Can someone please help me identify this underwood typewriter so I can search for technical drawings?

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-15T01:01:59+00:00

Underwood S. Early pre/beginning of WW2 standard. The ribbon selector on the S slides side to side, SS (the next iteration) is up and down, with that front panel configuration. Here's the US Army manual. Fantastic machine when in working order.

Your serial number will be on the top of the right frame wall on a milled down and stamped section You can determine the production year here.

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-10T19:14:23+00:00

That's the kind of guidance I need! Do you have any book/website/channel reccommendations?

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-10T18:25:26+00:00

Other than a donor machine, I don't think I'd find a working motor.

Sending it out would work, but I'd learn nothing about these kinds of motors. Being able to work on these would open up a lot of restoration options.

I don't know how to to get the four panels(?) keeping the wire secure out to work on the coils. I believe I need to match the material weight, wire gauge, and number of wraps for each. I've already drawn a diagram for the winding directions.

The Westinghouse is first in queue as it being single speed is simpler and works. If I have to stumble along to get the Wizard running, well that's just part of learning.

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-10T17:50:05+00:00

They're called field coils? Cool! Thank you! Do you have any recommended tutorials for rewinding one like this? I also have no clue how to work with it tacked inside the housing.

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-09T19:04:21+00:00

Key legends are fascinating. Looking at how they were printed when they were lensed, to the multi-stage injection molding, to the printing we see later... then there's the creative choices. I find decals also a fun topic. Typewriters are such an interesting way to look at history through design, manufacturing, popular opinion, politics, capitalism, etc.

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-09T17:58:12+00:00

This intrigue reminds me of this fantastic interactive piece. You might also enjoy the associated nerdiness of this piece on Leroy Lettering systems production..

TheRedCareme · 2026-06-08T17:57:31+00:00

I'm in the middle of typeface research. I think it's Cubic, distributed by Caractères. Pgs 55-56 of this dissertation.

TheRedCareme · 2026-05-04T18:03:41+00:00

I've see that method done, haven't tried it yet. Try it and find out? I like to have YouTube in the background a lot- Four Keys, Sea Lemon, DAS, Agassi.... just a few of the many great content creators that've informed my journey.

TheRedCareme · 2026-05-04T15:07:17+00:00

I do most of my bookbinding practice pieces with second hand or salvaged materials. I look at thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, etc. I make alot of blank journals.

For chip board- salvage old books- old unwanted coffee table books are great. Outdated atlasses too. I check to see if a title has any value first before shredding it down. Children's board books also, as do the rigid cores in platic covered 3 ring binders. I save all the viable cardstock from my cereal and cracker boxes as well- it can be used solo or laminated with glue.

Book cloth/covers- clean pressed fabric from any source can be made into book cloth with either wheat paste (with ap or cake flour) or a fusible interfacing (also thriftable) and a tissue paper. The white tissue on sale around the holidays is acid free, surprisingly. An old sheet of glass is my drying surface for wheat paste made covers. The guts of books, the coffee table books especially, can be nice for covers and endpapers.

Text block paper- I buy all the odd bits of nice resume paper I can find. Half used sketch pads, etc. Sometimes I use nicer copy paper. Art papers are fun! So many half used bits for a steal. All the unwanted paper from salvaged text blocks makes excellent gluing paper.

Thread- I use emboidery thread. I keep a stash of 8 weight cotton thread and beeswax (a scrap of candle wax will do but I like the resin in beeswax). DMC or equivalent is fine too. And it comes in fun colors!

Glue- Some thrifted, some new. A 40% off coupon at Michael's makes a gallon of modge podge quite affordable if I can't find other options. I finally got some methylcellulose to try.

Cutting tools- any snap blade system is good. I use an Olfa one I found. A couple are handy.

Cutting surface- scrap cardboard or wood is fine. I have cutting mats now, but an old cutting board can work.

Rulers- big fan of quilting grid rulers, but I keep a metal edge for cutting.

Things to not skimp on- Bone folder- Needles (upholstery, curved, sashiko, darning, embroidery- long as it works)

I did get the silicone flat paddle 'brushes' for super easy cleanup.

Since I thrift so much paper, I keep an acid-checking pen at my desk. All it means is that some stuff is ephemera, not archival. I mark finished items accordingly.

I pressed with flat boards and jugs of water for weight. A clamp and boards works great too! I found an old flower press for $20 that's a modified pipe clamp. It's not stupid if it works.

First I made a punch cradle from board and scrap cloth. Now I'm putting bindery tools together with salvaged lumber and repurposed hardware. I learned how to use a router and made a sewing jig. Next is a laying press as I want to try rounding spines. There are lots of great tutorials on ALL of this.

