- MrNothsbury
- New Member
Offline - From: Berlin
- Registered: 14-8-2013
- Posts: 15
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
Thanks as well for the reference to the yahoo typewriter group album - those tools are perfect! Any suggestions on where one might find them or ideas for modern replacements? I think the 9/3 prong pliers are less difficult, but those roller benders... wow. I would love a set.
Thunder-clacker.
- Uwe
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,408
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
MrNothsbury wrote:
Now that the alignment issues are at least consistent, it looks like the "e" is printing lower than the other characters.
Did you use a ruler and draw a line across the page so it hits the base of each letter? That would answer your suspicion.
Any suggestions on where one might find them or ideas for modern replacements? I think the 9/3 prong pliers are less difficult, but those roller benders... wow. I would love a set.
Typewriter repair tools do become available on eBay from time to time, so I'd keep an eye there. I recently bought 8 suitcases full of repair tools and am just starting to sort through them. If it wasn't for the catalogs for those tools being available I would be at a bit of a loss as to what some of them were supposed to be used for.
With respect to adjusting type slug positioning, I used to always use a pair of needle nose pliers; it wasn't ideal, but it worked. It's worth mentioning that I'm no where near as fussy as you are with alignment. For me a slightly askew letter is a part of a machine's DNA, and part of its charm. I still recall how such variances used to serve as forensic leads in old police shows on TV.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- ProfessorC30
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Arkansas, USA
- Registered: 20-4-2013
- Posts: 75
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
The alignment is certainly better. If you are sure that there are no other problems with the segment shift, refer to my previous post. Your type sample is not as clear as before, so I'm not sure if a problem still exists with it. If only one letter is out of vertical alignment, melting the solder and repositioning the slug is the only remedy. That's the reason that most users learn to live with slight problems. How well the letters were aligned at the factory was usually an indication of the quality of workmanship.
Last edited by ProfessorC30 (20-8-2013 22:03:25)
Clark
- MrNothsbury
- New Member
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- From: Berlin
- Registered: 14-8-2013
- Posts: 15
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
Did you use a ruler and draw a line across the page so it hits the base of each letter? That would answer your suspicion.
Thus far I have only "eyeballed it". But I have very sharp eyes for things like this. I will double check with a straight if for nothing else but my own sake.
Your type sample is not as clear as before, so I'm not sure if a problem still exists with it.
I'll see if I can get everything really cleaned up and working properly and then I'll post another, closer pic so we can have a proper before/after comparison.
I recently bought 8 suitcases full of repair tools and am just starting to sort through them. If it wasn't for the catalogs for those tools being available I would be at a bit of a loss as to what some of them were supposed to be used for.
Yikes, you must have a proper warehouse underway.... impressive! Do let me know if you find that you've ended up with doubles of any of the basics - I'd gladly reimburse you whatever you think is a fair price.
With respect to adjusting type slug positioning, I used to always use a pair of needle nose pliers; it wasn't ideal, but it worked.
Yes, this is what I do as well, in fact, I use two (polished precision stainless steel ones, one straight, the other curved) so that I can avoid bending the typebar at the all-too-sensitive-spot where it enters the segment.
Thunder-clacker.
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Thread Starter- MrNothsbury
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- From: Berlin
- Registered: 14-8-2013
- Posts: 15
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
As a small update to this episode, many months later, I have since repaired all the little Olivettis. The Pica font one has turned out to be my favourite after finishing off the final adjustments and sees considerable use now. Thank you all for your help!
I have an old Corona flattop that I picked up at a little flea market at a small town in Southern France on the bench at the moment. That thing is a monster! All cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled, but needs new rubber on the platen. I hear these are a medium nightmare to remove/reinstall, so wish me luck.
Last edited by MrNothsbury (21-3-2014 17:02:54)
Thunder-clacker.
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Thread Starter- Uwe
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
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Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
Good news! As for the new one, if it isn't one machine that needs work, it's another! ;-)
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- vitalspark
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- Registered: 18-7-2014
- Posts: 17
Re: General typebar alignment guidelines
Hi, being a bit of a newby to typewriter maintenance I may be just being hopeful that I can help, but here we go: I have a lettera 32 (possibly similar to the 22) and had the same problem as one of your problems, namely the capitals were not alligned with the lower case letters. I discovered a couple of small adjustment screws to the left and right of the ribbon vibrator, about 4 inches either side. These screws control some aspect of the travel of the basket when the caps key is pressed. By adjusting these screws I could make a large variation in where the capitals appeared relative to the lowercase, from way above to way below. Sorry I can't post a photograph as no camera at present. Maybe that will help you? Cheers, John.
