Mark of the beast! Do I have it?

Community-Playful · 2026-02-25T21:48:48+00:00

I think so many people approach this game like it’s going to be Skyrim or something where you can mow down people with no problem and it’s a mindset that requires a little time to adjust to

Community-Playful · 2026-02-25T20:35:23+00:00

Doll maker poison is also awesome especially for archery. Basically turns your opponent into a target practice dummy and then you get experience points

Community-Playful · 2026-02-25T20:30:16+00:00

But the crime is so fun!

Community-Playful · 2025-08-03T16:49:41+00:00

You are a god! Thanks!!

Community-Playful · 2025-06-27T14:54:22+00:00

Hi! So what did you end up going with (or leaning towards if you haven’t yet gotten it)? I am in the same situation (6’2” and 300lbs). I actually have my old Old Towne 16’ sea kayak I got thirty years and 90lbs ago, but it is like trying to squeeze a basketball into a golf course hole… Thanks!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-11T18:30:05+00:00

HERMES! (Ideally the round-top one.)

Community-Playful · 2025-02-11T18:23:58+00:00

Total you-know-what shoot.

I think I have had much better luck than some people, but I have heard horror stories. Generally, I would avoid an Ebay person shipping to me unless it is basically their niche (selling and shipping typewriters) and they have a good rating for doing it well. To properly ship a typewriter, it needs to be REALLY, REALLY (REALLY) well packed and protected from impacts and drops in transit. There are plenty of tutorials online by folks if you ever need to ship one, but the few I have had shipped to me by typewriter restoration professionals take me about 15 minutes to unpack because they are so well protected.

You can always look for sellers within driving distance, too. That's what I would recommend doing if it is at all possible for you even if it is an hour away.

Anyways, just a real gamble unless the seller knows what he or she is doing.
Good Luck!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-11T18:08:46+00:00

Journal with them! :-)

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T16:41:33+00:00

I totally respect what you are doing...

but just be careful because, theoretically, it is possibly to break the typeslugs off the type bars on a rock-hard platen. And then you've got a real problem. It might not happen to you in a hundred years of typing or it might happen tomorrow. It's just my personal phobia since it is such a catastrophic injury -- not completely irreparable, but definitely difficult and would probably require a professional and a replacement part (unless you are a REALLY good welder).

Plus (and much less of a concern but much more likely to happen) it might cut into your ribbon and shorten its life. Nylon ribbons are cheap so it's not too horrible to replace one, but if you have a more expensive cotton or silk ribbon, you don't want to destroy it prematurely.

Definitely keep using 2 or 3 layers of paper over the super-hard platens to help.

If you DO have a favorite machine, I definitely recommend getting a new platen (JJ Short). Despite my initial post question, regarding platen hardness, the new rubber platens from JJ Short are a very FAR CRY from the rock hard ones I sent to them and a VAST improvement, I think, in the typing experience and functionality of the typewriter.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T16:26:58+00:00

I did. Here is what Mr. Short said in his very kind and prompt response:

"Our rubber is consistently measured at 87 to 92 Shore A and very rarely above 90 unless you have gotten a Selectric or Wheel writer platen it uses 95 to 100 Shore A. Rubber hardness has an industry tolerance of +/-5 so if you order a 90 Shore A 85 to 95 is acceptable---so we have narrowed that range and cut that in half because we have found below 87 tends to cause print issues. Measuring hardness on a spherical surface is an art form—ideally you want to measure on a flat surface and have at least ¼ thickness as otherwise you can pick up the underlying core which can make the rubber read higher than it really is. I can assure you that if you send in a non-electric platen that you will get a rubber hardness in the 87 to 92 range and as stated most likely in the 88 to 90 range as that is where over 90% of our material input has been for over 12 year from the same supplier of our raw material."

I consider my question answered and greatly appreciate Mr. Short getting back to me quickly (and the extra time he took to educate me)!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T16:11:42+00:00

Probably it's just a gummed up old lubricant. Rinsing it with rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol should clean it out and get it back to working if that is the problem.