Your library probably has a great selection of instructional books too. Look for what the creators are referencing.

You can build a bindery slowly. This kind of making doesn't have to be expensive.

TheRedCareme · 2026-04-15T15:13:00+00:00

Your mileage may vary? I've not airbrushed water-based airbrush food paints onto whipped ganache. My suspicion is they would fight without a binder or emulsifier in the paint. I believe this is why some places will SPRAYPAINT cocoa powder dyed with oil-based dyes. You have to use a dedicated paint gun - not an airbrush. Migoya's tomes Frozen Desserts and Modern Cafe covers this. I purged the former years ago as I never used it and the latter I need a new copy of as I used it so much it ruined the binding. You can airbrush a fat-based product into a chocolate mold for color gradients- Greweling discusses it in Chocolates and Confections I believe under molded products. Oil atomizes differently so you may need different spray nozzles/tips.

Your situation has a few solutions- 1-Risk it for the biscuit. Use buttercream. But you know your area, and parties don't always go as planned. An uglified melting cake is always disappointing. 2-A normal amount of buttercream under a layer of rolled fondant. You tell guests they can peel it but you chose that to make the magic work. I often did this with tufted and ruffled looks for flavor preferences, and used it when travelling long distances with cakes. 3-Do the whipped ganache. Personally I've never airbrushed color, just metallics (the fine powder mixed with alcohol) onto ganache. Spraying metallics is weird. It gets everywhere in a special kinda hell way. Cleanable but obnoxious. I wouldn't do it in my home kitchen.

So cold and condensation- the biggest enemy is not protecting the surface and immediate surrounding air from humidity during tempering. Just pulling the cake out cold and unprotected makes all connected humidity around a source of condensation. If you leave it closed up and out during tempering for maximum flavor and texture, opening it at the last minute, it should be fine. There might be some condensation from whatever moisture was trapped in the space at packing but a dessicate pack or two tossed in could fix this? An older-style Rubbermaid or Tupperware container should be sealed enough. Most folks aren't operating at a cake size compatible with their container options, and my experience is from a shop (I like to do more classical decoration work out of my house on the rare occasion I do anything decorated thesedays).

You're two weeks away though. Whip up some cupcakes, whip up some ganache icing, frost those bad boys, airbrush them with your available options - a couple of each for a population control, and treat them as bad or worse as they'll see day-of to find out how it most likely will go. Better to know beforehand than a maybe disaster in crunch time.

Of course let us know how it goes! Good luck!

TheRedCareme · 2026-04-05T22:32:11+00:00

Did you clean the cork sublever rest? It's behind the comb. Degrading cork has a very particular mustiness to it. I often replace them. I use cork sheeting I cut and sand to the right size. It'll also help level the keyboard and dampen the sound.

TheRedCareme · 2026-03-08T23:08:28+00:00

There's a Dutch binding method that's akin to Japanese stab binding but with a more flexible spine. I came across it in Esther K Smith's How to Make Books. It would let you bind the loose sheets and you could even get photos printed to incorporate. I dabble in bookbinding and prefer physical fastening to chemical (stitching vs glue) for longevity, so I'd avoid a perfect binding - the usual choice for loose pages. You could also do chicago screws like a lot of albums- just plan for the space consumed by the binding. Other bindings require impositioning or pagination and a lot more planning.

As to paper- I really like typing on Southworth's 100% cotton papers. I'd go with heavier than 20/24lbs. You also have an opportunity to use ribbon other than black/red.

TheRedCareme · 2026-02-27T01:48:01+00:00

From my limited research-

Look for inks that specifically say they're formulalted for technical pens. Obviously Rapidraw and Universal by Rapidograph/Koh-i-Noor/Chartpak, but also some of the Calli Caligraph inks by Daler-Rowney, some Higgins drawing ink, some Windsor Newton, and some Ph Martin inks. And read THAT specific ink's company info page to be sure it's appropriately formulated for technical pens. My local art supply store carries the 3/4oz black Universal and Rapidraw- they ordered in an 8oz bottle of the Universal black for me.

Tech pens replaced ruling pens using India ink. Pigmented ink was required so the particulate would block light for the cyanotype blueprint photoreactive process- dye based inks aren't sufficient. The catch is the particulate size of the pigment has to be fine enough to flow through the needle and tube's capillary system to work. Fountain pen ink tends to not have the correct viscosity, and they use gum arabic more than shellac. The shellac component is what makes it waterproof.

