a Special offer was available on all Typewriter Repair Bibles: (gone now) Bibles! And some more happy typewriter repairers from Facebook:
Category: Typewriter Repair 101
Spreadin’ The Word of Jones…
The Reading Rainbow: Five editions out now and ponderin’ which ones I’ll do next. The first ones have started making it out to people who’ve posted some pics in the Facebook groups. I suppose they count as testimonials, so here’s the most recent ones. I love it when they post pics with the Bible next […]
Would you like a Typewriter Repair Bible? (:
Okie doke, I’ve got three of ’em done, one more almost in the can and one out for proof copy. Here’s the three that are done, and ready for you to purchase and enjoy. The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible478 Pages, Professionally printed and coil bound to lay flat on your work table! Includes: Basic Mechanical […]
TMTRB: Update!
Hey, look what the mailman brought today! The first proofing copy, hot off the press. I estimate another two weeks or so for edits and mailing time for the final proof – then RELEASE! You’ll be able to get your own copy by mid February, I think. The TMTRB, Yes, that’s the Book for me! […]
Scanning Project: Olivetti Service Manuals, Lettera 22, Studio 44, Praxis 48
My scanner’s bein’ a bitch, not letting me scan because it has an empty ink tank. Confounded contraption! Well, I’ll get it figured out – I have to, because I borrowed Bill’s Olivetti Service Manuals for the Lettera 22, Studio 44 and Praxis 48: So that’s on my scanning docket…
The Well-Appointed Typewriter Repair Shop from AMES Supply General Catalog 1960
At the height of the typewriter industries importance in world commerce, arguably right about 1960, setting yourself up as a typewriter repair shop was something you could do out of a catalog. In the United States, you could do it out of the AMES General catalog, and the little typewriter shop from whom I borrowed […]
Typewriter Platen Reference, and all Things Made of Rubber: Ames 1960 General Catalog
Some more reference from the wonderful year 1960, when you could shop for new platens and feed rolls like you were customizing a hot rod… For your amusement and edification, the “Rubber Section” from the 1960 AMES Supply General Catalog:
Typewriter Repair Tools Reference: 1960 Ames Catalog
For your entertainment and edification, a reference list of typewriter repairman’s tools offered by AMES Supply Company in 1960:
How about a free PDF pattern and tutorial for making your own typewriter dust cover?
Yeah, I thought you guys might dig that. You’re DIY, you like typewriters, why haven’t you clicked this link already? :D
Triumph Perfekt: getting it off the case base and replacing the bad bits.
Taming The Tinny Typing Sound of a Brother JP-1 Typewriter
Come on, ring those bells…
Drago’s margin bell is finally working 100% again (probably for the first time in decades, actually) – after examining every millimeter of the rather Rube Goldbergish margin bell system of my Underwood #5 and finding nothing specifically faulty. The problem in the end was probably one of design, as the flippy arm (#20 in illustration […]
How to restore the paper scale on an IBM Selectric
This past June, I was corresponding with our friend ProfessorC about an original blue-trim 1962 IBM Selectric that he was in the process of restoring. The topic of our discussions was the condition of the front stainless steel trim pieces (stainless steel was only used on the very earliest Selectrics, later years saw a switch […]
How to use a Selectric Composer Font Ball that has a broken top
The font elements for Selectrics come in 3 basic types: First Generation (Rabbit Ear): 1961 to about mid-60’s. 88-Character Selectric I/II elements only. These are the simplest design, just a bent wire held in place by a plastic half-cap. You pinch the rabbit ears to open. Delightfully easy and super-durable. They almost never break. Why […]
New Spring in Mothra’s Step, the arrival of Monster Zero, and DIY Composer Ribbons
Cougar Six-Y, Cougar Six-Y, Do You Copy?
I missed out on a Galaxy this week, having been alerted to it’s presence on half price day via Type Snap and the Typospherian Bat-Signal. $10 would have been a nice price to pay for a Galaxy, but I was too broke for even that and passed on it. Today, money came in, so I […]
Adjusting the Space Bar on a 1960 Smith-Corona Galaxie
This Service Manual is now available for download!
Adjusting the 6-Point Touch Tension Adjustment of the 5-Series Smith Corona
As always, click to embiggen (or better, download for full-resolution – the illustrations are amazing!). These are very high-res scans from the 1947 L.C. Smith & Corona “5-Series” Adjustment Manual. Yes, I scanned the whole thing, and yes I’ll be making a PDF. (:
How to Re-Spool a Brother Typewriter Ribbon Cassette (JP-10/12)
It’s nice having a fellow Typospherian only a few blocks away – handy for having someone around who might just like the machines that you feel guilty about not buying, but just don’t quite want for yourself. Key Snap and I tend to text each other when we see a machine in the thrifts that […]
Sears Medalist and Electric Power 12 – Owner’s Manual – 1968
Click to enbiggify.
Sears Power Return Electric 10 and Celebrity Power 12 Typewriters – Owner’s Manual – 1968
Guest Post: Restoring an IBM Selectric Composer – By ProfessorC
This is a story that you may have come across either in the Yahoo GolfBallTypewriter forum or if you happened to check out the Typewriter Database entry on this particular machine, but the Professor and I felt the story needed fleshing out – the sort of report that works well in the TypeCast format. I […]
Replace the carriage string in your 1950’s Smith-Corona Silent!
Well, someone asked, so I mocked up the process in step-by-step photos. Enjoy! Smith-Corona Super-5 Series Repair Manual for Sterling, Silent, Clipper, Super-Silent Floating Shift typewriters.
Using WD-40 to bring an old typewriter ribbon back to life!
So you have a typewriter with a dry ribbon and don’t know what to do? Well, you can buy a new one on Ebay or at most office supply stores, but are you impatient or penny-pinching and want immediate satisfaction? Well, if you have a can of WD-40, a cardboard box and an old rag, […]
Typewriter Repair 101: Adjusting Vertical Typeface Alignment (Carriage-Shift Typewriters)
In part One of this Typewriter Repair 101 series, we discussed adjusting the typeface alignment on Basket/Segment-shifted typewriters. One question that came up pretty quickly was the basket-shifted Royal QDL, which has a more complex 4-point adjustment system that is similar to Carriage-shifted machines. Today, we’ll examine some examples of these carriage-shifted machines, and adjust […]
Typewriter Repair 101: Adjusting Vertical Typeface Alignment (Segment/Basket-Shift Typewriters)
UPDATE: Teeritz asked about his Basket-shifted Royal QDL, which does not have the simple single adjustment point. I took a look at one of my QDL’s and he’s right. Instead of the simpler adjustment that the basket shift allows, Royal went with a 4-point adjustment system near the carriage rails that is similar to the […]
Kipling Fixed (with video), plus Swissa Returns!
Inspecting “Kipling” the Noisy Noiseless
UPDATE! I’ve inspected the underside of the machine and found a brittle leather pad (or at least bits of it) which appear to be the mechanism for stopping the keys at the proper distance from the platen: As to where I’m going to find a replacement for this, I dunno. I suppose I could make […]