Hi TTW
As Thetypewriterman says, type slugs punching holes in the ribbon is a sure sign of a rock hard platen. I bought a 1936 Imperial Good Companion S/N AL-018 several years ago which had the same issues. Although I had given the unit a thorough deep cleaning, servicing and tune-up, the ribbon was still being cut by the type slugs. Other issues were the paper not tracking true, the type bars making a sharp clack as they hit the platen and my fingers getting jarred at the end of each keystroke.
Living here in Canada, I was able to send the platen to J.J. Short in New York state to have it re-covered with new rubber a few years ago. The difference a renewed platen made was incredible. The paper tracks true, print quality has improved, the type bars now make a dull thud when they hit the platen and I'm sure that I can feel the softness of the new platen through the keys as I type.
I don't know of any rubber specialty companies in Scandinavia that would be able to re-cover typewriter platens, but who knows, someone might. Shipping to North America and back would be expensive no matter how you slice it. Hopefully this will give you a few ideas to work with. All the best,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)