Any anons fuck with typewriters?I off grid, and my hands hurt when I write with a pen or pencilI picked these up they are mechanically fascinatingI wanna get em working. The electric is a lot closer than the manual one to dancing it seems. But damn, the idea of writing printed words without power or big brother knowing what you are up to seems pretty appealing
>>2877960Can't say I fuck with them, but I got my gf a Olivetti Lettera 32 a few years ago. It's a beautiful machine and a joy to type on. Layout is slightly off compared to modern qwerty, but transition is very easy. Buy a new ribbon, if your machine has a selector you can even buy a double colored (black and red) ribbon. Check for the spool if it needs a specific size or something.There's some basic maintenance you may want to do: basic dusting, degreasing, lubrication, the works. More advanced stuff is checking the roller for hardness as a hardened rubber will ruin your strikers over time. The internet is incredibly full of resources for basically every typewriter, just look for your specific model.
>>2878053>checking the roller for hardness as a hardened rubber will ruin your strikers over timeinterestinghow would you go about replacing the rubber? i'd think buying new rollers would be more expensive than just getting another used typewriter
>>2878061Depends if the roller is in a really bad shape. Sometimes turning it on a lathe or, at worst, sanding it to remove the hardened layer exposes softer rubber and as long as you don't remove too much material it should be good as new, but it really depends. Also a deformed roller (not perfectly cylindrical) will induce printing errors, but shouldn't really fuck anything up, so if you hand sand it you might do more harm than good, so beware.>just getting another typewriterYes, typewriters are really in a bad spot right now: unless they're already a collector item (see Olivetti Lettera 22 or Olivetti Valentine for relatively modern examples), they're so worthless it's not cost effective to restore them, which is really a shame. I suggest you cross compare availability in your area and how actually good a machine is, you'll be amazed at how many reviews there are online, and then go with your heart.
Op here. The electric appears to be nearly good to go. It turns on, i dusted and did a little cleaning with rubbing alcohol and it types, but quite faint and faded.I ordered a new ribbon for it. The roller appears, pretty hard, but functional. Well see what the ribbon does.The manual is a corona standard I think. Its in rough shapeRoller is hard as hellA spring fell out as I was moving it around cleaning it, and there appears to be some mildly fucked up linkages with the keys
>>2878145>Well see what the ribbon doesIt will type properly. Faint letters are either a weak strike where you didn't push hard enough, part of the "getting used to", which shouldn't happen on an electromechanical machine, or a dried up ribbon. I'd say scrap the manual, not worth saving probably. I'd still get a fully mechanical one, the fact they don't need any electricity makes them special. I remember seeing a video of a top 10 typewriters, check on the jewtube, any of those models will give you something worth keeping and using.
>>2877960>the idea of writing printed words without power or big brother knowing what you are up to seems pretty appealing
>>2878145Can you put that thing in the dishwasher when you remove the inkband?
>>2878166Thats the hope. I generally keep my hopes pretty metered until success has happened with these things. Removing the ribbon, moving it far from where it sat resulted in much more consistent lettering, so things seem pointed in the right direction.Ive been cleaning the manual one up. I havent hit anything that looks totally fubared yet but its on the line. These both belonged to a friend who lived a full life, then got a tbi ( bonked his head). I go over there to drink with him as an outlet, and we get into things. Theres no cell service and a lot of american history on that property.If I could get it functioning (like, majority of keys moving not writing a novel on ) or pretty enough to sit on display I probably will. His grandfather bought it new pre world war 2, from what I understand he passed several decades ago. The electric one he got in the eighties to go to college. He told me where it was, I got to crawl under the stairs in his basement to the corner tucked under the sewer pipe exiting the foundation. You never know there. History really is fascinating when you're in the bag surrounded by antiques. Its a great outlet.
