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So this one is a good one. I was using my Olympia SF DeLuxe in school today when the chorus teacher came up to me and asked if it worked (it's an oddly common question, since I am using it). I said yes it did and she said that they have a a few in the prop room for plays and stuff. So I went in and peeked about. There was a green Remington 24 from the 60's, which my brother already owns, and in the back I saw an older one. As it turns out, it's a Royal KMM from the mid 40's, if I were to guess, with a wide carriage. It's in horrible condition. It's rusted through, the carriage doesn't budge at all, and the ribbon vibrator is off its tracks. I natually asked her about it and she said that it's been there for years and that I can have it for free. I then loaded up, and toted it back to my house with me. Now, as said before, the machine is complete junk. It should be used for parts. But I want to fix it since everything is still there. So can anyone help me get the carriage working again? If that starts moving, then I'll be very pleased. Wish me luck!
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Oh, and it's not the drawstring. The carriage won't move at all.
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Sounds like it is probably rusted stiff. I would recommend using some penatrating oil on it. It will probably take quite a bit of time to get the rust dissolved, but just keep working at it. I love KMMs, so I hope the effort pays off!
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Well, I did manage to sorta fix the carriage. I used my brother's Deox-it which is a rust remover and a lubricant. Something told me that it might be bad for the machine, but I said to myself what have I got to lose. Apparently it works. I can get the carriage to move with a lot of force and it stops in the middle sometimes. But It is moving. And I fixed the ribbon vibrator a bit. So my KMM is coming along quite nicely. But I don't know whether to sell it or not since I have 6 already...
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Well after taking two months off, I managed to fix the typewriter! It's apparently not a KMM, but a KMG. Basically the same machine. The carriage works, and I fixed backspace too. I almost thought this was going to be "the one that got away" for awhile. I'm just glad I could breathe new life into this old machine...