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Smith Premier No. 4 from 1904

May 24, 2019 By Paul

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 was copious shellacked oils covering everything and way over due for conscientious removal. The casting over the escapement gear was missing yet does not appear to impede performance. The F key was not tripping the escapement and the little activator tab at the very back of the machine was missing.

Don, from Typewriterfever.com, was kind and donated a Smith Premier No. 2 for parts. Don, that machine was almost everything this big guy needed. The No. 2 shared $, _ , type slugs, that little activator tab, and the # key top. The only type slug the No. 2 did not have was a 1/4 type slug and the rear casting was a different style. Making a replacement metal draw band was very fun. I enjoy matching modern materials as close as possible to the ones from over a hundred years ago. I found stainless banding material that was thin enough to provide the same function as the original. Then I found 1/16 inch aluminum rivets that I could hand peen. I only had to buy 500!

The shellacked oils took many hours to meticulously remove without destroying the painted and pin striped surfaces. I love how I can see myself in the newly clean bell! The customer found another parts machine located in Utah and had it shipped. When the parts machine arrived we used the 1/4 type bar slug and the rear casting was an almost perfect match. Once the Smith Premier was reassembled, putting on the wide black ribbon was very satisfying.

I love how the carrying case has a purple fabric liner. All in all this was a fun project and was happy to contribute to an important family heirloom.

Filed Under: Typewriter

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paul@typespec.com

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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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