Rust is bad, . . . so . . .  so . . . bad. Evil. Preventable. Inevitable. I had this Remington Standard 12 typewriter sitting in penetrating oil for a month. The customer stored it a garage for a very long time, eventually gaining a mouse nest. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that rust is a killer of typewriters. Well, add this poor guy to the list. Even after working each type bar one by one, there were still several that are rock … [Read more...]

I'm sure you know, we get the typewriters no one else wants to fix. This Royal HH had been dropped and came to us with a cracked frame. After more thorough evaluation we also discovered a missing roller bearing at the rear of the carriage. Without this bearing it will never type again. Did it break during the fall and become missing? Did someone try to fix the typewriter and misplace a few items? We will never know. I checked the parts machines … [Read more...]

I like the way folks mod typewriters. Mostly it is with fancy paint, heck I even like it when they are chromed. Many of the family typewriters that come in have been stickered by the kids. Others by business or government organizations. Here is a L. C. Smith with a few. This hunk of stickered green needed new paper rollers for the flattened ones hiding under the platen. I like how the new rollers compare to the old. The margin … [Read more...]

I often tell customers that rust kills typewriters. It truly does and this Royal H from the 1930's is another example. Well, maybe not killed. Let's say wounded. I first cautioned the young man who was so excited to have discovered this sweet machine. Normally I advise against spending the time to restore a typewriter that has rust as an overcoat. This time he really wanted to make this baby run. OK, Royals are not known to survive … [Read more...]

One of my favorite typewriter collectors stopped by one day with a bevy of delectable items. Two of them were Underwood portables just a year apart; 1956 and 1957. Check out the small differences between the two. One has paint a little darker and the emblems in the front are sweet. Same machine inside and marketing expertise on the outside. Thank you for sharing with me such nice examples of Underwood's work. … [Read more...]

As I work on any typewriter I occasionally muse on what it would be like working in the design department way back in the day. As I was cleaning the oil from this Olivetti Valentine I was thinking what fun it may have been to be an industrial designer working in Italy. It must have been a blast; just look at all the interesting machines Olivetti created! Every time I work on a Valentine, and I set the case on the floor, I imagine the … [Read more...]

Like typewriters, check protectors are single purpose machines. A check protector embosses the paper check with the dollar amount  and indelible ink then perforates the paper making fraud difficult. This is an older model that uses an ink roller to apply the ink. Modern machines use a wide ribbon. The ink is quite gooey and will stain ANYTHING. I was washing my hands after servicing this little guy, looked in the mirror and I had a red … [Read more...]

I like the simplicity of the Futura class of Royal portable typewriter. Cleaned up they type pretty good and look great. What I really like about Royal's marketing team was their attention to color coordination. Check out the logo on the front of the type writer. Now check out the interior color of the case! Wow, what a fantastic saturation of BLUE! … [Read more...]

Do you love plastic? Do I love plastic? Half of what I see these days is plastic. A miracle of chemistry. I love it when it is saturated in COLOR! Check out this customer's bright red plastic portable made by Sperry Rand. This is a single color ribbon typewriter; I pick RED! All this baby needed was a little cleaning and a new ribbon. You will surely catch someone's eye typing with this little machine. … [Read more...]