r/TypewriterRepair

Hello all! So i just inherited a royal typewriter and replaced the ribbon. everything looks good about the machine but as you can see im getting a sort of “ghost” line of text above where the bars hit the ribbon. I thought the platen might have ink on it but ive cleaned it multiple times now with rubbing alcohol and the line is still appearing. any idea whats going wrong and how to fix? thank you in advance!!

I need to tune the typing experience on my Royal Futura 800. I know some of you love this machine, but my Futura is almost unusable. I have to get violent with the keys and really stomp on them to get any imprint on the page. I’ve cleaned it thoroughly, replaced the ribbon, and searched online extensively for further adjustments, but none have made much difference. It feels like a labor to use it, and I really want it to function after working so hard on it.

(I also completed a major repair using a product called SteelStik. Through considerable trial and error, I managed to build two new teeth on the starwheel to replace two that had broken off. Doing the detailed surgery deep in the machine was challenging, but very satisfying now that the escapement works again.)

SO -- can you suggest any further fixes or ways to tune it, or other resources, videos, etc. that might make my Futura easier to use?

We found this at the scrap yard, I’ve always wanted a type writer and couldn’t pass it up. The keys are jammed we are going to do our best to clean it up and get it unjammed any tips on how to get it functioning?

UPDATE! WE GOT IT WORKING JUST NEEDED A KICKSTART!

Hello! I’m looking to purchase a typewriter as a gift, and was looking around on Facebook marketplace when I found this Underwood Olivetti Lettera 22. I asked the seller for a video of the typewriter working which is when he then informed me the keys are a little sticky from not being used in a long time. He still sent me the video which I will attach to this post. I’ve muted the video as I don’t feel comfortable putting the guys voice online, but in the video he points out that the paper does not seem to advance forward after pressing a key.

So my question is how hard/expensive would it be to get the advancing of the paper repaired or if it is even possible to begin with? And are the slightly sticky keys a dealbreaker (only $100)

Thank you in advance for any help or advice!! I know nothing about typewriters

Hi, all,

About a year ago, I purchased this Corona-Smith typewriter from an antique shop in upstate New York. It is not functional and has sat in the case until I had time to take it to a shop in Manhattan. The carriage moves freely when pushed, and does not move with the keystrokes.

Anyway, I recently took it in to Gramercy Typewriter Co. in NYC, thinking if anyone could help me fix it, this 90+ year old typewriter repair shop would. Pretty quickly, I was told that they don't work on Corona 4's because they tend to break and have faulty parts. I asked the shop manager if there was somewhere else he knew of that would work on it. And he was pretty dismissive and said no and good luck.

I really love this little machine, and would like to get it functional again to write on. I ran the serial number and believe it's a 1928 model, so typing on something almost a century old would be awesome. I didn't want to work on it myself, because I am no expert. I did not want to damage it further, but if no specialist will take it, then I'll make a go at it myself.

So, is there a shop or advice that anyone knows of to get this up and working again?

TL;DR:

Only typewriter repair shop in NYC said no to fixing my machine. Any advice to get this working?

Kære eksperter,

Jeg er totalt novice i skrivemaskiner og har fundet denne dejlige maskine, Hermes 3000, som jeg nu har en udfordring med. Farvebåndet krøller, når jeg skriver. Er det noget, jeg gør? En knap, fjeder eller lignende, jeg uforvarende har skubbet til? Det er som om den venstre spole sidder lidt løst, mens den højre trækker farvebåndet, som den skal. Ydermere hopper farvebåndet helt op, så teksten er dækket, mens jeg skriver? Farvebåndet er helt nyt og sat i af sælger?

Nogle ideer?

Ive pressed every button I could, nothing is working. I assume its an inside issue rather than a feature. Does anyone know a fix?

It comes with a carrying case, but it’s kind of nasty.
How nice of a find is this, it writes well. Does anybody know what model this is, any cool features it has, and if/how I should paint over the case?

I just picked up this beauty—a 1962 Soemtron KsT typewriter. After flushing away the grime with rubbing alcohol, it works fairly well. The only issue: letters are still occasionally printed too close or on top of each other. (Photo 2) The space bar always advances with no problem.

I figured it's probably residue dirt, but I've now cleaned the carriage multiple times and the problem isn't really going away. Should I try adjusting something? Is there a particular spot I keep overlooking when cleaning? Thoughts?

(Edited for clarity).

Does anybody know how to remove the lid of a 1961 Smith-Corona Skyriter? I need to access a screw in the spool cup and the lip on the back of the lid is in my way.

Bonus points if I don’t need any special tools!

Hello all! I know these 44 levers tended to scrape over time as they wore down because of the folding mechanism, and you can see evidence of that on the cover in photo 2.

But in photo one and three, you can see that the actual return pivot area (not the arm itself) is very, very close. If that’s unclear, imagine unscrewing the arm and what remains/where the arm screws in would still nearly scape the cover when actuated. What is going on here? Most photos of these machines show much more clearance. Any help is appreciated

It’s the title I’m stumped I don’t know what screwdriver to use

I recently picked up this IBM Selectric, but the carrier is stuck. The keys strike, but the head doesn't move to the right. Whenever I hit the Return key, the whole machine jams and the keyboard locks. I can clear the jam by hitting the Tab key, but the carrier still stays in the same spot. It won't advance during typing and it's completely froze. I can't even move it by hand.
I also would have a hard time removing the case since the lever is right behind the stuck carrier 😅 any ideas? Just to be honest, it’s my first electric typewriter and I have no idea about the machine yet 🙏

Pretty much as the title says. I was originally able to type on this but now the carriage won’t stay once it’s retuned to start a new line. It just slides back to the right side. Otherwise it works great. I’ve already given it a good cleaning w mineral spirits but otherwise am at a loss. Any advice is appreciated.

This is going to be my first repair, got it for almost nothing on FB Marketplace but I can't find the model or serial number. I checked all the standard locations, behind the paper roller and the undercarriage but there was nothing. I also scrolled the typewriter database for a while, there a lot similar but no exact matches, was hoping to find a manual before I started taking it apart. Any assistance or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Found it, 1958 Royal Companion. Any tips will still be appreciated as I start my first repair.

RS-3816093

Working on a typewriter and got all the others out with a flathead, got to this one(the top one on the bottom half) and it won’t budge have tried wd-40 as well as different sizes of screwdriver

EDIT: it looked like that before I touched it

SOLVED! I combined even more wd-40 and blu tac