No.

1336
$16.95

THE
OtherTAB books by.theauthor: TYPEWRITER
No. 941 MimeographOperation,Maintenance& Refair
No. 1163 TheComplete
Handboohof SewingMachineRepuir
REIAIR
No. 1208 Make Ywr OumGemstoneJewelry
MAI{UAL
BY HOWARDHUTCHISON

TAB BOOKSInc.
BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, PA
 lrr c I u.'ci eg-;
Pro faee
ch. L,2,&.+
Ch 3 onni**eJ

Contents

Preface 7
0e{inition
andanOverview Controls
olTypewriler II
Good Communications-Service Manual--Manual and Electric
Typewriters-Keybutton or Key-Typebars and Typebar
Heads-Typebar Typawriter-Single Element Typewriter-
Standard Typewriter-Pitch of a Typewnter-Pica and Elite-
Proportional Spacing Typewriter-Typewriter Ribbons-
Platen-Carriag+-Paper Tabl+Feed Rollv-Overview of Con-
trol Buttons and Levers-lBM Selectric ll Controls-Summary

Mechanisms
ManualTypewriter 44
Typing Machanism-Spacing Mechanism-Escapement
Mochanism-Back Space Mechanism-Margin Stop
Mech anisrrp-Margin Rolease Mech a nisrn-Shitt Mechani srn-
Shift Lock Mechanisnr*Vertical Line Spacing Mechanisrn--
Paper Feef-Paper Release Mecfranisrn-Ribbon Feed (or
Transport) Mechanisnr-Ribbon Lift Mechanisrn-Tabulation
FIRSTEOITION Mechanisrn-Tab Set-Cloar Mechanisnr--Carriage Flelease-
Platen Release Mechanisrn-Summary
FIRSTPRINTING
Electric Mechanisms
Typewriter 86
CopyrighrO 1981byTAS BOOKS Inc. Power Ro(l-Electrical System-Driving Mechanism-Swrtch
Mech ani s m-Typing Mech anis ms-Escapement M e chanisrn--
Printed in tre United States of America Shift Mechanism-Hall SpaceMechanism-Space Mechan-
isms-Back Space Mechanisms-Tab Set and Clear Mecfran-
Reproduction or publicatron of th€ isms-Color Change and Ribbon Lift Mechanism-Ribbon Feed
content in any manner, without express
Mechanism-Ribbon Cartridge Mechanism-Line Space
Noriabirty
rsassumJ.,nirn
f^"JTlTSlrT,H:,,HjJ5li,JJj,ll"n,o,teo ,..pbaro Mechanisnr-Paper Feed and Release Mechanisnr-Carriage
Release Mechanism-Correction Mechanism-Platen
Libraryol CongressCataloging
in pubficatjon Release-Summary
Data
Hutchison,
Howard.
Thetypewriterrepairmanual. Practical
TipsfortheBeginning
Typewriter
Repairman 134
Sticky, Dirty Typewriters-Thoroughly Cleaning and Lubing a
Includesindex. Typewriter-Giving a Typewriter a Superlicial Cleaning and
1. Typewriters-Mainlenanceand repar Lubing-Cosmetic Cleaning-Selecting Tools-Designing a
r__flandbooks,man-
uals,elc. l. Tifla. Workshop*Securing Technical Information on Typewriters-
249.H954 652.3 81_919s Getting Service Manuals and Parts Catalogs From IBM-
1SBNG8306-0034_5MCR2 Reconditioned Platens-Adlusting the Pressure on Individual
ISBN0-8306- 1336-6(pbk.) fypebars-Removing Typewriter Corers-Stocklng an Assorl-
ment of Ribbons-Giving a Cuslomer an Estimate--Summary
Ch.558,6orn,#-J