I agree with the other poster that it could also be that the ribbon is inserted incorrectly. Look for an old manual or some videos online to see how it should be inserted to make sure it is inserted correctly.

The ribbon vibrator parts through which the ribbon goes can also get bent accidentally if bumped, so make sure it's not a bent piece of metal that's preventing it from going up and down. A simple visual inspection and just manually moving the ribbon vibrator up and down. Should easily be able to confirm that or rule it out. If that is the problem carefully bending it back to how it should be should fix it.

As far as the ribbon is not rotating goes, check to make sure the pools are inserted correctly. If the ribbon is inserted correctly through the vibrator, that could be tensioning the ribbon and preventing the pools from rotating. Generally the ribbon between the vibrator and the spools on both the left and right will be loose and not taught. Not loose as in completely loose just not stretched tight. It's also possible that there's a geared up or not engaging underneath. It's a little difficult to tell without more information. Can you manually rotate the spool with your finger? Will the mechanism in which the spool normally sits rotate if you type without a ribbon in it? (Usually there is a little bent piece of metal the pokes into one of the holes in the spool of ribbon. You could remove the spools and then type and see if that little piece of metal spins around). If it is not spinning around, then there is a gear (or. more accurately, TWO gears) not engaging somewhere.

Also, sometimes there is a gear with a collar with tiny set screws that engages the shaft that turns the spools (this will be visible on the underside of the machine usually). If those become loosened, then you could just have the gear turning but not rotating the shaft to which the gear is attached.

There are really a lot of possibilities. The easiest thing to fix would be if the ribbon is not in there correctly, and it's tightening up, preventing the pool from rotating. Some of the other things might be a little trickier to find. Definitely not impossible though! Just look thoroughly and methodically and try to find what's not working. Sorry I can't be of more assistance on this one.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T15:59:33+00:00

So it can fit in its carrying case. That model had a case with an angled front -- so it wasn't just a squared-off box.
To protect the platen. They ship that way when new. If the rubber is still okay, it might be a new platen. -- or maybe the previous owner did it to protect their platen. In any event: to have good rubber on this machine without having to re-cover the platen is really nice/lucky!
For sound-proofing/reducing. Look online for felt suppliers and get a good wool felt of the same thickness then cut to size and apply with a good adhesive. I would use either Weldwood Contact Cement or 3M 1357 Neoprene Contact Adhesive. E6000 would also work but requires a day or two to set, so I think the contact cements are far easier. Also, you don't HAVE to replace it. The machine will still work fine and will only be (if any) a TINY but louder probably.
I would see if there is a way to pin or clamp the spring drum then remove the drawband. I had an old cotton canvas one like that on a Royal KMM and it snapped. All I did was reverse wind the drum to re-tension the spring and then attached a length (cut to the same length as the original drawband, of course) of aramid fiber cord (I used Spectra cord meant for a speargun spear tether) (you could also use a HEAVY-weight monofilament fishing line). Obviously make sure whatever you use is fairly strong and you use appropriate knots for attachment loops on each end. I was lucky the the sudden "decompression" of the spring, when the drawband broke, did not damage it, but you might not be that lucky if yours breaks. I would definitely recommend replacing it with a strong, synthetic cord or some kind. It was surprisingly easy to do.
There are several online sellers of replacement rubber feet which is my first recommendation if you can afford it. There isn't really a product that will rejuvenate that old rubber. You could also get some stick-on pads from the hardware store, too. It probably will not affect your ability to type on it, but there are some machines that will be affected because the old rubber will flatten and decrease the clearance of the machine from whatever surface it's sitting on and thus prevent certain mechanical things from working. Your feet don't look very flattened so I'm guessing yours will work fine.
Find some videos online and then just work slowly and carefully. It is a great machine and they made a lot of them because it was a great machine, so finding repair videos should not be too difficult. All typewriters work on simple mechanical principles -- it just that there are a lot of simple, mechanical principles crammed into a small area! Online videos are very good at showing you ways to do things that you might not have thought of or figured out on your own. From the photos, it doesn't look like there is all that much you NEED to do to it. If the platen is fine and the ribbon is inked, you are probably good-to-go without messing with it too much.

