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09-12-2019 13:44:02  #1


WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Greetings All

I'm working on restoring a late 1970's Olympia B12 (Nakajima, Japan) with a rock hard platen. If you have, or know of someone who has an American Crafts, Typecast typewriter that is no longer used or is broken and you're wondering what to do with it. I'll either buy the whole thing, or just the platen, as long as the platen isn't damaged. Please PM me if  have something you think you might interest me. Thanks and 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)
 

24-2-2020 13:46:05  #2


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Hi Again

Found a broken unit on eBay, platen simply swapped out, job done.

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)
     Thread Starter
 

24-2-2020 17:23:55  #3


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Just out of curiosity, was that route cheaper than having the original platen rubber replaced?


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

15-3-2020 19:59:13  #4


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Sorry Uwe

Didn't see your reply until just now. To get a 10" platen re-covered was $75.00 plus $10.00 shipping each way equaling $95.00. I'm guessing a 12" platen would have been around the $90.00 mark plus shipping ($110.00). The broken American Crafts typewriter cost $17.50 plus $23.50 shipping (FedEx Ground) totaling $41.00.

The figures indicate a net saving of $69.00, however I'm willing to bet that a J.J. Short re-covered platen will outlast the lower quality rubber of the Chinese platen. For me, this was an idea worth exploring and an experiment worth trying. 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)
     Thread Starter
 

17-3-2020 11:56:40  #5


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

It was a clever fix. I never expected that you would be able to pick up a non-working unit for so little given that they sell for around CAD$260 new. It's another sign of the replace rather than repair society we live in.

It also appears that Michaels no longer carries the machines (it was the only brick & mortar that I was aware of that sold them). I wonder if a high number of returns was responsible for this?

On a different vein, did you determine what was wrong with the donor typewriter? Given its target demographic, I could see putting your old platen in the machine, fixing it, and actually making a profit from this entire venture. 


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

17-3-2020 23:33:55  #6


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Hi Once Again

The seller didn't indicate what was wrong with the unit, but my findings were the action was generally sticky and only the bottom half of the letters were printing as the ribbon vibrator was only lifting the ribbon part way. Flushing the segment out with electrical contact and brake cleaner freed everything up, but the ribbon vibrator took a little more research and digging to find the root of the problem. As the mechanism of the American Crafts typewriter and the Olympia B12 are virtually identical, Howard Hutchinson's Typewriter Repair Manual came in very handy as it covers the Olympia B-12 in great detail.

The solution should have been a simple adjustment of the color select detent spring. However, with the poor quality of manufacture, the adjustment slot in the detent spring was rough enough that it would not slide the length of the slot. Ended up having to completely dismantle the detent spring retaining mechanism, set the spring in the vice and true up the slot with a small flat file and a 5/32" chainsaw file before reassembling and adjusting.

Although the typewriter now functions correctly, the old Olympia platen is rock hard even after 6 soakings with Max-Pro rubber rejuvenator that the paper won't feed properly, so I would not feel comfortable selling the unit. Here's where I'm wondering if Rubber Soft would work on this platen, but finding a suitable air tight container that would hold a 13¾" long platen completely submerged for 24 to 72 hours while the product penetrates the rubber might prove to be a task in itself. 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)
     Thread Starter
 

18-3-2020 04:46:49  #7


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Unfortunately no rubber rejuvenator will touch a really rock-hard platen (if it did, I could save a small fortune having platens re-rubbered !)  However, if you want to try soaking the platen, and don't have an open container long enough, how about putting it and the liquid in a polythene bag ?

 

18-3-2020 09:10:57  #8


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Sky, I'd never heard of "Rubber Soft" and after checking your link I can see why. It seems that the eBay seller is just repackaging a product he buys in bulk - at an exorbitant price. The trick would be to find out what that product is originally sold as, especially since you would probably need more than 470 ml to completely submerge a platen. (For those reading this thread who might not know better, never submerge a platen with a wood core!).  


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

18-3-2020 14:31:42  #9


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Hi Again Uwe

A thought just came to mind. Take a length of 2" ABS or PEX drain pipe just an inch or so longer than the platen. Glue a cap on one end and a threaded fitting on the other so a plug can be threaded into the fitting to work as a lid as long as the product doesn't dissolve the glue. What are your thoughts?

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)
     Thread Starter
 

18-3-2020 16:34:21  #10


Re: WTB: 12" Platen for We-R-Memory Keepers Typewriter

Very clever! And it would use a fraction of the liquid. If you size it right it could be used for a large number of different platens (that don't have wood cores ). It would probably be ideal to have it standing on its end during the soak just to make sure that the liquid is more evenly distributed.


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

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