1 - typeset
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Got my first Hermes
It's a 2000 and I love it. Quickly became a favorite. A wonderful machine with a great feel. This one has a minor quirk: i
f I don't strike the "a" sharply and quickly, it will jump, thus spacing letters.
Visit my website, eafeliupoetry.com, for posts on typewriters and literature.
- Uwe
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Re: Got my first Hermes
Sounds like an A-plus machine - looks like one too. 
Great colour scheme for that model, but I like the hunter green with brown version a lot too.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- TypewriterKing
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Re: Got my first Hermes
I have a '57 Remington Travel-Riter with that identical problem. I'm still looking in there to see what it is. I am thinking there may be a tired spring in the escapement mechanism. I can't see in there too good to tell if the escapement wheel is worn or if either dog is worn. I call that one ol' Jumpy. And the notch in the front of the space bar reminds me of another typewriter I got-- a 1938 L. C. Smith Silent Super. When you're facing the keyboard, there is a notch in the back of the machine on the left top corner. Soon as I whip that bad boy into shape, I'm namin' him "ol' Notch."
Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
- SoucekFan
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Re: Got my first Hermes
The "a" jumping might just be bad typing form. Some typewriters are more sensitive to typing technique than others. My late 30's Royal De Luxe used to skip, usually on the letter "a" until I learned to type with proper form. There are also mechanical problems that can cause this as well, but I wouldn't rule out technique.
- igotztowrite
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Re: Got my first Hermes
I've heard that the skipping problem is common on the Hermes 2000 including two that I've own which and since sold.. I've since acquired one that does not skip. I wonder if certain models after all these years of use reveal their so-called "achilles' heel" with the added absence of experts hands keeping them working as they should?
- TypewriterKing
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Re: Got my first Hermes
It's possible that with the passage of time and the lack of skilled repairmen that such things would reveal themselves. But then again, I've got hundred-year-old machines that keep on ticking like they always have, albeit with more crooked print from heavy use, and other machines I've long ago seen that weren't even in their twenties and typewriter repairmen were more plentiful that had problems that defied even the most ardent and knowing of repairmen. And then you had the Remington Electri-conomy.
Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
- skywatcher
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Re: Got my first Hermes
Hi TW-King I used to have this problem with several on my units, turned out that my left pinky didn't have quite enough power to cycle the escapement properly. I've since taken to using my left ring finger for A, Q and Z, 99% of skipping gone. Hope this helps a little tiny bit. All the best, Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- typngon12a
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Re: Got my first Hermes
I like your Hermes 2000 and have considered getting one. I think it's a great color and have heard of it's reputed "buttery smoothness" in typing.
- TypewriterKing
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Re: Got my first Hermes
skywatcher wrote:
Hi TW-King I used to have this problem with several on my units, turned out that my left pinky didn't have quite enough power to cycle the escapement properly. I've since taken to using my left ring finger for A, Q and Z, 99% of skipping gone. Hope this helps a little tiny bit. All the best, Sky
Yeah, I'll admit that whenever I slowed down a bit, ol' Jumpy didn't do as bad. I think that with typewriters with this problem, you have to make sure the last type bar is completely down before you strike the next key. I find this also works on typewriters that do the opposite--they tend to pile letters instead of skip spaces. Like what has been said: There are typewriters that are somewhat sensitive and you have to watch your typing technique....the machines go only so fast. You can't expect a 1916 Oakland to go 0-60 in 5.3 seconds.
Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
- typeset
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Re: Got my first Hermes
I think Soucek and others are right: bad typing form exacerbates the problem. I know there is a mechanical problem because only the "a" gives me trouble. And yet I just typed a page and had no problems because I was careful not to hurry my typing, striking the key sharply and cleanly. I found this encouraging, since I had begun to neglect the Hermes, giving precedence to those machines which don't give me problems. That said, I will stick to those machines that function well when typing final drafts to publishers and reviews. For me, those machines are an Olympia SM5, SM9, RQD, and Underwood-Olivetti.
Visit my website, eafeliupoetry.com, for posts on typewriters and literature.
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