lazydog wrote:

[... But again, mine is 1951 looks like. Seems like it would not have been that old to merit a refurb. ...So yeah, probably a refurb -- that paint is almost new still!

The paint might look almost new because it could have been painted in the '60s!

Refurbished machines were quite common. You have to remember that typewriters - particularly standards - were quite expensive and buying a refurbished older model compared to the latest generation machine was a way to save money. Refurbished machines were sold along side new models, even by some of the major catalog department stores. It certainly wasn't exclusively a '30s thing.

The age of the machine (based on its serial number) really doesn't have much bearing on whether or not it might be refurbished. A '51 KMG that was used all day, every day, for years would easily be a candidate for refurbishment, particularly when that machine was traded in for a newer model and the Royal factory would recondition it. You could still buy a refurbished KMG in the mid-'60s.

Speaking of history: I am off to Connecticut next week for a graduation, and of course Hartford was the "Typewriter Capital of the World"...but nothing remains of either factory, I understand. The old Remington Noiseless building in Middletown is still there though!
https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/Remington-Rand-building-coming-back-to-life-11837489.php
https://www.courant.com/community/middletown/hc-middletown-remington-rand-name-change-0427-20160825-story.html

 

Miketap,

My TP2 was definitely a closet-queen.  Very vibrant blue and the platen rubber still let's me indent it with my thumb-nail. 

Probably never sat on a desk in front of a big window.

Mikeytap,

On my 1967 Facit TP2, I was able to pretty easily access the bell hammer rod through the removal of the peg-board cover plate on the bottom of the machine.

I held the pivot end of the delicate rod with a hemo-stat and then did some delicate bending of the hammer rod with a slender pair of long needle-nose pliers that have a 90-degree bend on its tips.

Bell ringing is funny.

My 1959 Everest K2 (Italian) typewriter has the most melodic bell in my collection and its sustain just goes on forever.

The bell rings, I can return the carriage with the CR lever, and type 2 words on the next line and the bell is still not done ringing.

When I cleaned and serviced the machine, I dared NOT to do any cleaning to the bell and its mechanism for risk of  loosing this magical sound.