1 of 1- Lawrence
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Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
I recently acquired a Brother 100 manual portable typewriter which appears to be in excellent condition. The only problem I've encountered is that the "a" and "A" characters are printing 1mm or so too low. As far as I can tell, it's the slug itself that's in the wrong place. The arm holding it isn't bent or deformed at all as far as I can see.
Adjustment appears to be a matter of de-soldering the slug, correcting the position, and re-soldering.
Can anyone tell me what kind of solder is used, in terms of melting point, suitable flux etc.?
- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
I've taken a few pictures to show the problem in more detail but the forum won't let me link to them :-(
Can anyone help me at all with this repair?
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Thread Starter- Uwe
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
I've used a mini (micro) blowtorch, but as for the specific nature of the solder itself, hopefully typewriterman will be able to help you out. As for the photo you can link to it after your third post (see the FAQ topic in the TYPE TALK sub-forum). It seems odd that a slug would have shifted - or not been correctly positioned when it was soldered. Does that slug match all the others in the machine? Does it look like it was resoldered at any point (compared to the others)?
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
Thanks, Uwe. It doesn't look like it's been resoldered, but perhaps the repairer just did a neat job. One possibility I considered that would account for the lovely condition of this typewriter: it was a manufacturing fault and, consequently, was hardly used when it was new.
I'll try and post some pictures later...
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Thread Starter- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
The Typewriter:
Example of type: 
Difference in slug height (compared to an "s")
Location of "a" slug:
Last edited by Uwe (12-1-2015 15:42:33)
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Thread Starter- Uwe
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
Lawrence, you can add images directly to your post so others don't have to click on links. I set up your post so that the images are now viewable (instructions are in the FAQ thread in the TYPE TALK sub-fourm).
I agree with you that the slug looks to be original, and how it was initially installed, but who knows what's happened to this typewriter over the years. It certainly seems like an impossibility that such a flaw wouldn't have been caught by Brother's QC inspector who would have used the machine to create a type sample. If it was my typewriter I'd gently heat the slug to the point that the solder begins to melt and just slide it up a fraction to match the other slug you took a photo off and then let it cool. If you do it quickly I don't think you would need any solder at all.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
Uwe wrote:
If it was my typewriter I'd gently heat the slug to the point that the solder begins to melt and just slide it up a fraction to match the other slug you took a photo off and then let it cool. If you do it quickly I don't think you would need any solder at all.
Thanks, Uwe. I'll have a go and see what happens.
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Thread Starter- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
Well, it's not perfect, but it's a lot closer. Turns out setting the slug position is rather tricky.
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Thread Starter- Uwe
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
Well, it's much closer. Are you going to fine tune it, or leave it as is? I think a slightly misaligned letter adds character, but it will also make it easier for forensic experts to identify your machine if you use it for ransom letters.
Many typewriter repairs require a lot of patience - and perseverence - but they do get easier and faster with practice.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Lawrence
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Re: Vertical type misalignment on one letter only
I think I'm going to leave it as it is and use newspaper clippings for the ransom letters instead ;-)
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