x 5 Making
Repairs
andAdjustments
ontheOtympia
ModelB-12 n2
Parts of the olympia Moder B-12-Deveroping the Right Mental
Attitude to Repair and Adjust Typewrirers-cleaning ind oiling
the Olympia Model B-12-The Back Space Doesn,t-Work_The
carriage Binds*The shift Binds-The shift-Lock Fairs to
Lock-The EscapementMarfunctions-The carriage Fails to Line
Lock-The Lina Space Fails to Space or ls lrregular_The paper
Feed Doesn'r Feed or Feeds Erraticaily-The piper Rereasewiil
Not Release the Paper When the paper Release Lever ls
P u l l e d - T h e M a r g i n F a i r st o R e r e a s eW h e n t h e M a r g i n R e r e a s e
Button ls Depressed-The Tab Set-Clear Faits to blear_Tne
Tabulator Fails to]ab-TJre carriage Moves when Tabbing But
Fails to stop at a Preset stop-Tne Typebar Farrsto print When
Activates-The Machine Fairs to space when the space Bar rs Preface
Tapped-The Repeat-Space Faits to Repeat_The Ftibbon Litt
will Not Place the FtibbonFuily Between the Typefaceand ptaten
During Typing-The Ribbon ls Not Fed-The Ribbon Fails ro
Reverse-The Variable Line Spacer Fails to Operate_
Adjustrnenls--Removar of covers, components and Meihanisms
of the Olympia Modet B-12-Btow-Up DrawingsWth Accompany_ One of the great mysteriesof machinerepair, from the layman's
l1tgParts Numbersand Name-NumberListsfoi the OtympiaModet
B-12-Summary viewpoint,hasbeenin the field of typewriters.Probablyonceor
twice in your life youhavehadproblemswith a typewriter,takenit
x 6 Adjustment procedures
andRepair f orhe Brofter to the repair shop,andbeeninformedthat therewasa "flat fee" for
ModelJPS 25O rninimumserviceto the machine,and anythingbeyondminimum
Removing the covers-Removing sre Motor-Adjusting the Bert
sen,icewouldbe subjectto an hourlyrate. The unfortunateaspect
Tension--The switch Mechanisrn-The printing' Mec[anisrn-
The Space Bar Mechanism-The Escapemeni Mechanisrn_ of this informationwasthat the "flat fee" turnedout to be aboutttre
job,
Back Space Mechanism-The Shitt Mechanisnr-The Taburator equivalentof a day'swageson your factoryor Secretarial and
Mechanism-The_ Color Change and the Bibbon Lifting
the hourly rate (if you had the nerve to ask)was about two or three
Mechanism-The Ribbon Feed and Reverse Mecr"ranisrn-The
Margin Release and Margin Stop Mechanisnr_The Spring timesyour own hourlyrate. Then,whenthe machinewasreturned
Drum-The Paper Feed Mechanisrn-The paper Flelease to you (you pickedit up, of course,to saveadditionalcharges),you
Mechanism-The Lrne Space Mechanism_The Carriage t,-roked it over to find that it wasnow niceandcleiurlooking,andthe
Release-Adjustment of the Warning Beil-The Repeat Space remained.How
Mechanisrn-Removing the Uppei Cover and Left platen lrrtiblemhad beensolved. But a naggingmystery
Knob-The S h i ft M e c h a n i s m - - T h e C a r r i a g e R e t u r n rnuchwork did the repairman actuallydo, andhow much time didhe
Mechanism-The Return Clutch-The Returi Jamming
sctually put in doing it? Maybe-just maybe-all he did was wipe
Releas+The Carriage Release Mechanism_Line Space a spring, and
Mechanism-Parts Brow-ups and parls Names and Numbeis for rlre machineoff on the outside,reachin and rehook
t h e B r o l h e rM o d e t s3 , 0 0 0 , 1 , 0 0 0a n d X L - 4 , O 0 0 _ p a r t sB t o w _ U p s rirenmake out the ticket for $92.50-which was about twice the
and Parts Names and Numbers for the Brother Model 35OG_ rt,salevalueof the machine-and then tookhiscoffeebreak.
MechanismRemoval Procedures-Summary
On the other hand, the professionalrepairmancould argue
Appendin Typewriter tlrathe is not duty-bound to explainexactlywhathe did' largelyon
Manufacfurersand/or
Distributors349
tlre premise that the average layman wouldn't understandit
t anyway. And he might also argue-rightly enough-that'
like
lndex',= \ 350 must
larvyers and other professional people, the customers
\
n ci.-'-le;J ultimatelypayfor the educationandtrainingthat allowshim to find
tlrt'springthatneedsrehooking'
The abovescenariois more true in the field of typewriter
t?l):rirthan in, say,autorepair,in whicha lot of do-it-yourselfers
 havelearnedto relinetheir ownbrakes,tuneup their own engines
and even make major overhauls,largely as a matter of survival. enrphatically-thatit would be impossibleto compile all the
Many of theseamateurmechanics technicalinformation on every conceivabletypewriter brand./
learnto do competentwork, and
manyrnoreof them go on to becomeprofessionals. rrrodelstill in usein the UnitedStatesbetweenthe coversof one
