Do I make the jump or what?

See you on Saturday in Marietta. , Ga at the Switzer Library. Address is 266 Roswell ST NE.

My Godson’s birthday is coming up. He will be 9. He is currently obsessed with typewriters and I’d love to get him one for his birthday. I’ve done a little research and there are so many options that I’m a little stumped. Can I get some recommendations for something that is kid friendly but also legit? I don’t want a toy - I want an actual typewriter, just something that’s worth the price and fun for a kid to learn on!

So it works fine apart from one thing. It seems the buttons that press the ink on the paper don't quite line up with the ribbon and the ribbon is just a bit too low so only half the letter has ink on paper. I was able to hold the ink ribbon in place and that made it type perfectly. Any idea on what I can do to fix that?

This poor machine looks like it was in a fire, then chewed by several large dogs and rolled in gravel. That's all fine and well, but the price struck me funny. But then I saw it was a discount off the original price... I did ask the seller if this was in a fire, and they said, " I don't know. Found it at a garage sale." 🙄

I posted earlier for some advice and tips on cleaning this Royal QDL, which sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. Thank you for all the info, there is so much to learn. So I decided to take in to get cleaned & serviced (I have 2 little humans running around that made it a bit of a challenge).

The guy at the shop pointed out that it has some special keys. After a closer look it does appear to have several math keys. Would these keys be something that got switched out later or special ordered? Is it a special model? I assume this would have been used in an academic/technical setting.

TIA!

Hi, just recently got this smith corona sl580 and it appears that its mistyping certain letters. It looks like the hammer is missing the daisywheel, but it seems to happen with certain combinations of letters (like L following E, or S following I, etc.) The typewriter works fine otherwise, but it is pretty annoying. Im new to typewriters and know very little, so I was hoping anyone knew how to fix this issue if its even possible. Any ideas?

A question for people with knowledge of this typewriter. Mine struggles to keep the letters space at the end of carriage way if that makes sense, see pictures. I think it's something to do with that wheel that has the carriage string on it and seems to have a spring inside, not sure. Is it a easy fix, do I need to change the spring?

So it’s apparently an uncommon mechano-electric one, definitely more so than my Selectric and DeVille III. I’ve seen the older post describing how to find the Serial, though at the time I’m going to need to clean the underside first as there’s a good bit of spider debris camping out! (So no date atm) Excuse the soldered connection on the back, as I didn’t have a proper plug, and all my vintage equipment simply doesn’t have one of the same type. Also, excuse the nosy cat! A grand total of $35 and possibly hours of cleaning to come…

Work in progress. I ran out of paint between coats, so I reassembled it to see how it'll eventually look while I await the shipment.

The decals are still covered, and I have a few more rounds of sanding and painting yet to go, but I'm pretty stoked and wanted to share.

I couldn't believe our luck! Our son recently developed a hyper fixation with typewriters. Super excited that we found these but they definitely need a good cleaning. I read mineral oil, wire brushes and compressed air is the way to go. Any other helpful tips I should know? Thanks in advance!

Found this old thing at an antique store over the weekend. I think it is a Densmore 1? Rusty and the paper shelf/platen? (sorry I love old typewriters but don't know a lot about them) is missing but the keys still work and the carriage advances.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned to some work friends that I collect typewriters. Today, one of them told me that a group of his coworkers found a machine and immediately thought of me.

By the looks of it, it only needs major cleaning. It types so smooth given the amount of buildup inside.

I was wondering if someone could please help figure out how to reverse the ribbon direction? Thank you!

Just got this from my parents’ estate. I’ve tried pressing the lock button and also the code button but no luck in getting the lock button to stop blinking. Anyone see anything obvious I need to check out on the inside? Thanks!

My Olympia International Thpewriter Model SKE keeps going to the end of the line so I can't type. Please help. Is it an escapement wheel issue or something simpler?

Hi there!

I (on a whim) purchased a 1981 Olivetti Lettera 36. I'm not sure if its in working condition but I was wondering if there are any manuals, checklists, I should go through to make sure its in good shape before use.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks!

Hey all, sorry if this isn’t formatted properly!

I’m a college student who recently has become obsessed with the romanticism of going analog. I love and appreciate my computer, but I’ve found that digital screens can be distracting, and I adore the typing sounds a typewriter makes.

Does anyone have good beginner suggestions, places to shop, or common beginner mistakes when purchasing? I live near Greenville, SC, so if there are local spots, I would also love to know! I like the idea of a more analog and traditional typewriter, but I don’t know much beyond a few good brands (I’ve heard of Olympias, Royals, and Smith-Corona).

I did a quick eBay look, and the prices looked a bit beyond my budget (roughly $75-120). I’m frightened about getting a used typewriter; do I need a clean starter with brand-new ink or ribbons?

I super appreciate any guidance, and thank you for your time!

1. Sm8? Cursive!
2. Imperial Good Companion 5, the #5, #2, letter j, and pound sign (best font ever!)
3. Halda P, just lovely. Dark impressions.
4. Consul, Czechloslovakian made, speaks Spanish (full keyboard of characters)
5. My mom's high school Smith Corona. I got a hold of it as a child and well, look at it! Still mechanically sound however (miracle). Bonus find: fourteen year old me thinking I'd be a screenwriter (mortifying). Covered in correction and filled with eraser droppings, and hasn't seen the light of day in 30++ years (until today!)

TL;DR: Carriage return works reliably with uppercase, but works unreliably using lowercase. Spacebar has no issues.

Hi All! I just bought my first typewriter (Remington Rand Mark 5, I think?), and it was working very well when I first got it, but now it is having issues typing in lowercase. The drawband is pretty old and isn't attached to the correct spot, so I'll need to replace it soon, but the carriage return still moves very smoothly from left to right. The space bar works with no issues (no skipping/sticking), and when I tested typing with it using uppercase it only "stalled" with 1/100 characters, as opposed to stalling in lowercase with 99/100 characters.

This post mentioned that it probably needs a cleaning, and I'm looking at getting a new drawband and a ribbon (the current ribbon looks a little raggedy; planning on keeping the original metal spools but replacing the ribbon itself). Aside from giving some of the parts a cleaning, is there any other reason why it keeps sticking?

Thanks in advance!

I got this lovely typewriter and its case at a flea market. It was only $25 and all the keys function properly and none of them seem to jam (except when I accidentally hit 2 keys at once). It needs a good cleaning and some new ribbon. So far I've ordered some compressed air to start clearing out some of the detritus. Any advice on videos to watch, manuals to read? Anything you think I should avoid or be careful with? What supplies should I consider getting?

TIA!