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Hermes Rocket from 1955 – Repaired and Re-Painted

February 19, 2018 By Paul

This Hermes Rocket from the year 1955 was a donation needing a bit of repair; carriage, platen, paper rollers, feet, the usual. My first thought was “parts machine”. Yet I have a fondness for the older Rockets and this little guy spoke to me. He wanted a second chance.

After I was done getting the machine into tiptop shape I began to realize the paint on the typewriter was suffering from a lot of wear. I did not want this machine to just sit and pout in the corner of the shop feeling sad about its appearance. Knowing how invigorating a nice hair cut and a shave feels, I thought a good paint job on this little guy would cheer us both up.

The machine has those understated greenish gray key tops that give this year such a grand feel. The really big question is what color to paint this wonderful typewriter. Do I paint it PINK? No. Does it want sparkly paint? No. How about a Kelly GREEN? No. . .

I know! How about one of those hammered finishes? I just painted two Selectric typewriters with hammered paint and since coming off the paint fumes I still think they are pretty snazzy. OK, that is it! A dark gray hammered finish it is.

Off to the nifty new sandblaster and away flies that nasty old finish. A little more prep and that new gray hammered finish is sublime. Even the clam shell cover got spruced up. I left the space bar with its worn patina. The wear mark is testament to the usefulness of good typewriters. I put on a purple ribbon as the typewriter is now rather Kingly in its appearance. Let me know what you think.

5438196 New platen, rollers and rubber feet.

 

Filed Under: Typewriter

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About Paul Lundy and Mr. Montgomery

Bob Montgomery, recently passed away at 96, had been repairing typewriters for decades. Paul Lundy purchased the business and may be the last left in … More...

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