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Hi everyone!
I'm hoping that maybe someone can help me with this issue. I purchased a TP1 and everything seems to be in great working order (after a little elbow grease) except for the ribbon advancing. There isn't much information online about this model typewriter, and after hours of research all I could find was that it may need a new vibrator pin. Without the ribbon spools on the wheels, what I believe to be the vibrator pin seems to be working fine, and advancing the wheel. I installed the ribbon as the manual says, depressing the g and h keys and switching from red to black. I'm not very mechanically inclined, so it's highly possible that this is completely user error. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Have you tried manually reversing the ribbon to see if it will advance in the opposite direction?
Photos will definitely be of benefit for this. Have you taken any yet?
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If you can see it advancing in both directions WITHOUT the ribbon installed, my first guess would be that the ribbon is threaded incorrectly or the pin is not inserted into the ribbon spool.
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Okay. Upon further investigation (after installing the ribbon backwards) the right side doesn't move all of the time. The pin that catches and turns the wheel on that side works occasionally. Would that have anything to do with it working when installed correctly since you adjust the mechanism to connect the pin to the wheel on one side? The ribbon is installed correctly, and it is definitely on the wheel correctly. I can't currently upload photos since I'm a brand new member. I don't know if the 3 posts applies to actual posts, or if I can respond three times and then upload pictures. Thank you for taking the time to respond!
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Use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) soaked in mineral spirits to clean the various components of the ratcheting mechanism on the problematic side (I would do both sides actually). When a machine hasn't been used in a long time it's not uncommon for those components to seize or perform sluggishly, and usually a good cleaning is all that's required to restore normal operation.
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Uwe wrote:
Use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) soaked in mineral spirits to clean the various components of the ratcheting mechanism on the problematic side (I would do both sides actually). When a machine hasn't been used in a long time it's not uncommon for those components to seize or perform sluggishly, and usually a good cleaning is all that's required to restore normal operation.
While you're doing that, remove the ribbon and clean the entire ribbon vibrator area. Gently move the vibrator up to get to the bottom area. And, put some mineral spirits in between the metal slots where the ribbon threads through. I tear off a tiny thin piece of paper and move it back and forth to loosen up old ink. Be gentle.
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Thank you both! I'll try it as soon as possible.