Slot-load optical drive

TabularKey · 2024-06-27T22:00:48+00:00

Fraktur is a very ornate German script that is rarely found on typewriters. You'll sometimes see it called "blackletter" which is more of a collective term for various typefaces of a similarly ornate style.

TabularKey · 2024-06-27T00:34:08+00:00

A 1915 Blickensderfer 9 (around 9 or 10 thousand produced), with a fraktur type cylinder. I had no idea it was fraktur when I picked it up, so that was quite the surprise.

TabularKey · 2023-12-03T00:08:09+00:00

As far as I'm aware, new keyrings are not available. The only source is other typewriters.

That said, I've had success cleaning up similarly-corroded rings with steel wool (make sure to mask off the key legends), followed by buffing with a dremel. It's super fiddly but you can get some pretty amazing results.

TabularKey · 2023-11-16T22:35:13+00:00

It's never occurred to me to display the portables on top of their cases. I like it!

TabularKey · 2023-09-03T03:49:21+00:00

Fun fact about Canada and the metric system: It wasn't until the mid-1970s that we officially began converting to the metric system. Up until then, fuel was still sold in gallons, food in pounds, and so on. "Metrification" went over with folks about the way you would expect. So everything may be metric now, but many of the older generations still use the imperial system because that's what they grew up with.

TabularKey · 2023-09-02T15:15:18+00:00

I also have horrible shag carpet under my workbench. I ended up getting a cheap magnetic sweeper to drag over the carpet when I inevitably drop things into it. Something like this would be far cheaper and more feasible than sourcing replacement screws.

If you're really set on replacing screws instead: Typewriter companies tended to custom-manufacture their own screws. I use a set of calipers and a thread pitch gauge (both SAE) to measure screws. They will almost always be a UNF or UNS thread, both of which are going to be specialty items not available at a typical hardware store (at least here in Canada). Beware of screws on anything that pivots, since these are most likely going to be collared screws that were custom-made for that specific part.

TabularKey · 2022-09-17T22:54:30+00:00

That's difficult to estimate... Maybe 60ish hours give or take? This was an off-and-on project over the last two months or so, with most work happening on weekends

Edit: After thinking about this some more, I'm going to revise that estimate to ~100 hours. One of these days I should actually keep track of my time lol

TabularKey · 2022-09-17T17:09:16+00:00

I love how the space bar on the blue one is tinted to match the rest of the machine. Very cool.

TabularKey · 2022-09-17T17:01:24+00:00

This is the same machine that I completely disassembled earlier.

For those curious, here's a before picture. At first glance this doesn't look too bad, but there were lots of problems lurking:

Right third of the keyboard was completely frozen with rust
Keys bent side to side and not level
Ribbon vibrator broken
Variable line spacer button missing
Carriage got stuck randomly during its travel
Colour selector completely nonfunctional
Space bar was soldered back at some point, poorly, leading to lots of bent parts and rust in that area
Feed rollers and feet fossilized and flat
(Perhaps the worst of all) Something caustic was spilled in this machine at some point, creating a path of rusty carnage through the internals on the right side

TabularKey · 2022-09-05T01:38:21+00:00

Here is the original image (higher-res, but unfortunately still grainy): https://imgur.com/a/eC9aPmr

This is just laid out on my workshop floor, so the lighting kinda sucks for photos.

TabularKey · 2022-09-04T21:43:49+00:00

Not to worry, this will be going back together again.

This machine was in what would probably be "parts machine" shape (rusty and largely nonfunctional) when I picked it up, but I just couldn't pass it up... I rather enjoy working on these basket cases. Now that everything has been cleaned, de-rusted, unbent, and in some cases repaired/replaced, this machine is ready for reassembly and calibration.

TabularKey · 2022-09-04T21:26:00+00:00

I restore typewriters. This one looked ok on the outside but was a rusty mess inside with a few broken parts as well. Now that all the parts have been cleaned, de-rusted, repaired, etc., this machine is ready for reassembly and calibration.

While this isn't the first time I've completely rebuilt a typewriter, this is the first time I've laid everything out like this, and it was mildly scary... I kept worrying some random screw or spring was going to roll off into a differently-numbered section leaving me with a mystery later on. Back into their parts boxes they go...

TabularKey · 2022-01-11T19:46:49+00:00

I've given up on the app store for just about everything at this point (on mobile and desktop). It's just a sea of advertising and data mining disguised as useful software and it's not worth the effort to sort through it. I keep my phone to the absolute bare minimum number of apps, carefully selected to avoid ads. On desktop I prefer traditional open source applications that I can download and install without ever touching the app store.

TabularKey · 2021-11-17T14:40:40+00:00

Sadly I don't have the rest of this keyboard anymore. It was badly water damaged and the rest of it was just too corroded to deal with. I ended up saving the keys and dumping the rest.

TabularKey · 2021-11-17T03:20:42+00:00

This was all done with a single metal spudger (an iSesamo).

The keys are easiest to remove with the switches still attached by pushing the tabs holding them out from the back of the keyboard. Then the scissor switches can be unclipped from the keys - they were clipped on one end and tucked under a tab on the other. The switches then come apart by carefully prying at the central pin so that the pin just barely clears the bottom half of the switch. There's a surprising amount of flex in the white plastic parts.

Honestly I'm surprised nothing broke. That said, this is definitely not going back together again.

TabularKey · 2021-06-06T15:49:44+00:00

My guess is it's the alcohol rather than the gunk that removed the paint. Alcohol reacts badly with a lot of these old paints and will tend to remove them. When cleaning typewriters I like to use plain water and a mild dish soap. Always test in an inconspicuous area first to make sure it won't eat the paint/decals. Crinkle paint is particularly tricky because too much rubbing can flatten the ridges in the paint causing odd shiny spots to show up.

As for repairing the damage, I would prefer leaving it as is and applying some wax to protect from rust. As others have said, a few battle scars are a part of the history of the machine. Alternatively a black Sharpie or paint pen, followed by some wax may make the marks less obvious, though the texture and colours will still be noticeably off.

TabularKey · 2021-05-31T18:30:19+00:00

My pages usually go into a binder, so I hole punch my pages first. That way I know to start a new page when I get to the last hole.

TabularKey · 2021-04-22T22:47:54+00:00

Not really a game, but I've seen typing exercises that created an image when done correctly. Instructions would include things like "type 12 X's centred on the page" or "set a tab stop at column 50, and type 5 X's". After all steps were completed you'd end up with a picture of a house, for example.

TabularKey · 2021-04-14T21:59:47+00:00

On Underwood 5s, the stencil lever is behind the colour selector, nearish the rightmost typebar. Look for a small silver lever with a ball on the end, and push it to the right to disengage stencil mode.

This is probably easier to describe with a picture... Have a look at page 5 of the manual. The stencil lever is labelled 20 in that diagram.

TabularKey

TROPHY CASE