1 of 1- SquireDante
- Touch Typist
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- From: South Carolina
- Registered: 26-1-2017
- Posts: 106
Shift springs on Royal KMM
I'm back with more KMM spring questions!
I couldn't find the correct name for these springs but they're the big ones at the back of the typewriter that bring the shift back into place (shift mainspring?). Here's a picture:
They look a little iffy and I'd like to replace them. Any idea what the tension/poundage might be and where I could find new ones (Amazon, Lowes, etc.)? Also, is it as easy as unhooking and re-hooking for the removal and replacement? Thanks!
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,011
Re: Shift springs on Royal KMM
What makes you think you need to replace them? They look fine to me, if a little bit rusted. If they're working OK, then I'd say leave well enough alone.
- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Shift springs on Royal KMM
Greetings Squire
As long as the type basket is coming up to the lower case alignment stop, the springs are good. If these springs are weak, the type basket will end up floating between upper and lower case. There's an old saying that goes;
"If it isn't broken, don't futz with it."
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- thetypewriterman
- Key Master
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- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
- Posts: 925
Re: Shift springs on Royal KMM
Just to chime in with the others and say the same thing. No need to replace the springs ! Yes, it is as easy as unhooking them, but why would you ? Surely you don't want to replace them just because of a little surface rust ?
- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Shift springs on Royal KMM
Hi Again
If you're really concerned about how the springs look, here's what I'd do. Unhook them from the screws first, then unhook the other ends. Buff them up on a wire wheel and give them a coat of light oil, then reinstall them. As Typewriterman says, a very small amount of surface rust is not going to affect the performance of the springs or reliability of the machine. All the best,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- SquireDante
- Touch Typist
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- From: South Carolina
- Registered: 26-1-2017
- Posts: 106
Re: Shift springs on Royal KMM
Thanks for the answers! I'll give them a little clean like Sky said. But for future reference, does anyone know what tension the springs are?
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