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12-11-2018 10:26:37  #1


Dangers of rock-hard platen

Hello Typewriter forums!

As I am new here, I do not know for sure where to post this topic, so I hope this is the right place.

I have read the forums for some time now, but I never figured out whether or not a rock-hard platen is a problem.

At this moment I am restoring/cleaning a Continental Standard (from around 1924). The platen is hard, but not broken.

My question is: what are the dangers of typing with a rock-hard platen in the typewriter? Can the slugs be damaged? Are there other problems?

And what if I use several backing sheets or even a piece of backing paper found on the back of cheap notebooks (the soft cardboard-ish paper)?
 

 

12-11-2018 14:09:32  #2


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

If you use a machine with a really hard platen on a regular basis, you will eventually flatten the typeface (type slugs).  Once this has happened, the machine is ruined.  There are no replacement type being manufactured so other than labouriously transferring the typeface from an identical machine - or swopping all the typebars over and then making adjustments - you have pretty well had it.  The Continental Standard is the 'Rolls Royce' of pre-war manual typewriters and really worth looking after.  Backing sheets will help a lot, but the real solution is a re-rubbered platen.  It will make the machine quieter and more pleasant to use too.

 

12-11-2018 14:29:21  #3


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

Thanks for the reply!

So a couple of backing sheets just won't cut it?

That's quite unfortunate, as there are no typewriter re-plating services in the Netherlands. And I don't want to use heat-shrinking rubber, although I have read quite some success-stories about that. But before asking questions about that, I will read some more on this forums!
 

     Thread Starter
 

12-11-2018 17:40:26  #5


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

Here is a link to a firm in Holland that should be able to help you with re-rubbering https://www.akblongs.nl/contents/en-uk/about.html

 

13-11-2018 10:12:50  #6


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

thetypewriterman wrote:

Here is a link to a firm in Holland that should be able to help you with re-rubbering https://www.akblongs.nl/contents/en-uk/about.html

Unfortunately they do not replate platens anymore. They used to, though. But not anymore.

Anyway, will give the heat shrink tubes a go; if I fail on that, I can always send it off for professional repair and hope J.J. Short won't laugh at me for trying heat shrink tubes haha.

     Thread Starter
 

13-11-2018 10:13:58  #7


     Thread Starter
 

13-11-2018 15:52:21  #8


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

As was previously mentioned, a Continental is more deserving than heat-shrink tubing.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

13-11-2018 16:20:54  #9


Re: Dangers of rock-hard platen

If you do want to go ahead with a re-rubbered platen and do not want to send yours all the way to America, I can get these done here in England.

 

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