Well, I searched on You Tube and found a video about how to remove the platen.  It showed me what the ribbon looked like when properly fed.  It will take me a while to clean the keys on this machine properly.  But, it does type and function.  The platen is hard and full of impressions.  The feed roller has a big flat spot, and the paper fingers are made of rolled up tape.  

Mine is getting closer to working except for the piece of metal beneath the line space lever which is still broken.     Back to the shop it went this morning.

I picked up some of the wide ribbon for the Smith Premier from DeBarth. Luckily, their shop is only about a half hour drive for me. (And if you're in NJ, it could be a quick trip for you, too!) Otherwise, you can look them up online... http://www.debarth.org/IndexForVintageClassicTypewriterRibbons.htm 

It is manufactured in that width. They have like eight (immaculate) functioning Smith Premiers in the store, so I got to experience how the ribbon works on a machine more clean and complete than mine. 

echan wrote:

I am so impressed with all your work on restoring these Smith Premier up-strike machines. I got a no. 1 in rough shape, and have been busy scrubbing it. The escapement was jammed up, and so I had to pop off the back. Welp, now I don't know how to get it back in. Any advice on getting all the rods into the pegs again? Also, I'm in the market for a replacement ribbon (who makes them these days?) and some feet as well.
I feel like I may have started something I can't finish . . . 
-Eric

The first thing that anyone learns about the Smith Premier is to never take apart the keyboard. This is what you have done. It is a very hard process to reassemble the keyboard on Smith Premiers but TypewriterGuy here on the forum has done it before and I think that he has a method.