why isn't this
thecasein the field of typewriterrepair? book.Of courseI hadto admit-and a moment'sreflectionwill tell
you-that this is true, andthat the best that I couldpossiblydo
One answer to this questionis that, in most cases, if
professionalhelp isn't affordable,it turns out to be more practical would be to provide illustrationsand clearly written textual
rlescriptionsof represenlativetypewriter mechanismsand, to
to relegatea typewriterto the closetthanit would be to put the
translatethisintopracticality, providedetailedandcomprehensive
family car on blocks.Individualswith only moderatemechanical
proceduresfor repairing a few specificbrand,/models,in both
knowledgeventureforth to fix their cars,andfindthat it isn't nearly
electric and manualmachines.[n other words, if your goal is to
as difficultas their friendly neighborhood garagemantold them it
wouldbe. repair/maintainone typewriter, and that particular machineis
describedin this book,you will haveall the informationyou need.
The other answeris that the mechanisms of a typewriter look
truly formidable,largely becausebookshelvesof librariesand Beyond that, this book should provide you with an excellent
groundingin basicmechanisms, as wellas a thoroughunderstand-
bookstoresaren'tstockedwith typewnterrepairmanuals,as they
ingof how andwhy they do whatthey do. If yourparticularmachine
are with auto repair manuals.Manuals,suchas the one you are
rsnot represented herein,youwillhavealreadybeeninstructedon
holding in your hand, are a tremendoushelp in making these
howandwhereto get servicemanualsandpartscatalogsthatareso
mechanismslook less formidable.And if the manualis written
r)ecessary for makingan effectiverepair.
exclusivelyfor laymen-ds thisoners-you'll find that not only do
the illustrationsdo much to clarify the operation,functions,and If, on the other hand, your goal is to start a part-tirneor
full-timetypewriterrepairbusiness, thereis enoughinformationin
workingsequences of andtolerancesbetweenvariousparts,but
this book to get you on that track. These are not just vague
also, the text is written so clearly that ail those things that
professionals generalitiesapplicableto "businessin general,"but concrete,
know(butareapparently swornneverto divuige)are ypecificstepsto take-such asmakingsuppliercontacts,planning
clearly spelled out. In other words, once you know how, it's
infinitelyeasierto equalizethe typingpressureon tie typebarsof a workshop, buying equipment,etc. -for a typewriter repair
trusiness. As a matterof fact,if youcancornbine businessacumen,
that older IBM typewriter thanto changethe sparkplugs on your
vw super Beetle.It is easierto changea praten,and know when an attribute you probably can't acquirefrom a book, with the
stcp-by-step instructionsin thisbook,I don'tbelieveyoucouldfail
and why it shouldbe changed,than to rotate the tires on your
in such a business.
stationwagon.
Typewriter manufacturer/distributors who cooperatedor in
Youmay arguethat this is all very well, but the fact is that the
$ome way helpedin compilingthe informationfor this book were
tbreeautopartsstoresin your smalltownall vie with eachotherfor
I ll M, OLYMPIA USA INC, andBrotherIntemationalCorporation.
the privilegeof sellingyou sparkplugs.where in the world would
you find a new typewriterplaten?It hasbeenmy own, iong-held For example,an IBM representativespent considerabletime
explaininghowto get IBM servicemanuals andpartsCatalogs-as
opinion that a great shortcomingof somedo-it-yourselfbooksis
rt'ell as restrictionson their republication--anda regionalIBM
that they don't spell out preciselyhow arrdwhere unusualor
specializedparts are obtained.Yes, there are sourcesof type- engineerprovidedme with a wealthof informationregardingthe
writer suppliesand parts, with apparentlyenoughto go around IflM Model numberingsystem, which I am passingalong wrth
throughoutthe uhited states,but obtainingthem requiresjust a other IBM information.My Olymptacontactwaspleasedwith t}te
slightly different approachthan just walkinginto your neighbor- Olympiachapter.Brother Internationalwas extremelycoopera-
hood store. In this book I wiil speil out in greatdetail how to get ti ve i n a ll ways.
typewritersuppliesandparts. The Ames SupplyCompany,a major supplierof typewriter
suppiies and parts, was extremely helpful and cooperativein
Then there is the questionof obtainingservicemanualsfor
specifictypewnters. I havebeentold-more thanonceand quite providinginformationfor anentirechapterof thisbook.

