Typewriter Talk / Smith Corona Electra new belts now motor won't spin up. Clutch? Belt?

**Posted by ESC4P3** 12-2-2023 22:54:33

Thanks to you guys for your help. Today, I went to a different Ace Hardware and spent a good amount of time on my own checking different screws and asking a few questions.. I got it narrowed down to a close but not perfect match with a flat tip instead of the cone point. A guy working there took my sample screw from my other machine and ground down the tip on theirs to match it. Not exactly the same, but it works!

**Posted by OregonJim** 13-2-2023 12:42:21

ESC4P3 wrote:
Thanks to you guys for your help. Today, I went to a different Ace Hardware and spent a good amount of time on my own checking different screws and asking a few questions.. I got it narrowed down to a close but not perfect match with a flat tip instead of the cone point. A guy working there took my sample screw from my other machine and ground down the tip on theirs to match it. Not exactly the same, but it works!

Great! I'm glad you got it resolved. Sometimes it takes a little creativity to repair machines that have been long discontinued.

**Posted by Pete E.** 13-2-2023 13:30:58

Hi John,

Glad your got it all sorted out. Nice when you still find real customer service in some of the smaller hardware stores, around. My locally-owned Tru-Value still has a bench grinder and wire wheel on a work bench and they offer such help.

BTW...here are a couple of photos to show the set screws on a Series 5 and a Series 6 machine. Thought members in the future might get some use out of them.
.

**Posted by ESC4P3** 13-2-2023 22:25:36

Yes, they were helping many people like me try to solve their issues. You really don’t see that many places today. The whole time I was thinking it is crazy they even offer this big section of drawers with all these individual screws they sell for pennies on the honor system. I couldn’t imagine having to maintain that selection and ensuring each little nut or screw is in its correct location.

The photos are a good idea and hopefully will help others. Clearly, seeing the 5 and 6 series screws side by side, they are not interchangeable.

**Posted by M. Höhne** 14-2-2023 09:09:32

Pete, thanks for those pics comparing the setscrews on the Series 5 and Series 6 Smith-Coronas. They explain a lot very clearly: the longer screw fits into a divot in the shaft to give positive location and ensure against slippage even if the screws become loose, while the other one gives additional grip and evens out the forces. And the short one does not have to be completely removed from its hole, thus avoiding loss and signaling which location is which and this helps a lot in reassembly. And if it happens that they both do come out, the different threads (which I hadn't noticed before) will ensure they go back where they should (if you don't force them!). Well done.

**Posted by Pete E.** 14-2-2023 14:17:07

Michael,

I was surprised to see my 1950's Series 5 machines (2 of them) have only one (1) set-screw for the knob while my Series 6 from the 1960's went with two (2) set-screws.

**Posted by ESC4P3** 14-2-2023 20:01:17

Just wanted to add for future reference that the screw I had success with as a replacement on the 5 series is a metric M3-.5x4mm with the point ground to a cone by Ace Hardware.

Again, it is not an exact match for the original, but appears to work flawlessly.

**Posted by OregonJim** 15-2-2023 13:05:40

ESC4P3 wrote:
Yes, they were helping many people like me try to solve their issues. You really don’t see that many places today. The whole time I was thinking it is crazy they even offer this big section of drawers with all these individual screws they sell for pennies on the honor system. I couldn’t imagine having to maintain that selection and ensuring each little nut or screw is in its correct location.

I can echo your comments about ACE Hardware. Too bad there aren't many of them left (at least around here).

"ACE is the place with the helpful hardware man." Remember that jingle?