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Hi guys,
I'm new to the world of type writers after recently acquiring an Underwood Golden Touch Universal.
Pic:
The thing is beautiful and the only problem seems to be that the G (and occasionally the J) key sticks and I have to manually pull it down. I know none of the terminology but I'll do my best to explain what I believe to be the problem and I will include some pictures.
There seem to be guides for the letterheads so that they hit in a specific spot. All the keys seem to work okay except the G and J and this is where I believe they are getting stuck.
Pic:
Each individual key seems to have metal pieces that go into that guide but they don't seem bent or misaligned. I've also noticed the G key doesn't always rest perfectly when not used. It can sometimes stick up a little bit.
Pic (Really hard to see the metal guides):
I was just wondering if you guys had any ideas on how to fix this?
Thanks for the help!
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Use cotton swabs soaked in mineral spirits to clean the type segment, which is that large metal plate with all the slots cut into it and the type bar moves through. Odds are that it's dirty and needs a good cleaning. Also clean both sides of each type bar - at least the portion of it that swings through the segment slot. Do not oil the segment - NEVER oil the segment - only use mineral spirits to clean it. The segment was originally designed to be used dry.
If the type bars are jamming at the very top of their throw, in that metal guide in front of the ribbon (it's called the type point), then your type bars are slightly bent out of shape. However, make sure you clean the segment first and we can go from there.