This Remington Standard 7 typewriter came to the shop a few years too late to get it running again. The customer felt very sad since the machine had been in the family so many years. Being stored in garages, storage containers and the like added rust to decades of idle time. Without the rust a Remington Standard typewriter works decade after decade. I was reluctant to take this one on and the customer was very convincing, even adamant … [Read more...]

This West Germany built Olympia Progress Portable Typewriter is from 1948. I think that is the last year the Progress was built in the Olympia plant before it was transferred to the East Germany Optima plant. I nice example of the time. 663387 … [Read more...]

I've gotten a few (well, more than a few) electronic typing machines into the shop that when tested do weird things. One machine would not return when the return key was pressed. Another would tab intermittently. The last didn't like its back space key pressed. Maddening things. Mostly prevented by keeping the typewriter clean and covered when not used. Here is a photo of a circuit board that had intermittent shorts across terminals from … [Read more...]

This Fox under stroke typewriter came to the shop looking for Mr. Montgomery. It was obviously very lucky to have stumbled into the shop, with a snapped leather draw band, frozen platen and rollers. What this kid from 1906 really needed was a soft spot on a living room shelf to wile away its senior years. But no. This Fox demanded to be rejuvenated back into a living, working machine . . . insisted on it. Well all righty then, let's get … [Read more...]

A customer recently brought in this Olympia SM3 that was originally pearly green and a bit on the rusty side. The interior of the machine was in decent shape and it typed quite well. The typewriter needed the typical cleaning and re-oiling plus the normal replacement of the frame spacers. This nice customer wanted the typewriter painted to be rid of the rust and restore a like new appearance. Well, I had to confess that I'm really not that … [Read more...]

I love the brightly colored machines and this Hermes Rocket from 1969 is an excellent example. It even types cursive! This is a customer typewriter that really only needed a light cleaning, re-oiling and a bright ORANGE ribbon. Unlike its earlier models that had an aluminum shell, this baby is all plastic. Enjoy. … [Read more...]

This is another family heirloom I was tasked to repair after a trip in the luggage compartment of an airplane. I'm pretty sure I've related that typewriters must be carried on; either put at your feet or in the over head. It turns out this customer had no choice and was told it could not be carried on. Damn, dropped and now another weld job. After straightening the frame, it is all about weld prep. Funny thing, this is a very nice … [Read more...]

I'm a beekeeper. Last summer I got a call about a Honey bee swarm in a raspberry patch located in Poulsbo, near where I live. It was a fun swarm to hive, then I learned the son next door was thinking of selling some vintage typewriters! Funny how things happen. I tuned up the old Royal and asked if I could buy this Oliver 9. I get folk's Oliver typewriters in the shop often and wanted an Oliver of my own for visitors to … [Read more...]

I found this gray Royal Quiet DeLuxe built in 1956 at a Goodwill store. I saw the typewriter had a Spanish Keyboard complete with the requisite dead keys for accents. A pleasant surprise when I got it back to the shop; it is also double gothic typeface! While the typeface is small, about 3/32 inch tall, it is actually spaced at 12 CPI. Who ever owned the machine was a heavy smoker. The paint and all the parts were brown. When I started … [Read more...]