>>2878328Rubbing alcohol and an air compressor seems to be what people conventionally advise, theyre so complicated though dishwasher seems a little aggressive.Ive wondered if mass air flow sensor cleaner or contact cleaner for electronics would be a good choice. Seems like you dont want any uncontrolled force, ever going into em.
In the center for the H key is where the linkages need some love and bending.I think I have located where the spring came from. But things are remembering what they did
>>2878053The more I learn, nice choice anon.
How the hell am I supposed to mae a 1? What the heck? But, feeling it now. Barely working, but like, its typing. Gotta walk before you can run
>>2878412>How the hell am I supposed to mae a 1?Lower case L ie: l
My wife has a soft spot for typewriters so I got her an old manual Underwood from the 30s and a Smith-Corona 2200 electric from the 80s. The best way to clean these is to stop at the auto parts store and get some plastic-safe MAF sensor cleaner spray. It won't ruin plastic or any paint but will do an amazing job at cleaning all the shit out of them. A soft brush can help with extreme dirt build up. Realistically nothing should require oil except for the motor if working on an electric model.
>>2878410Thanks. It helped that being pasta I was able to find an italian production one in amazing conditions at a bargain price. Availability plays a huge role on the choice.>>2878412Depends on the font, but the hint is whether you need to lock caps to type numbers or not: in your case you don't, so it's lower case L, but if you look at the Olivetti I've posted all numbers need caps lock active, so for the Lettera it's upper case i.
>>2878422>>2878445Lower case L duh, ty. I looked through but just a uppercase L is on the key. I tried I and / and those werent it so i wasnt completely retarded, but being so close but not finding that, yikes. Ty.
>>2878431Yeee ty. I really do wonder what separates throttle body cleaner from maf cleaner but i dont wanna fuck this up. I have tb cleaner but havent ubloaded it on it yet
>>2878061there's a company that recently took over the company that redid rubber on typewriter rollers but I don't remember what they're calledwasn't cheap though like $70 a rollerI myself have an old IBM electric Model B
also a protip I heard from an old typewriter guy is cleaning the typebars and keyslugs with lacquer thinnerreally gets that old ink and dried lubricant off
Got this for free from the daughter of an old lady that passed. Had my fun to write some letters with it but now I only use it to create labels.
>>2878592I enjoy mine to address envelopes with or other odd shaped paper objects
>>2878412mine doesn't even have a 0, gotta use an uppercase o
>>2878445Im also now imagining this as a heated argument between executives about what kind of typewriters to get>I simply will NOT have my hand picked highest-tier typists making thousands of extra key presses per year just to type numbers! It's inefficient, surely you must recognize this Buford!>Codswallop! Instead, you'll have them moving their hands twice the distance to reach the L! The I is directly under the 8 and 9, seamlessly hit while the Corona user is still reaching back after travelling twice the distance! Efficiency! Listen to yourself! Its a miracle you are where you are, Higgins! IF it were up to me we'd have. Made this switch years ago! >Giving you my daughter was a mistake! I cannot believe there is a heathen within the folds of my family and my business!
>>2878361Having some experince with cleaning up antiques I'd not use alcohol on the painted surfaces as it might damage the paint and make it dull. A dishwasher on a cooler temperature might help, though.
>>2878554Difference is that MAF cleaner has zero dissolved solids/oils so nothing gets left behind when it dries, and it is formulated to not harm plastics.
>>2878713Thank you for the knowledge, that makes sense
>>2878713Would you go for like a 3 in 1 oil or wd40 type material or just water and soap?
>>2878721When in doubt, water and dish soap
>>2878363What does the little green tag on the bottom left say?