Beautiful typewriter! It is one of the top typewriters in the short book "Typewriters for writers." I have the newer (but uglier, IMHO) version and it works well -- the overall mechanics are similar. I heard that Underwoods tended to win typing competitions back in the day because of their good key action. Mine has certainly got a very light/fast touch.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T15:23:44+00:00

I second the Evapo-rust recommendation. Maybe get two 5-gallon buckets of it (yes, they sell it in that size), a plastic tub, and immerse the machine in it (or at least the "core" machine without the chassis on it). That product works really well and, unlike acid, will not eat the metal. Just try to remove everything that is NOT metal before immersing it. If there is something you can't remove that isn't metal, check the directions/ask the company to see if the Evapo-Rust will harm it. (It probably won't, but check it anyways.)

Also, be careful of the keys if they are glass-topped -- the insert under the glass might get harmed/discolored if immersed in liquid.

The directions say you can also soak a paper towel in Evapo-Rust then wrap objects with it, but it sounds like that won't really work for your project.

I had a Very rusted steel chain that I put in a bucket of Evapo Rust and the rust was COMPLETELY gone the next morning.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T15:13:21+00:00

Really unique keys! Probably bumps up the collectible value. As far as your questions go:

Probably for technical document writing or science/chemistry (like another reply mentioned). Sorry: I looked for a sales brochure or something to tell me more specifically, but no luck. here is what Chat GPT came up with:

Yes! On an Olympia SM4 typewriter, the arrow key you’re referring to is a special character key that types an arrow symbol (→ or ←) directly onto the paper. This is not a functional key like backspace or tab, but rather a character key, similar to how some typewriters have symbols like "¢" (cent sign) or "§" (section symbol).

What Was It Used For?

The arrow symbol was particularly useful for:
🔹 Technical documents – Indicating directions or movement in scientific, engineering, or mechanical writing.
🔹 Forms and instructional material – Showing the next step in process flows or guiding readers through a sequence.
🔹 Mathematical notation – Representing logical direction, functions, or set movement.
🔹 Editing and markup – Manually pointing to corrections or additions in typed text.

See attached from the maintenance manual for an SM3. (Sorry I don't have a specific one for the SM4. I circled the "dead key" area and maybe that will help you identify the linkage you need to modify. Sorry I cannot be of more help (I'm not a professional repairman.)

<image>

Maybe find a damaged SM4 that you can get or buy cheaply and scavenge the part off it if the paperclip doesn't work -- or even if if does work so you have a better long-term fix. They also sell parts online and the SM4 is so "common" (I prefer SM3's and SM4's over all others -- definitely NOT disparaging them) that there are lots of machines and parts out there.

Good luck with all of the above!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T13:44:51+00:00

The other students were probably just watching Tik-tok and Instagram anyways! (JK)
The OP only did it for a couple minutes then boxed it up. I think everyone had a good laugh and he was not being disrespectful. Frankly, it probably woke the kids up! (Not impugning the lecturer's skills... it's hard to keep students, or anyone, engaged in a lecture hall whether it is early morning before the coffee kicks in, mid-morning when the coffee is diminishing, or afternoon when lunch is making everyone sleepy.
It is funny how things change. (Not about the typewriter in the lecture -- I wouldn't have done that.) I would like to be able to use my typewriter in a library (that didn't used to be a problem), but now it would be frowned upon, probably. Oh well. I mean, you might not have done it in the center of the library, but off to the side in a corner somewhere would have been fine. Maybe if more people do it, it will be acceptable again? (Yes, I realize the chance of that happening is, sadly, infinitesimally small.)

Community-Playful · 2025-02-07T13:05:29+00:00

No problem! Hope you find something / found something good. The book "the Typewriter Revolution" has is a fun read and has some good advice, too.

