I think this particular thread will serve us best if we stick to facts and useful advice for documenting snd maintaining our typewriters; opinions are given adequate coverage everywhere else and they don't usually help. Let's consider the rarity gripe and the pricing gripe finished here and continue with the original proposal, which is (as I read it) to vet and promote materials and techniques that are useful to less experienced interested people.

Let's see ... for useful topics ....

What are effective techniques for determining exactly what the problem is? E.g., "carriage doesn't move"; describe operations to determine whether it's broken drawband, mainspring, gunk, bent parts, missing parts, foreign object stuck, etc.

E.g., "keys don't move"; how to determine if it's dirt and cat hair, bent links, disconnected links, foreign object, rust, etc.

E.g., "upper case doesn't line up with lower case characters"; describe the principles of segment stops and carriage stops, how to find the stops, which stops to adjust and why, best practices for manipulating locknuts, etc.

E.g., "what ink tape do I need?"; describe the usual answer(s), list sources, tell about metal spools, ribbon reversing mechanisms, etc.

E.g., "how do I clean the nicotine off the body?"; suggested materials and techniques, denigrate dunking, warn about alcohol on alligator paint, warn about decals, warn about scrubbing too much, name proven cleaners, recommend case-cleaning ideas, list sources for case parts, etc.

... for starters. Maybe build that wiki right here.

tricnomistal wrote:

Yes. My concept of this was sort of summed up thusly: "There are so many FAQs out there, but those questions are mostly asked by people who don't always know which questions to ask. What about infrequently asked questions about stuff you really ought to know?"

Hmmm. That's an interesting way of putting it. Gosh, there's so much that people ought to know. The thing about the missing "1" key---should millennials be expected to know that? Yet it's one of the most FAQ. Or "threading the vibrator" problems. Or, even worse: "My ribbon doesn't advance; it just bunches up." That's one that I wouldn't expect a novice to know but I would expect that anyone could inspect what's going on and figure it out. I suspect that the prevalence of the virtual simulation is leading to a loss of the physical mechanical arts. A lot of people in various forums say, "I don't understand what you have written; can you send a video?"

So, OP, what are examples of the kind of under-asked questions are you thinking of?

M. Hohne hit a real sore spot for me; the loss of the mechanical arts.  It's a DIY'er age we're in, but few understand the idea of "systems", or relationship in how parts or sub-assemblies interact.  Just grab a YouTube and go.  My advice would be that unless you were trained, took classes in typing or machine repair, don't "F" with it.  It's okay to learn, but please have a book or someone who knows guiding you.  The latest crazy idea is covering platens with layers of shrink tube; that being totally ignorant of durometer or diameter specs.  If you have a machine that's worth fixing, and you're clueless; hire a shop.  Most old school guys are willing to share how stuff works. It may be "just" a typewriter, but simplicity belies the complexity of how it developed. 

CoronaJoe wrote:

My advice would be that unless you were trained, took classes in typing or machine repair, don't "F" with it

I think think it depends on the issue. Many typewriter issues are very minor and can be resolved by a layman with a little time and research--often through basic cleaning. I think many people get bad information, jump the gun and start taking things apart when it is unnecessary, or attempt to do foolish things that are beyond their capabilities; but there is no formal way to get typewriter training, and there are few real typewriter repair places left. The only way the knowledge will survive, is by enthusiasts teaching themselves and teaching each other; and most of that will occur online.