1 of 1- Matt129
- Novice Typer
Offline - Registered: 10-10-2021
- Posts: 33
Royal model 10 double strike
Hello everyone, I have a very used 1925 Royal model 10 that I just spent the last week sorting out. I’ve gotten it typing again but I’ve noticed a strange issue. Sometimes, when I’m typing a key will lightly double strike leaving a very faint copy of the letter just slightly to the right of the letter I just typed. Also when the key returns after I’ve typed it bounces, if you know what I mean. Could this just be worn out springs? It seems to be more prevalent when the touch controls are set to light action. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
- Phil_F_NM
- Speed Champion
Offline
- From: Mid-Atlantic region
- Registered: 16-4-2020
- Posts: 267
Re: Royal model 10 double strike
Try adjusting your typing technique to hit the keys like you are tapping them (ie: striking a piano key for a sharp note, not one that holds.) Folks who migrate from computers to typewriters may experience this problem.
Phil Forrest
- skywatcher
- Moderator
Offline
- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 736
Re: Royal model 10 double strike
Hi Matt
One typing book that I read a few years ago said that on a standard typewriter such as the Royal Nº 10, your fingers should never follow the keys all the way down until they stop. Instead, strike each key as if it were really hot so as not to burn your finger tips only pushing it half way down and let the momentum of the type bar carry the slug to the platen.
It would make sense that the type bars bounce more with the touch setting at minimum as there is little or no additional spring force working against the type bars. From what I understand, in the days when these typewriters were the mainstay of the office, the faster typists tended to have stronger fingers so set the touch control higher to reduce type bar jams. Hope this makes sense,
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)
- JoeV
- Touch Typist
Offline
- Registered: 11-4-2015
- Posts: 152
Re: Royal model 10 double strike
One problem with these Royals is the escapement doesn’t trip the carriage movement until after the character has been printed and the typebar is on its way back to its rest position. This is in contrast to other brands, like Smith-Corona, that trip the escapement before the printing happens.
One technique that helps with Royals is to consciously pull your fingers off the keys swiftly after the printing, so the typebar can quickly return to the rest position.
The escapement trip point can be adjusted, this may help, see the appropriate Typewriter Repair Bible.
A hard platen roller can cause double striking.
If it’s frequently the same characters that are double striking, the typebar could be rubbing on one side of the type guide when it prints. This, combined with a hard platen, can have the effect of causing the typebar to bounce and restrike. To test for this, push the key gently, then as the type bar begins to move push it down near the pivot point, so you aren’t influencing its side-to-side movement. As the type slug enters the type guide pause and gently tap on both left and right sides of the slug, you should feel slight movement on both sides, indicating the slug is well centered. If there’s no movement on one side, it could be rubbing and you will need to gently reform the type bar the other direction. Don’t bend the type bar down near the pivot point, that can cause other issues. Brace the type bar down near the pivot point, then slightly form the middle of the type bar, just enough to give some slight space between the slug and the side of the type guide.
