Nobody likes to see the damage a dropped typewriter endures, yet we get many. This one succumbed to a young exuberant child.
The damage? One of the bearings and follower gears popped out of the carriage track on to the floor, the carriage was misaligned, screws sheared off, the spring drum was frozen, no back spacing, and the tab rack tower was interfering with tab action as it was rubbing against the carriage. The rear of the frame was (and still is) bent inward; at least the frame did not crack!
For those who thought we are miracle workers, think again. This nice typewriter will never be the same, yet we were able to get back most of its functionality. The only items we could not repair; back spacer doesn’t work consistently, the carriage still has a little hitch in mid return.
Getting the gear, bearing and carriage realigned took less time than normal, and boy was I grateful.
The spring drum had become jammed on the ribbon feed shaft that connects just below the drum and once I got the ribbon feed going the spring goes. . . SPROING! I asked Mr. Montgomery if the service instructions for removing the spring drum could be followed and all he said was “sympathy, sympathy, good luck” (his exact words). That guy is too funny sometimes and yes it is a Royal pain (ha, ha) to remove the drum. Once out of the machine and opened it was apparent the spring had become disconnected from the hub and was not broken. I formed the end to re-engage the drive shaft and now to put it all back into the machine, such joy.
Next was the tab rack tower and since it is cast metal a bit of a problem. I don’t enjoy taking a hammer to any machine, yet with that bent rear and tab tower, there was no way the other functions were going to work. We have several jigs that make re-forming parts simpler and more precise, so I used a couple and with the force of the hammer was able to form the rear frame to free up the ribbon vibrator, space bar action and touch control. Funny how all that stuff is connected in the back. The frame is still bent as with alloy metals you need to be very careful as once it is cracked there is no going back. The tab tower took shims to create enough clearance so it was not hanging up the carriage.
I’m always disappointed when I cannot return a machine in perfect working order, yet this typewriter types nicely even with a few remaining defects.