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I've had it for a day, but here is my "new" Oliver #5!
I got this beauty at a flea market for $20 at a flea market in Vermont. I'm pretty sure it was the only typewriter there, so there was no way I was leaving without it. When I got it, it was not working at all. Half of the left tower was bent, the escapement was not working, and it just looked like hell. not to mention it was sitting in the rain when I bought it. Since then, I gave it a bath, fixed the escapement, reattached the drawband, and got the ribbon advancement working again. Still needs a lot of work to get it up to the standard I hear the Olivers are held up at. I still miss my Royal though...
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Wow! Can't wait to see it all cleaned up, oh, and a type sample.
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Hey, since your in vermont, maybe we might see each other sometime, im in NH.
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Re: Spazmelda and the Royal Safari (AKA Imperial Safari here in England). This is a very easy repair. Obtain a large paperclip. Straighten it out roughly. Put one end in a flame and heat it to a dull red. If you have a gas cooker, this is ideal - otherwise use a blowlamp. Plunge the hot end into the plastic spool carrier where the pin was. You may not even need a pair of pliers to hold the other end of the straightened paperclip - the heat may not travel far enough to burn your fingers. Hold the paperclip steady until you are sure that the melted plastic around the hot end has solidified. Snip it off to length with a pair of side cutters. Job Done ! We used to do this all the time in customers' offices, using our type soldering torches of course, not a cooker. You can always find a selection of paperclips in an office !
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thetypewriterman wrote:
Re: Spazmelda and the Royal Safari (AKA Imperial Safari here in England). This is a very easy repair. Obtain a large paperclip. Straighten it out roughly. Put one end in a flame and heat it to a dull red. If you have a gas cooker, this is ideal - otherwise use a blowlamp. Plunge the hot end into the plastic spool carrier where the pin was. You may not even need a pair of pliers to hold the other end of the straightened paperclip - the heat may not travel far enough to burn your fingers. Hold the paperclip steady until you are sure that the melted plastic around the hot end has solidified. Snip it off to length with a pair of side cutters. Job Done ! We used to do this all the time in customers' offices, using our type soldering torches of course, not a cooker. You can always find a selection of paperclips in an office !
Thanks! Okay, so that's two votes for that method. About how deep in does it need to go, and did you find that it holds up well? I've got paper clips, a propane torch, and wire cutters so I've got all the stuff.
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Spazmelda wrote:
Wow! Can't wait to see it all cleaned up, oh, and a type sample.
I need a different ribbon than a standard typewriter ribbon and spools, so it might be awhile. And the carriage sometimes sticks and keys don't always go back up. Needless to say, I'll be busy with it...
@Typewriterguy
I'd love to see another collector in person, but I'm going back to Jersey tomorrow... But perhaps one day we could all just meet up somewhere. Wouldn't that be something?
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ztyper wrote:
I've had it for a day, but here is my "new" Oliver #5! I got this beauty at a flea market for $20 at a flea market in Vermont. Since then, I gave it a bath, fixed the escapement, reattached the drawband, and got the ribbon advancement working again. Still needs a lot of work to get it up to the standard I hear the Olivers are held up at.
Nice find! I had an awful lot of fun working on my Oliver - everything is so accessible on the machine.
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Re: Spazmelda and the Safari : Try not to let the paperclip/drive pin go all the way through the plastic and out of the bottom of the spool carrier. That way it will be more secure. If you can remove the spool carrier, it will be easier to judge as you plunge the hot paper clip in. We used to do this as a temporary repair until we could get back to the customer with a new part, but quite frankly I do not see why it would not last indefinitely.
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Yes it would! lol. Ill get those photos for you now.
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thetypewriterman wrote:
Re: Spazmelda and the Safari : Try not to let the paperclip/drive pin go all the way through the plastic and out of the bottom of the spool carrier. That way it will be more secure. If you can remove the spool carrier, it will be easier to judge as you plunge the hot paper clip in. We used to do this as a temporary repair until we could get back to the customer with a new part, but quite frankly I do not see why it would not last indefinitely.
Thanks (to both you and Malole), that worked very well. I didn't really need to worry about it going too far as the plastic seemed pretty tough. It only went in a few mm, but it seems sturdy. A lot sturdier than I thought it would be!
Now, back to the more interesting Oliver!
Last edited by Spazmelda (06-7-2015 11:36:59)