1 of 1- Drunken Dwarf
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Offline - Registered: 16-4-2021
- Posts: 1
Carriage issue on old Imperial
Hi all
I have an old Imperial (I think a model 55, serial seems to be 26345) which has been in storage for a while. Before being stored (carefully) it was working fine.
Since getting out there is an issue with the carriage return where if you pressed the carriage fully, it would zip right back to the end of the line and ring the bell again.
After a bit of investigation, I found a toothed bar (rack?) which looked like it should be interfacing with a small gear under it. After a bit of wiggling, I got it gripping more but now when you press a key i can either skip a handful of spaces forward or slip to the end of the line again. But now you can hear the rack slipping on the gear where you couldn't before.
Any advice on how to fix this problem? I'd love to get it running again.
Many thanks,
Danny
- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Carriage issue on old Imperial
Hi D.D.
Tom The Typewriter Man is your go-to person when it comes to anything to do with Imperials. My first guess would be some sticky oil residue or dried grease is preventing things from moving as they should. Less likely would be a broken spring, but let's see what Mr. Tom has to say about your problem. 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)
- thetypewriterman
- Key Master
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- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
- Posts: 925
Re: Carriage issue on old Imperial
You have an Imperial 50, probably refurbished at some time in the past. You are on the right track. I think that the escapement rack is sticking on its pivots. It probably needs a drop of sewing machine oil (not WD-40 please) on the pivots and working them loose. The best way to do this is to remove the carriage. Park the end of the drawband on the little stud that you can see sticking up on the right of the second photo. Then press both the chrome buttons on either side under the carriage bed. and lift upwards. You can also see one of the buttons in the second photo, just behind the drawband.
