I’m sure I’ve mentioned we get quite a few Underwood model 5’s in the shop. The volume never stops the enjoyment each machine brings as I discover its history.
This typewriter was a local machine and came with an aftermarket TAB activator located on the right near the shift key. This allowed the typist a quick way to hit tabs such as when you would fill out ledgers that had repeating columns. It was a real time saver to just nudge that plate rather than reaching up to the tab key.
This typewriter came with plenty of enthusiasm from its owner complete with generous amounts of WD-40 and a bamboo skewer used as the fulcrum for the escapement mechanism. Of course, it was not typing that great! After Mr. Montgomery and I marveled at the ingenuity of skewer technology, he assigned me the task of duplicating the steel rod that normally makes the fulcrum work. With out it, escapement will not happen across the segment. With that task done, it was pretty straight forward to realign the type bar action across the segment. A good cleaning, replacing a broken spring, adjusting some bent key levers and good to go!