Fleetwing wrote:

one of the levers that controls the card supports doesn't seem to work... and what looks like Wite-Out on the ribbon cover, but I don't want to take paint off by trying to remove it.

Congratulations! It is a brilliant typewriter isn't it? I've run into non-functioning alignment scales several times and invariably it was just a matter of reinstalling one end of the tiny spring(s) that are used to move it. I think that they can easily become disconnected - possibly through a clumsy carriage reinstall. You need to remove the carriage to really get at them. As for the Wite-Out, I've found that a number of general purpose cleaners that are safe for paint effectively remove the stuff. I use Hertel, which is a degreaser/disinfectant, but have no idea if it's available in your area.

Fleetwing wrote:

Oh, and the typeface is Congress Elite, which is extremely handsome, and a real bonus.

Don't forget to join the SG Owners' Club topic; I think photos of your new beast and a type sample is in order!

Fleetwing wrote:

Serial number?  So if there are any tips I should know before I do this, just let me know.

Yes, just turn the lever on either side of the case and gently lift the carriage. When you reinstall take a moment to carefully align it properly and not to jam anything as your lower it in place - especially the two Plexiglas alignment scales - and never force anything. It should find its own position without any effort. Good luck.

This weekend I attended an auction in a nearby town and purchased a Royal Empress. It was not listed on the sale bill and I happened upon it by accident outside on a hay rack of woodworking tools and fishing equipment. Not a typewriter crowd, my initial two-dollar bid won it. Has a nicotine problem on the keys but seems rust free and clean underneath. The keys are stiff so it will get a good mineral spirit cleaning and the carriage return arm is snapped off, otherwise I like it. Another large by huge standard....anybody have a spare carriage return arm?????

The two piece line space lever seems to be a suspect design for a machine that otherwise is built like a tank. I had an issue the line space lever on my first Empress too, but before I could get around to repairing it a second Empress in much better condition turned up. I think it's a stellar machine, especially its outrageous curves that make it look like it would be home on the high seas.

As for the 970, it was an electric model that was manufactured during the early '70s in Germany.

As some of you know, I had the opportunity to purchase an Olympia SM-4 or an Optima Elite 3. I really didn't know much about either beside the fact that they're pretty desirable, so I went to the Twin Cities this weekend and checked this out. Man was it a steal! It's not 100% just yet, the margins are a little funny (more on that later), the platen is solid concrete, and there's a small paint chip right in front of the space bar. But it's immaculately clean, the ribbon is fine, and it's a decently rare find for $80. The case, on the other hand, is a disaster, but it functions, so I'll live. It's a pica 10 pitch, and I still have my eye out for an elite with imperial typeface, but if I got everything I ever wanted with this one, where would the fun be?! A quick glance at the TW-DB for a serial number check suggests 1956 for this. One of the reasons I love the aesthetics of this machine is because the curves and chrome look exactly like the early Porsches from the same era. And they're both German beauties Have some pictures!

About the margins, the left hand margin is kind of sloppy. I'll set it to the 1, and when I use the carriage return lever it'll bring it only within a space or two. If I really slam the carriage, then it catches where it should, but sometimes it skips a space then or the typebar sticks a bit before going. Is it the margin set tab or something on the carriage rails that's jamming maybe?

Repartee wrote:

Could it have been a safety thing? "New break-away return lever prevents impalement in office falls!"?...  This might be a good time to research feasibility of copying plastic parts, while the original is still available intact. 

Oddly enough, there was a sharp decline in office impalements around the time that the Empress was introduced...

Plastic parts, especially very simple ones such as the line space lever used on the Empress, are very easy to reproduce using mold and casting techniques. Colour is another matter. You'd have to use primer in the casting material and then paint it after.