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21-12-2013 01:03:02  #1


Unable to depress keys...

I have a Royal KMG with a problem...I can't depress the last four keys on the right in any row. Not the shift, margain release, or tab keys but the letter, number, and punctuation ones. The others depress fine but the last four on the right are rock hard. Nothing glaring when you look inside it.  Suggestions? And my thanks.

 

21-12-2013 03:21:04  #2


Re: Unable to depress keys...

I have a KMG, but not handy for a quick check; however, often such key jams are an indication of a problem with the segment. Most likely there's a little rust, or dirt, or maybe something was spilled inside of the machine.

Ironically, the KMG I bought had been stored in a shed and field mice had made a home in the shift basket. When I got the machine most of the keys were completely jammed from the juice of berries the mice had dragged into the machine. It will be tempting to use oil, but don't. You should never use oil on a segment. I used mineral spirits to clean the segment and free up the keys.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

21-12-2013 11:14:21  #3


Re: Unable to depress keys...

My KMG has no markings on the keys with the exception of the shift, margain release, tab, etc. keys. I understand typewriters like these were used in typing schools or typing classes to assure you really memorized letter locations. 

     Thread Starter
 

21-12-2013 14:07:30  #4


Re: Unable to depress keys...

At an educated guess, I would say that you have a foreign object stuck inside, which spans the four keylevers.  I bet that it is a paperclip !  Have another look inside with a powerful torch and tell us all what you find !

 

21-12-2013 19:44:39  #5


Re: Unable to depress keys...

I've never heard of keys being so specifically jammed. Here and there, scattered about the machine, or maybe the whole keyboard (if the machine is really old and poorly housed), but...not this. 

I agree with Typewriterman. There may be something INSIDE the typing mechanism that's jammed it up and which may require removal. 

I suggest a powerful flashlight, and needle-nosed tweezers, to fish the offending object out. And move the typewrtier CAREFULLY when you do this. You don't want to dislodge the item, and send it falling into some obscure area of the machine where it'll be even HARDER to get out!! 

If that is successful, then try the keys again. If they're stiff or stick or jam, then wash the mechanism through with methylated spirits and a good scrubbing with a soft-bristle brush. Depending on how gunked up the mechanism is, you may have to physically scrape the dust and crap out with a toothpick or a needle. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

21-12-2013 23:20:04  #6


Re: Unable to depress keys...

Shangas wrote:

I've never heard of keys being so specifically jammed.

I've had that exact issue on a number of machines that I've bought, and not once did I find anything foreign inside the machine. In every single case the issue turned out to be a contaminated segment. Mostly it was light oxidation on a portion of the segment, but I've also seen other things in there like the berries I mentioned in my previous post.

Most recently, the Smith-Corona Electric Portable that I bought couldn't be used because all of the keys on the left side of the keyboard didn't work at all. All the keys on the right side of the keyboard worked just fine.The problem turned out to be oil. Someone had oiled the segment - more so the left side of it - with heavy machine oil, which in the case of an electric machine was enough to prevent the typebars from moving. 

Other than the normal dirt, eraser shavings, cobwebs, human hair and mice droppings, I did once find a foreign object inside a machine. Somehow a lollipop stick with traces of candy still on it had become wedged inside the typebar area, but despite this all of its keys still worked.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

22-12-2013 01:55:25  #7


Re: Unable to depress keys...

If that's the case, then it should be relatively easy to clean, shouldn't it? I know from experience that most machines stop working not because they're broken, but simply because they're DIRTY. So giving it a damn good scrub-out (metaphorically) should get it back to working order. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

22-12-2013 21:41:18  #8


Re: Unable to depress keys...

Well, a long and careful look with three different sized flashlights revealed...nothing. It looks like a detailed cleaning may be in order.

     Thread Starter
 

22-12-2013 22:21:26  #9


Re: Unable to depress keys...

Iron Man wrote:

a long and careful look with three different sized flashlights revealed...nothing.

I'm not surprised. If you try lifting the type slug at the same time you're pressing on its respective key, and it moves a little, that will prove that the issue is most likely with segment. Keep us posted...
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

23-12-2013 01:07:50  #10


Re: Unable to depress keys...

Best of luck with the cleaning! It can be a slow, painstaking process, but the results will be worth it!! 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

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