This little Erika portable typewriter came into the shop needing just a few things. The paper wasn’t feeding as the three front rollers were all flat on one side. The cute little carriage return lever was not working, just kinda flopping there like it was all sad.
I spun a few rollers out on the lathe and paper is feeding like a champ! The carriage return lever was a little odd. Every time I reattached the return spring, put the platen back on and start testing. . . sproing! Off goes the spring. That’s when I started paying attention to clearances. The spring’s tip had become worn over time so I reformed the end to make up the difference. The Erika normally has a shim at the end of the platen that was missing and I found two of the right thickness. Once I got the shims in place the return lever behaved normally. I like how this typewriter types.