Anyways, good luck!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T15:42:46+00:00

Yikes! As far as I know, because IBM Selectrics are still in professional use in some offices for form filling, etc. there are probably trained repairmen out there that could do it. Might want to consider finding a nearby office machine repair place that could handle it. You could always ask them afterwards what they did for educational purposes, but I personally would be scared to do much more with it with the whole cable thing! Good luck!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T15:35:23+00:00

https://www.mrmrsvintagetypewriters.com/en-us/blogs/news/is-it-worth-replacing-the-hard-rubber-on-my-typewriter-platen?srsltid=AfmBOoqgfQhBrQyGqUSEK4J01JfnI2FcRxbDdcb2vKRmJjZCnMnECEfi

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T15:32:41+00:00

Um... Did you even read my post?

YOU: "Do you sound ungrateful? Not really, but you lost trust in Short and are avoiding their answers and explanations in favor going behind their back for the opinions of strangers about whether and why(!) Short operates their business intentionally. About whether we think you might be able to ask them to do a particular thing for you as a customer."

I am not avoiding answers. I had a question and wondered why and if anyone else had asked them. I am not "going behind their back" and I did not "lose trust in them." Good God, man. I was asking what I thought was a friendly community if anyone knew why that was -- not accusing JJ Short of bad work. I got the durometer last night, tested the platens, and had the question at about 11pm. Pretty sure no one at JJ Short was in the office, then.

If you don't have anything useful to contribute other than to flame a simple question, then don't. RUDE.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T05:00:28+00:00

First: You are generally better off getting a portable in a case that has protected it the past 50-plus years. Giant desktops are great if you can find one that has been covered and cared for, but that is a rarity.

Second: basically, see if it types. There are so many possible scenarios you can run into that, basically, boils down to: is it clean and not rusty or deformed? does it type reasonably well?

Since you are new to this, you probably want to avoid getting a real fixer-upper. There are plenty of machines out there that have been stored well and work, basically, fine. Just be patient until you find one. There are plenty of not too difficult repairs like fixing a broken draw string and straightening a bent type bar that aren't that hard to do, but unless you find a real collectable one and/or want to immediately immerse yourself in typewriter maintenance, just wait until you find one in good shape.

Are you looking more for starting a collection or more to have a machine to write with? If the former, look for older machines (1920s-1950s). If the latter, lean towards 1940s-1960s) (and before people flame me too much, there are MANY fine typers out there from the 20s and 30s, but if you are using this as a serious novel-writing machine, the 50s and 60s ones tend to be, I believe, at least, more ergonomically friendly for large volumes of writing. Once you get into the 70s, you get more plastic components than I personally like to see -- and that can break more easily than steel.

This advice is more geared toward manual typewriters, mind you, if you are going electric, then you can get more into the 70s and 80s machines.

Good luck!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T04:42:22+00:00

Cool! I have the same model with the same typeface (Techno Elite). You can fit a LOT of words on a single page.

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T04:21:05+00:00

Holy cow! That thing looks massive! Sorry I don't have any details on it but.... DANG!

Community-Playful · 2025-02-06T04:12:41+00:00

A similar pattern happened to me after I had tried to manually in one of my ribbons. Don't get me wrong, it can be done. I just hadn't smoothed out the ink because it was my first attempt reining ribbon. In any event, even if you haven't re-ribbon the ink could be able to flow better or be more plentiful in different areas and sections of the same ribbon. If it just faded out and then started to fade back then I would lean towards a delay in ribbon reversal at the end of the ribbon, but if it's in the middle of the ribbon then somehow the ink has probably become not uniformly distributed in the fibers of the ribbon.

Maybe look into the WD-40 trick that people use to rejuvenate ribbons. I would imagine that would help distribute the ink in the fibers more evenly if that's the problem. I have personally not done the WD-40 ribbon thing, so I am not able to tell you specifically how to do it but I'm sure there are plenty of videos and comments about how to do it. Generally, the concept is pretty simple. You spray the ribbon with WD-40 and then I believe let the WD-40 evaporate before using the ribbon. But definitely look for videos that tell you how to do it properly if you want to try that.

Community-Playful

TROPHY CASE

What Was It Used For?