I
 I shouldsaythatthereareinnumerable possibilities
for errors
to creepinto a bookcontainingasmuchtechnicaldataas this one.
To avoidthis, I havesubmittedthe variouschaptersto the service
departments of thepreviouslymentioned companies. The chapters
were readfor accuracy by theirtechnicians. They were all pleased
with the resultsandagreedthat this shouldmakea usefuimanual
for the laymanor beginningprofessional.
Finally, to possiblybelabora point I tried to makeearlier,I
would suggestthat you read this book not as an encyclopedic
volume of technicaldata but more as a textbook.I truly believe
that, when usedin this manner,it is the most usefurtypewriter Chapter
1
repair bookever compiledfor the laymanor beginningprofession-
al. Definitions
and
HowardHutchison
an0verviewof
Typewriter
Gontrols
Whenyou beginto makea typicalhomerepair(let'ssayrepairinga
lrroken window), your job is made relatively easy. Do-it-
I'ourselfershave been repairingtheir own windowsfor so many
-vearsthat neighborhoodhardwareand building supply stores,
rvhichare orientedto this kind of trade,are willing andeagerto
furnishall thematerials.Yourbuildingsupplydealerwi]t beeasyto
talk to, and even if you don't know the difference between
single-strengthanddouble-strength glass,he'llbe eagerto explain
the differenceandmakeworthwhilerecommendations andsugges-
tions.If you happento live in a smalltown,he mightevenofferto
lendyoua ladder.
However, when you undertake the repair of your own
ty'pewriter,you'repretty muchon yourown.First of all, livingin a
smalltown will be a disadvantage because therernaynot be a local
r epairmanwith whomyoucandiscussyourproblem,asyoudowth
your home repair dealer. If there is indeeda local typewriter
repairman,or even if the town is burgeoningwith them, you'll
probablybe greetedwith someskepticismwhen you state your
intentionof repairingyourown typewriter.Speaking realistically,
I'd even suggestthat somesort of professionaljealouslymayenter
fhc'picture,sincetrained,professional repairmenlook upontheir
work as too difficult for a laymanto "pick up" in a short time.
Thcrefore, if the successof your repair project dependsto any
extentuponthe cooperationof a professional repairman(suchas in
the orderingof parts, whichwill be discussed in more detailin a

