1 of 1- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Imperial 66 - surprises.
Along with the new Hermes Ambassador, as a package, came an old Imperial 66. I have been consistently ignoring ths machine ever since I was first aware of it. But it had real surprises; the thing can be pulled apart into its main componenets so easily.
Snap - tug, and off comes the platen.
Zip zip, push lever, and off comes the carriage (with the draw band automatically disconnected and stored!).
Press, clip, tug, and out slides the entire type unit (segment and keys and type bars) for cleaning and oiling.
Everything snaps back into place just as easily.
I was so very impressed by this; most machines seem to be a nightmare to strip down, with trays of labelled screws and god-knows what all over the table. I guess many of you would know this already, but it was a happy shock for me. Er, why aren't they all like this!
Praise to the designers of the Imperial 66 - whoever they were.
Last edited by beak (19-3-2015 06:40:24)
Sincerely,
beak.
- Uwe
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- Registered: 12-3-2013
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Re: Imperial 66 - surprises.
Congrats on the Imperial. Most of the Imperial standards were designed so that their modular pieces could be quickly removed from the rest of the machine. Pictures?
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- beak
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Imperial 66 - surprises.
Uwe wrote:
................. Pictures?
Here it is, partly restored. I was lucky enough to notice a spray tin of car paint that was a great match to the original colour of the machine, which had rust patches all over the casing. Looks rather splendid now!
The space bar was fragmenting, so have put in a piece of oiled beech until a proper replacement comes along. I rather like the wood look.
Sincerely,
beak.
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Thread Starter- ztyper
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- From: Somewhere in New Jersey
- Registered: 01-10-2014
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Re: Imperial 66 - surprises.
That is a brilliant looking machine you got there! An Imperial 66 is pretty high up there on my list, I love the industrial look and how easily it comes apart. Must be a dream to clean! 
A high schooler with a lot of typewriters. That's pretty much about it.
- KatLondon
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- From: London
- Registered: 11-10-2014
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Re: Imperial 66 - surprises.
Wowie! What a beautiful job you're doing on that. It's a wonderful thing.
There is one for sale right now at my favourite local vintage shop, and I do pause lovingly before it when I go in... but it's £65 - and I couldn't get it home on the bus - and I don't even have a table for it... and as it is, I've acquired something like 10 typewriters since Christmas...
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Imperial 66 - surprises.
........but it's £65 ..........
I've lost touch with prices in London, not having lived there for decades, but it feels to me that another example of a machine as common as this one once was in England should be easy to find, with a little patience. There's always another one round the corner, right?
It's a nice machine, but only 'special', IMO, in that you can get inside the mechanisms so easily - could be good for learning more about how these things work, since when you sart pulling the bits off it, everything is so easy to examine. I haven't seen a junk shop, let alone one with a typewriter in it, for quite a while here in OZ - there are 'charity' shops, but they never seem to have them.
Last edited by beak (02-4-2015 05:29:32)
Sincerely,
beak.
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Thread Starter