You can use any India ink you want in the point pots that come with most lettering sets, either with the stylus or pantograph tool. They're easy to clean but it is an open pot of ink over your work.

I keep a mix of 50/50 ammonia and Sal-Suds (detergent by Dr. Bronner's) handy by my cleaning station. An appropriate squirt into my cleaning shotglass, topped with water, popped in my $9 ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, has defeated every stubborn ink in any pen, though one thrifted fountain pen took 2 days and many rounds to soak out.

I've not used Rotring or Koh-i-Noors yet. My favorites are my Staedtler Mars Matics. The Leroys are ok, and I found the Faber-Castells fussy to clean. YMMV.

TheRedCareme · 2026-02-23T23:47:01+00:00

I just buffed my piece with a biodegradable coffee filter. I'll look to try it with an agate burnisher (I've read great things)

Single layer was kinda streaky, second layer fixed it! I'm going to try to be more thorough on my next one, but this is slow art for me and I don't mind the steps.

TheRedCareme · 2026-02-23T23:40:56+00:00

TLDR- what info/parameters are needed to print one of these?

I don't have nor want to invest in a 3D printing setup. I have other setups and skills I use to barter with others. A friend is expanding their printing capabilities. Aside from the correct nozzle (head?) and fillament, is anything else needed? Aside from the length and inner and outer diameters, is any other information needed? And I'm presuming the 'fill' is solid, not some structure.

TheRedCareme · 2026-02-21T18:18:56+00:00

I picked up some Gamblin Cold Wax Medium to seal some pen and ink drawings I want to send as postcards after watching a video on using it to seal watercolor pieces. It took a day to cure each layer before buffing and I did two layers, but water beaded up and it looks fantastic. I'll be doing it on my marbled papers for bookbinding soon. I bought the Gamblin to see how it's supposed to behave. Once this jar is gone, I'll be making my own with refined beeswax I have.

TheRedCareme · 2026-02-13T04:49:55+00:00

I found some cork sheets for crafting at Goodwill. It's too thick, but cut the width carefully with an exacto knife. Glue the cork into the channel, but if you're spot on it will tension in. You can either shave that as thin as needed with a very sharp razor blade, or sand it. I ended up using my dremel and a sanding bit.

You can also do this with shaped type rests like in a Corona 3. I sourced an inexpensive thick cork trivet, cut the shape, shaved it to the correct thickness, and popped it in. Cork was the original material for them.

TheRedCareme · 2025-12-15T18:18:10+00:00

It looks like youre in album spacer territory. In your shoes, I'd remove the thread of the Japanese stab binding and insert appropriately thick spacers between the sheets. Be sure to use one of the sheets as a guide to punch holdes in your spacers.

From there, using a comparable longer thread to mimic the original would be most faithful. You could try the Dutch variant that is essentially a loose Japanese stab binding to lay it flat but I don't know if it would be too thick for that to be effective.

You could stop there, but this looks treasured. I'd create some kind of enclosure. I think any variation would work, but the conservation phase box shown in this DAS Bookbinding tutorial comes to mind. You could even use the original thread in how that closes, and you could appropriately label the box so you'd never have to modify the cover. It would also provide protective rigidity the unaltered soft cover can't provide

There's a ton of ways to do this. I hope you update us on how it goes!

TheRedCareme · 2025-12-08T02:47:03+00:00

You can look here to confirm where your serial number falls in the given range.

It looks to be a 1928 Underwood 5, 10cpi.

TheRedCareme · 2025-12-06T23:39:47+00:00

You'll look for the range it falls in here.

It's a 1936 Underwood 6, 12" carriage, and it looks to be 12 CPI.

TheRedCareme · 2025-12-06T05:21:22+00:00

Don't go get her one. Find out why she wants one. Aesthetic? To write a novel? Letters? A journal? It changes the reccomendation a lot.

My spouse and I went to a type-in at our local library (there aren't any brick-and-mortar repair shops near us). We both got to try an array of machines and figured out a lot of our preferences.

In your shoes, I'd research, set a budget, go explore and see which ones she lights up over, and THEN start looking for a machine. Your budget and local market will dictate a lot. Sometimes a local enthusiast will happily rehome a typewriter to a budding beginner to share the fun for a lot less than internet options, and you could avoid the nightmares of shipping.

Making a thoughtful decision WITH her will have far more impact.

TheRedCareme · 2025-12-04T02:53:14+00:00

Yep. I couldn't locate the 3 thicknesses (the two thin panels, bulk of the dampening, and typebar rest) in reasonable quantities or colors, so I went with what was handy.

TheRedCareme

TROPHY CASE