the typewriter classroom or something on those lines for those new to typwriters. I recently bought one of those plastic Empire Corona typewriters and put it through its paces with a few friends. Never knew they made machines like that, not too impressed it either, they do break rather easily.
- Asher Black
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
AHA! So a tabulator is used not just for tabbing but for essentially creating "tables" like we would in a word processor. How nice! The thing I'm referring to that moves the carriage is actually what's in this photo.... (maybe I'm using the wrong term for 'carriage')... HERE - I have no idea why I can set this thing to left or right, or what it does.
Last edited by Asher Black (07-8-2015 19:07:43)
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Thread Starter- KatLondon
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
Is it a ribbon reverse lever?
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Re: Sperry Rand (Remington) Monarch IV Questions
I have no idea why I can set this thing to left or right, or what it does.
The lever is to reverse the ribbon. If you type some characters you will see the ribbon spools move in one direction and if you turn the lever and type some more letters the spools will move in the opposite direction. Rather useful if for some reason the ribbon reached the end and did not automatically reverse itself.
