TypewriterGuy wrote:

As for the spacebar issue. Are you sure thats the frame thats bent? Because I commonly get typewriters where the spacebar mechinism is bent.

Yes. I am sure.

If you turn the machine over the spacebar linkage is straight and parallel with the rest of the keybars and the spacebar at a 90 degree angle. There is, on the other hand, abundant evidence that the body or shell is distorted and took a blow on that corner - it is bowed out slightly away from the frame on the opposite side, the vertical piece of shell behind the keyboard with the two rotating dials appears pushed in on the side of the impact, and... of course, the front of the shell in that corner was under the (straight and alligned) spacebar.

It's the fact that the vertical element appears pushed in which makes me worry the frame is actually bent and not just the shell, since that piece is apparently backed up directly by the frame. But maybe that's only along one edge, or the pushed in look is another effect of the distored front shell.

Not to be pendantic - especially since you are the professor here and I am the sophmore! - but I think in this machine it might be useful to preserve the distinction between "shell" or "body" and "frame" or "chassis". The frame is a heavy metal contruction painted red to which other parts are bolted, which clearly says "I am the frame, Mack!". Among these parts are the metal body elements with the crinkle paint.

I assumed the frame or chassis could not possibly have been bent, but way back at the beginning of this thread...

beak wrote:

... This massively built monster had been hit so hard that the actual steel chassis was 1/2 inch out of alignment...

That SG1 obviously took a MUCH worse beating than mine - fatal, in fact - but it does lower my confidence that this could not happen.  Before unibodies autos were made this way, and sometimes after a bad collision needed to have their frame straightened - and apparently at least sometime this was done. So I would say I'm sure at least the shell is bent and I am hoping the frame was not bent also.

(Sorry about the 1000 words. I am strenuously avoiding celebrating Halloween and at the same time pictures which would replace them require multiple transformations to get in a form to post here... so you are getting the lazy flow of typing instead. And more tying. Or should we call slapping a computer keyboard by some other name?)

Where did you get the serial number from? The SG1 has two, sometimes three, serial numbers; the one you're after is stamped on the SG1's cast frame to the right of the escapment and isn't visible until you remove the carriage from the machine. The number you provided indicates a 1960 model, and the key colour supports that. Even though yours is a SG1-N model, and as a result varies slightly from the more common SG1-S, it doesn't have the correct alignment scales for that year, or any other model year I've ever come across. For now it remains a mystery to me, but one that I will pursue until an answer is found.

The metal rollers on the paper bail are not that uncommon after all. I've done a little digging and they were used on earlier models (pre-'56). There could be a number of reasons why a 1960 model would have them, perhaps its original worn-out bail was replaced at some time with one from a parts machine? 

The SG is a heavy machine, and when knocked against something that weight will bend its rather robust case. I've had to perform bodywork on a few cases, and was surprised by their strength (given the gauge of metal used I probablty shouldn't have been), but fortunately I haven't come across one yet that had a bent frame, which I think would require a very signficant hit to damage.

... and now the negotiations begin with the seller of the Groma Kolibri I just got cheap on eBay. First, exploratory, 'what courier do you use?' email just sent; I've given them the bad news about MyHermes - offered to pay more for a safer service - just softening them up before I send the detailed packing instructions! It's only slightly broken... let's see if we can keep it that way.

I think this is the right thread for asking for advice - but it needs to be soon. I have just paid for the Groma Kolibri I got this morning. I posted this news, with a photo, in the Recent Acquisitions thread. Here's the issue:

The shift is locked, and apparently the seller can't get those two keys to do anything. I've taken the gamble that I can get it to work, but in the meantime, I'm a little concerned that it's not a safe position for shipping. 

The seller is also apparently wedded to using the notorious MyHermes couriers. I've had a few machines arrive intact with MyHermes and they were all ultra-flats, so that's all right then. But I'm concerned about this locked shift. Do any of you have any suggestions for making it safer in transit? Uwe? Typewriterman? I'm just about to email with the usual instructions...
 

KatLondon wrote:

... and now the negotiations begin with the seller of the Groma Kolibri

The Kolibri is a fairly robust machine for its size and I'd give it better than average survivability odds with minimal packaging. However, it fits into a snug travel case that I suspect would put a lot of pressure on the carriage once closed. The shift lock, like most machines, is released by pressing down on the shift key beside it. And even if the spring that returns the shift lock is broken, it should still be possible to disengage it with a little bit of fiddling. The interlock between the two levers is further back in the machine just where the bottom case cover begins. If the seller takes a close-up photo of the left side of the machine after removing the ribbon cover you might be able to see what's going on with the shift lock.