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- Platen Punisher
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- From: Perth Western Australia
- Registered: 14-7-2020
- Posts: 99
geared typebars vs levered typebars
I wonder what others think... Whilst using my Remington Portable 3, it crossed my mind: Why did manufacturers stop producing geared typebars? It seems to me that if the geared method needed refinement, that could have been achieved, but universally, designers later used a series of levers.
The Empire Aristocrat (recently acquired) has a substantially long travel on the keys, unlike the Remington 3. Does anyone have knowledge as to why this design change occurred?
'Paraiso' Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc 1993
- Laurenz van Gaalen
- Speed Champion
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- From: The Netherlands
- Registered: 20-7-2019
- Posts: 407
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
I too would like to know.
On a side note: while working on my Halberg Junior I discovered that the key levers are geared.
So in 1951 the concept of geared levers/bars was still used.
- zoom
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Perth Western Australia
- Registered: 14-7-2020
- Posts: 99
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
Wow Laurenz, thank you for that knowledge. So... () the Densmore was using bearings for type bars in the late 1800's (as I learned today). Perhaps the change was due to cost? It seems bearings are the best way to support a geared system. I wonder how your Halberg is supported. I suppose that by comparison, bearings are relatively cheap today compared to the early 20th century.
'Paraiso' Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc 1993
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Thread Starter- zoom
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Perth Western Australia
- Registered: 14-7-2020
- Posts: 99
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
'Paraiso' Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc 1993
- •
Thread Starter- zoom
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Perth Western Australia
- Registered: 14-7-2020
- Posts: 99
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
Perhaps Laurenz you can tell me, how is the mechanism supported? The only geared system I have seen is from 1930, which is likely to be fairly agricultural.
'Paraiso' Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc 1993
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Thread Starter- M. Höhne
- Key Master
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- From: Maine
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 637
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
zoom wrote:
I'm afraid I don't see any reference to any gearing on this Desmore page. What should I be noting?
- SoucekFan
- Speed Champion
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- From: United States
- Registered: 27-12-2015
- Posts: 487
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
The only geared system I have seen is from 1930...
Remington used the geared typebars on many portables from the 20's until the early 50's.
- zoom
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Perth Western Australia
- Registered: 14-7-2020
- Posts: 99
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
Quite so, nor I. Nothing like jumping to conclusions, is there? I think I was associating an efficient pivot with gearing rather than levers, particularly because I assumed the system of levers came after the geared designs. Never having looked inside a Densmore...
However, this is why I posed the question in the first place, early typewriter design being fascinating and in some aspects bewildering.
'Paraiso' Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc 1993
- •
Thread Starter- Laurenz van Gaalen
- Speed Champion
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- From: The Netherlands
- Registered: 20-7-2019
- Posts: 407
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
Perhaps Laurenz you can tell me, how is the mechanism supported? The only geared system I have seen is from 1930, which is likely to be fairly agricultural.
Hi zoom, the image below shows the gear part of the levers.
- M. Höhne
- Key Master
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- From: Maine
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 637
Re: geared typebars vs levered typebars
Oh, Zoom, I think you would greatly enjoy looking at the History of Engineering.
"The only geared system I have seen is from 1930, which is likely to be fairly agricultural" is pretty harsh. Gears were used in wristwatches at the time and in many other machines and scientific instruments for hundreds of years before this. In the typewriter field (and in history) levers and linked levers were used long before gears were. Easiest way is to wander around in Wikipedia.
