1 of 1- ztyper
- Key Master
Offline 
- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
- Posts: 773
Underwood 5 backspace blues
Well, as one problem is solved, another one arises with this Underwood. For some reason, I can't for the life of me figure out what's wrong with the backspace on my #5. It was working all the way until yesterday and I'm not sure why. When I press down the key, it doesn't move the carriage back all of the way. It moves, doesn't quite get all of the way there, and then just resets. Are there any adjustments for the backspace mechanism on the Underwood? All I need to do is figure out a way to move the pawl to the right (assuming you're looking from the front of the keyboard to the back of the machine) so the escapement can catch and then the carriage has moved back a space.
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- TypewriterKing
- Inactive Account
Offline
- From: DeepInTheHeartO', Texas
- Registered: 17-2-2016
- Posts: 1,011
Re: Underwood 5 backspace blues
I've been lurking through the unanswered threads, and I found this one, so here goes, just in case the original problem exists, or if in the future someone else has the same or similar problem. Here goes: Open up the left panel on the side of the machine, and inside is a vertical lever with two bolts in it. Un-screw both of them, but make sure you matchmark where they were originally, in case you have to redo this adjustment. You"ll want to pull both halves of the lever closer together so the backspace stroke will be short enough for it to do its job. This may take several tries, but I've successfully repaired backspace problems on new-style Underwood typewriters this way.
Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