>>2878061The cheap DIY way is to buy black rubber shrinkwrap tubing slightly larger than the roller and shrink on 1-2 layers on top of the hard roller. It's probably better to send out the roller for rebuild if it's only $70 like anon said.>>2878592I have a similar looking 1961 Adler Junior-E with carrying box. The adler and junior-E labels were gone so I 3d printed and painted new ones. Despite a lot of cleaning, the Q still gets stuck almost half of the time. Otherwise I would use it more.>>2878622On some portable models for ; you need to do , then backspace then 'Or for ! you woudl have to do . then backspace then '
if your roller is hard just make sure to never run single sheetalways have backing paper
>>2878940Its a name
Just picked up a brother ce-65 that was on the free section of craigslist too. Replaced the ribbon with one of a bunch that came with it, its got a manual cover, and appears to work flawlessly. Got keyboard options and symbols and shit AND it only draws .54 of an Amp whereas the smith corona i have draws a full amp. Not that it's a huge difference, but I run 5 kw of batteries and solar panels in the northern hemispere, so doesn't hurt to minmax the wattage consumptionI also have to say, the japanese one seems slick smooth and quiet as hell compared to the corona smith....
>>2878979This is funny, my first reaction was no way the apostrophe (which took me longer to find than it shoulda) is big enough to look appropriate as an exclamation pointAnd then...Well fuck look at that
>>2877960The secondary market has exploded since one of the faggot Neistat brothers made a video about using a typewriter. It's insane.
>>2877960Goddamn, an electric typewriter with an actual carriage? That thing is fucking old. My folks had one. Be careful not to hit more than one key at a time - the electrically fired hammers crash into each other and jam like a bastard.
>>2879185How are you liking it?I have been looking at this similar appearing Canon. My adler with broken Q requires a lot of force on the keys, is loud, is heavy. I was thinking an electric might be more fun. Plus I like the way these look.Any other features anons would recommend on an electric?https://newjersey.craigslist.org/ele/d/caldwell-vintage-80s-canon-typestar/7806139172.html
>>2879587Ahh...that 80s/early 90s thing, where the units were combination typewriters/basic word processors. I have a Canon and a Brother, like that. The "word processor" was kinda cool, because you could check for mistakes, before printing, but that small LCD was a terminal bitch, if you had to scroll through a long paragraph, to find something.
>>2879194Link?
>>2879587I wrote a 2 page letter to my grandma for the first time in years on it. Mailed it yesterday. The brother is the only one thats working close to perfect right now, so I'm a big fan, but dont really have an adequate one to compare it to.Im on the east coast, the white and black correctable 2 line tape for the smith corona executive correct should be here today, it has been absolutely dribbling across the countryIm hoping to test the manual too with it, its kinda working but Im still waiting on a new ribbon for that so you have to strike the keys pretty hard and theres literal mold spots and tatters all over its ribbon. Id held off on ordering that thinking my friend might find some at his place, I shouldn't have.The brother definitely feels japanese to me comin from the auto and bike world. It just does, which I like. Feels like the entire thing was made to have smooth action just as much as it was to function.Theres also a billion symbols and stuff, you can select between three different keyboards, many keys dont even have all the options you can do on them. Very much like a mid-eighties goldwing. Huge, but feels lighter and smoother. Obviously more complicated than it needs to be but since it all still works flawlessly you cant shake a stick at that. And im not even dealing with nice ones, just rehabbed old free ones.
>>2878721Water and some mild detergent should be the first choice. From there you can work your way up to harsher stuff.
>>2879602Do your own research.
If you really want it fixed, send it in for repair somewhere. Type on it for a bit to identify any issues first, then send it in. I tried to fix a few manual typewriters once, but they've been out of production and service for too long. Pretty much zero availiability of spare parts and hardware. Even the bolts and screws were using outdated sizes that nobody would sell, would have had to get a machinist to make them. Theres also very little information available, these predate the internet by so long that service manuals are very hard to come by.
>>2881228Got my new ribbons today finally, the postal service seems pretty overwhelmed.
>>2881228skill issueenjoy paying a literal boomer exorbitant sums to fix a typewriter
>>2881315remember to pry the gunk out of the strikers with a needle or something, your "a" and "v" look like they're completely filled in
