- IanJ
- Novice Typer
Offline - From: Sheffield UK
- Registered: 19-7-2019
- Posts: 41
Re: Typewriter cases
Many thanks for the prompt response. I've successfully used PVA on recent repairs to the case of a 1928 Royal Portable P, where the fabric had peeled away from the wooden case, so I guess it would work on a full replacement of a covering. Having taken part of the Corona 3 case to a local upholsterer, he suggested I searched for vyanide online, but this didn't prove fruitful, just a link to a replacement soft top for a Triumph Herald...
I've just searched for Buckram, which took me down a different cyber rabbit hole on the Internet, and links to vinide (note the different spelling), also known as rexine. For those across the pond, similar products were apparently named keratol or durabline, although searches for these drew a blank (links only to medical products).
I found a supplier for the current form of vinide, used predominantly for car restoration and bookbinding. They offer a samples service so I'll request a sample (with any luck the sample alone might be sufficient as a repair piece for the Corona. The black vinide retails at £12 per metre (1.4m wide) and is supplied by Martrim. I'm currently 'watching' a typewriter on eBay, with a case which has been badly covered in kitchen shelf vinyl, so I may be in the market for a larger piece.
- skywatcher
- Moderator
Offline
- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 712
Re: Typewriter cases
Hi Ian
One other thought that came to mind when reading the earlier posts on this thread was iron-on vinyl or leatherette (textured vinyl) which comes with a heat activated adhesive applied to one side. In aero-modeling, there is a product called Balsa-Lok which is a paint-on heat activated glue for attaching Mylar to balsa frames. The product is painted onto the outer edges of the frame and left to dry. Once dry, Mylar covering material can then be applied with a hobbyist's iron and tightened or shrunk with a heat gun.
I don't know if there is anything along those lines available for more industrial applications like covering typewriter cases. Back in the 1980's, my mom used to do some upholstery work, and one of the materials of choice was Naugahyde. If this is still available it could be applied using a paint-on or spray-on contact adhesive. 3-M make a variety of spray-on adhesives, but the trick with using this sort of product is you only get one chance to place the material correctly. Hope this gives you some food for thought,
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)
- IanJ
- Novice Typer
Offline
- From: Sheffield UK
- Registered: 19-7-2019
- Posts: 41
Re: Typewriter cases
Hi Sky
Many thanks for your contribution. I'll certainly bear this in mind, although as you say, you only get one shot at getting it right (before peeling it all off for a second shot, presumably...). The great advantage of the Internet is access to all these products, but the great disadvantage is not being able to hold said products in your hand and set eyes upon them, to judge if they are likely to do the job! The sample I've requested from Martrim seems to be at no cost, which is helpful. I'll post again when it arrives - it may be stuck to the lower front panel of a Corona 3 case by then! I considered using a miniature 'piano' or continuous hinge but was put off by both the cost and departing too far from the original cloth hinge design (whilst accepting that this appears to be a major weakness of the Corona 3 case).
Ian
- IanJ
- Novice Typer
Offline
- From: Sheffield UK
- Registered: 19-7-2019
- Posts: 41
Re: Typewriter cases
The vinide sample has arrived from Martrim and looks to be a suitable material for covering a typewriter case. The pattern on the material is subtle and consistent with that found on the original coverings on some wooden cases. The material itself is fairly thin and would easily wrap around a box to be glued in place. I suspect the material is imported to the UK by Martirm so should be available by suppliers in other countries? Not sure if you would consider £12 per metre a reasonable price - perhaps only for a typewriter that itself would hold a good value, to make it worthwhile?
For UK based members, the sample from Martrim was provided at no cost, if anybody wants to check it out.
Ian
