Typewriter Talk / One high letter

**Posted by mikeytap** 10-10-2023 07:16:12

Is there any fix to adjust one hammer/letter? I know there are vertical adjustments between upper and lower case but I'm not aware of how to lower this single letter "d". Looking at the hammer at rest, it seems to sit a little higher than its neighbors. Smith Corona Electric Portable, series 5TE.

**Posted by Pete E.** 10-10-2023 08:48:31

Hi Mike,

Seems like this type-slug was loose in the past and a re-solder was attempted but not done so well.

I cannot imagine it leaving the S-C factory that much out of position on the type-slug lever.

Might be time to re-solder it.

Hopefully some of our repair pros will chime in and offer up some tips on the repair work to let you know what is involved for a DIY-er.

Or look to see if Phoenix Typewriters may have a video on YouTube on that task.

**Posted by Pete E.** 10-10-2023 11:05:47

And you might want to type out the HhHhHh a few places across the platen.

From the " All " sample you typed out, it looks like the lower cases might be a tad low.

That adjustment is pretty easy on these machines and their manual counterparts.

**Posted by Pete E.** 12-10-2023 09:41:34

Typo in last post.

It should read as :

From the " All " sample you typed out, it looks like the upper cases might be a tad low.

**Posted by mikeytap** 13-10-2023 08:30:34

Took a picture and not sure why the "d" slid up. Maybe work was done previously and it came loose. I think I will heat it up and see if I can slide it back down.

**Posted by M. Höhne** 14-10-2023 07:58:15

mikeytap wrote:
Took a picture and not sure why the "d" slid up. Maybe work was done previously and it came loose. I think I will heat it up and see if I can slide it back down.

That looks like an inept re-soldering job, perhaps not sufficiently cleaned, perhaps not sufficiently heated "cold solder". Simply heating and sliding might not be enough without cleaning and fluxing. Good luck, and let us know how it goes

**Posted by mikeytap** 14-10-2023 09:06:11

I removed the slug from the hammer arm (don't know the correct nomenclature), heated things up to removed old solder and re-soldered with silver solder. The hardest part was determining the correct position for the slug. I squeezed the slug in enough that it would grip the arm while I pushed it against the ribbon to find the right print location on the paper. I put a clip under it to prevent sliding down while soldering. Instead of a torch I found it easier to work with a large 80w pencil type iron. Applied some flux and when all was heated, the silver solder flowed down into the works from the top.

The new d location is not perfect. The angle is a little off hence the light inking at the top of the d letter. The only new ribbon I had was an over-inked cotton ribbon so it's splattering. Not the prettiest job but I can live with it. Sorry my new acquisition entry veered off into a repair story.

**Posted by Kalani** 16-10-2023 07:08:39

Congratulations on doing a high skill repair. And, thanks for the detailed pictures. You made it a lot less intimidating as it seemed to be and with good results.

How did you heat and clean the old solder?

**Posted by Pete E.** 16-10-2023 09:02:56

Hi Mike,

Glad to see you have hung in there and have your 5TE back on the road and sorted out.

If you have interests in custom-mxing some touch-up paint for your body panels. take a read at my Post # 4 in this other discussion thread :

https://typewriter.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=3871
.

**Posted by mikeytap** 16-10-2023 15:36:31

Kalani wrote:
Congratulations on doing a high skill repair. And, thanks for the detailed pictures. You made it a lot less intimidating as it seemed to be and with good results.

How did you heat and clean the old solder?

I heated it up and used de-solder braid to wick it away. While things are good and hot press the back side of the braid against the metal with the soldering iron. I separated the slug from the arm and cleaned each up individually. Not really too difficult if you improvise some jigging to hold things where you want them. I have a fair amount of soldering skill from my days building electric RC airplanes. Gear struts, battery packs etc.