I recently worked on a 1960 Royal Futura 800 and became familiar with what my research says is a common problem in Futuras: ribbon vibrator forks that flop open allowing the ribbon to migrate out of the ribbon vibrator while typing.
Author: maryech
The Rusty Sabre
Gather ’round, me hearties, and I will tell ye the tale of the Rusty Sabre of Portugal. Aye! ‘Twas a Royal Sabre!
My Summer Vacay with a Hermes Babay
Summer got away from me, and here it is mid-August already. In June, I drove out to the wilds of the DC suburbs where I picked up a couple typewriters in need of some attention. They are owned by a local typewriter enthusiast, Suzanne. One was a 30+ lb behemoth, a KMG with a tabulator issue that I fixed up, and the other was a teeny 1943 Hermes Baby.
Good Enough Is Very Fine: Royal KMG Tabulator Issue
I headed to a nearby suburb a couple weeks ago to pick up a Hermes Baby with a carriage bail issue. Owned by local typewriter enthusiast Suzanne, the Baby needed a spring replaced in a procedure that sounded much more complicated than I would have thought. Replacement involved something about special tools and torsion springs. 😬
Black Beauty: Royal De Luxe Portable
A local typewriter enthusiast named Ross has a stable full of Royal portables. These fine fillies are spirited creatures, but after 70 or 80 or 90 years of being ridden hard and put away wet, many need attention. I recently worked to fix some nagging issues on a 1950s QDL and a 1939 QDL, and he had another 1930s De Luxe that I looked at. Continue reading
Mother and Daughter: Hermes 2000 and Hermes Rocket
Monica and Stephen are a delightful local couple who are really into typewriters. They not only collect, but they organize type-ins and bring people together for typing fun. I was a little late to the Monica and Stephen Party, but I’m so glad to know them now. Good people.
To the Dogs: Royal Quiet De Luxe
We have a couple special books for our grandson on the mantel at our house. One is called Bad Hair, and it’s just a collection of weird hair photos from vintage barber magazines—my grandson finds it fascinating. Another favorite is a book of dog photos taken by Elliott Erwitt. We handle these two books very carefully (soft-soft—no chewing!) and examine the pictures.
Escapements and Carriages: Purple Porto-Rite and Royal QDL
I recently attended a type-in at a local public library. Two members of the Mid-Atlantic Typewriter Collectors Group, Monica and her husband Stephen, organized the event. They’ve done this a couple times in the past, and they always get a good crowd of local enthusiasts, library walk-ins, and kids.
Soft-Soft: Underwood No. 4
Since my son and daughter-in-law have moved closer to me, I have been busy in Grandma Land chasing a newly-walking terror intent on finding the most fragile, most dangerous items to crush or mouth.
New Punch List: Olympia SG1
I finished up the Olympia SG1 project and patted myself on the back. Nailed it! Job well done! I fed some paper through it and started some long-form typing—a letter to RRTM—and that’s when the SG1’s residual issues became apparent. There would be no kicking back and cracking a celebratory brewski (ein bier) yet. I saw more work to be done.
Classy Dames: Olympia SG1 and Husqvarna 6430
Last week, I was again drawn helplessly to the McDonald’s in Germantown, MD. The powerful gravitational force of a large, dysfunctional Olympia SG1 pulled me into its orbit and brought me to a parking lot in suburban Maryland during a heat wave.
‘Tis a Gift
I’m back from California and a month-long visit with my new baby grandson. My report: he’s very perfect, and like many babies, he resembles Charles Laughton. Also, relative to his tiny body, he has enormous hands, and I foresee a career as a piano player or a typewriter mechanic.
The Weird: Hammond No. 2
I’m a very normal person. Like other very normal people, the Weird makes me queasy, and I generally don’t seek it out. However, sometimes the tentacles of the numinous reach for me, and I am pulled into another layer of reality outside my current one.
Lucky Breaks: SM4 and SM2
Despite my best intentions and proud declarations of restraint, my garage became congested with typewriters last week and every surface was covered with machines and tools and manuals.
Bad Dog!
A local collector named Michael has become my go-to source for broken typewriters. He collects the good, the bad, and the indifferent—he loves them all and welcomes them with open arms and no judgement. When he told me he had an Olympia SM4 with a flying carriage, I began to salivate reflexively. Nice machine. Interesting problem.
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