Bremerton Office Machine Company

Underwood 5 from the Year 1919

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This Underwood 5 customer machine was brought into the shop for a well deserved refurbishment. Used well then stored for decades this typewriter is dirty, dirty, dirty! To make sure the typewriter functions well I take it apart to its basic components; type bars and segment come off, the carriage is removed, the tab assembly and ribbon feed off the machine, even the draw band. This allows a thorough inspection and removal of all … [Read more...]

Platens With Micro Cracks Are Weird

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What is it with Hermes platens? This is the third Hermes 3000 machine I've had in for service in three weeks where a platen has tiny tiny cracks across the surface. The print on paper is just fine so I'm a bit reluctant to recommend replacing with new. What a strange thing. … [Read more...]

Smith Premier No. 4 from 1904

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This big guy was brought in for a complete cleaning, tune up and new rubber. The very worn platen was sent to J.J. Short and arrived back in perfect condition. Man those folks do great work. The metal draw band was also toast. Once opened, I discovered it was missing three type bar slugs (1/4, $ , _ ). The pound key top was broken and the ribbon reverse rod was snapped in half. A bit of solder and epoxy worked on the ribbon reverse. There … [Read more...]

Voss A24 Portable Typewriter – Shipping Damage

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This Voss A24 portable typewriter from the year 1957 was brought in for repair. The customer bought the machine using the internet and it arrived damaged. Damn, I see so many of these. Well, it is a Voss so worth getting it fixed. The carriage was rubbing, back space not working, the card guide a bit wonky and the carriage return arm bent too low to clear the typewriter. The upper and lowercase alignment was way off. I initially couldn't tell … [Read more...]

Royal Portable P from 1930

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This customer Royal Portable P typewriter from 1930 came in for some much needed love. A filthy dirt bucket, the machine really needed a thorough cleaning. Because of the wood grain finish, I took all the sheet metal covers off the machine. That way I can get to all the internal components and not worry about blemishing the paint. I also cleaned and polished each panel prior to reinstallation. The ribbon vibrator was broken, … [Read more...]

Ewwww, so Moldy!

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I get sooo many smelly, moldy, funky odorous machines in the shop so that's the first thing I think about when opening a typewriter case. In this case (ha, ha), I've been working to make rubber feet that others do not sell. Today, I finished a silicone mold of Smith-Corona feet for the 6 series machines. Normally those feet are in fantastic shape. Lately I've come across a few where the feet are disintegrated. Since no one else is selling … [Read more...]

Teal Olivetti Studio 45 – For Sale $325

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This is an average condition Teal Olivetti Studio 45 portable typewriter from the year 1968. It has a bit of a scratch on the plastic ribbon cover and the black sheet metal above the platen has a few wrench marks. I removed as much as I could on the previous attempt to paint the wrench marks. There is still a tiny bit of over spray on the plastic in the back. I did not remove them as it is just a few marks. OK, with the ugly stuff out … [Read more...]

Bright Yellow Adler Tippa S

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This customers Tippa S typewriter from the year 1975 was in for general service. Have I told you how I like the Tippa portables? I do. Most are that dark brown plastic, very inconspicuous. This baby is BRIGHT YELLOW! I love that color. The typeface is also very readable and the machine has a QWERTZ keyboard. … [Read more...]

IBM Wheel Writer 15 Typewriter For Sale $225

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This IBM Wheel Writer 15 typewriter is in very good condition. This machine dominates any desk it sits upon. A dynamic twenty one inches wide. Recently cleaned and serviced, the machine puts print on paper so fast you'd think you are in a time warp. Comes with the operator's guide. For Sale $225 … [Read more...]

Remington 16 Dirt Bucket Deluxe

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This family heirloom came into the shop dragging its owner along. It survived years of storage by the liberal application of spray oil. What?! Did I just say something positive about spraying oil everywhere? Nope, just your imagination, now let's move on. It needed EVERYTHING! Once cleaned, I discovered that dirty old oil hid decades of rust. I had to remove the type bars and segment just to get some key action. The front … [Read more...]