1 of 1- Loulou
- New Member
Offline - Registered: 07-3-2021
- Posts: 2
Smith Corona Carriage not Advancing
Hi!
I’m Louise and I’ve recently bought my first typewriter (so forgive my naivety!), a Smith Corona Zephyr (Serial number 6YZ346268).
I recently changed the ribbon as it was dry as a bone and since then it’s not been typing properly when in the black setting. The carriage will not advance when in this colour setting so the letters/numbers are just typing on top of one another.
Occasionally it will shoot forward a good few spaces at a time. However it works absolutely fine in red or transparent mode.
What have I done?! If anyone has any thoughts, I’d greatly appreciate them as I’ve googled the issue but not coming up with any solutions.
Many thanks
- skywatcher
- Moderator
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Smith Corona Carriage not Advancing
Hi Louise
Welcome to the Forum. Thank you for posting the serial number of your typewriter, this helps us all. The 6Y- prefix tells us this is the Zephyr II typewriter, which is a member of the Smith-Corona Corsair and Cougar family of typewriters. These machines were made between 1964 and 1970 (I believe) in response to the world market being flooded with low cost Japanese typewriters.
This series was known as the lightweight machines as the body was all plastic. I don't have one of these machines at the moment, but I did do a complete clean-up and service on a Smith-Corona Profile which is practically the same machine. I do remember the escapement mechanism being very light in construction and quite tricky to get set correctly. I would also assume the mechanism would be very sensitive to the presence of dirt and dried oil.
There is a complete PDF service manual available from The Typewriter Database (see here) if you are mechanically inclined. However, I'm sure that other members will be willing to give you some useful tips to help you get your machine working properly. 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)
- skywatcher
- Moderator
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Smith Corona Carriage not Advancing
Oops !
Forgot to link the manual. (Try Here).
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)
- Loulou
- New Member
Offline
- Registered: 07-3-2021
- Posts: 2
Re: Smith Corona Carriage not Advancing
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply Sky. You’ve given me some extremely useful info about my typewriter, as apart from a very brief instruction booklet, I didn’t know much about it.
To have access to a full manual is great.
I really do appreciate your response, thank you.
Louise
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