10 11
s u b s e q u e n tc h a p t e r ) , y o u ' l l h a v e t o b e c o n v i n c i n ga n d tur€r. If it is an operator'smanual, it will only describea few
persistent-andit won'thurtyourcauseto beknowledgeable. SUperfrcialproceduresthat the average,non-technicalperson
Moreoever,the problemwillbe considerably compounded if need5to knowaboutoperatingthe machine.It will haveextremely
it becomesnecessaryto correspondwith out-of-towndistributors. Scant,if any,technicalor repairinformation.If you wantrepairand
This is the situation in which knowledge-togetier with good acJjustmentilformation, be sure, therefore, not to ask for an
communications - i s mandatory. operator'smanualbut ratherf.oraseruicem.anual.Sincemost (but
norall) servicemanualsarecompiledfor individualmodels,besure
G00D
c0MMuNtcATtolts 3nd epecifythe brandandmodel(andanypertinentinformationthat
To explainwhatI meanby goodcommunications, let me relate youthink might help)of the machinefor whichyou are requesting
a story. Two elderly spinsterslived acrossthe street from each the servicem anual.
other. Every day,dayin anddayout, theystoodon their respective Apartfrom beingquitespecificaboutwhatyouwantin the way
porchesandarguedbackandforth acrossthe street. A newcomer, oFaservicemanual,it may alsobe a goodideato statein your initial
observingthis phenomenon,askedan old-timer in town: "Why lefter of requestthat you only intendto use the manualto repair
can'tthe ladieseveragreeonanything?" your own machine(in casethe dealermaintainsfranchisedrepair
"Because,"replied the old-timer, "they're arguing from centers), and that you won't run it through a copier' Most
differentpremises." conrpanies reproducing
are quite sensitiveaboutthe unauthorized
The key word of that story is, of course,premises,which is of theirpublications.
ambiguouswhen taken out of context.If you think that's a little
silly, let me tell youa morerelevantstory.I recentlycorresponded MAT{UALAT{O ELECTRIC TYPEWRITERS
with a certaintypewritercompany,requestinga servicemanualfor A manualtypewriter(Fig. 1-l) is one on whichthe majorityof
a particulartypewriter model which that companymanufactures operationsare performedmanually-that is, without the aid of
anddistributes.The reply cameback,"We no longermanufacture electricallyactuatedmechanisms. A true manualtypewriter is in
manualtypewriters." fact equipped with no electricalcomponents; however, even the
To get back to my casefor goodcommunications, the point *nre manualtypewriter may have some functionswhich emulate
I've tried to make here is that somewords are ambiguouswhen
taken out of context. Other words are just inherentlyambiguous
andcan'tbe usedcarelessly.Whenyougetintothe reallytechnical
wordsandterms of typewriterrepair,a lot of confusionwill result
if you don't use the words correctly.Finally,the professionalwill
havemorerespectfor your capability,andmightasa resultbemore
cooperative,if you use the correct word or term to describethe
part, mechanism or functionyou'rereallytalkingabout.
It might be arguedthat there is no universalagreementas to
whatcertainpartsandfunctionsare to be called,but in most cases
commonusageis a determiningfactor.In a few cases,especially
where inner mechanismsare concerned,terminologymay vary \
slightly from machinebrand to brand and, consequently,from
servicedealerto dealer,depending uponwhichbrandshe hasspent
the most time workingwith.
MANUAI
SERVICE prg 1-1. This Brother manual portabfe typewriter willperform essentiallythe
Alone, the word manual is usually taken to mean a book, Lnine tunctions as an electric machine, but with less ease and cuvenience
preparedby the technicaldepartmentof the typewriter manufac- (courtesy of Erother lnlernational Corporation)'

13
12
power,with the powersourcebeingthe tensionof a springwhichis
rewoundeverytime the operatorperformsa certainoperation.
-i
On somemachinesthatare electrical-manual hybrids,every c
o
operationis performedmanuallyexceptthe return of the carriage ct
o
to the left-handmargin,whichis performedelectrically. o.
o
An electrictypewriter(Fig. l-2) is oneon whichthe nrajority (J
(o
of operationsare performedby mechanisms whichare electrically
fti'GliC-g;
c
o
actuated when the typist touches the appropriatekeybutton,
c
controlbuttonor lever. o

KEYBUTTO}I ORKEY 6s Oi}sbs ;o

o

The words"keybuttons"and "keys" are almostsynonymous

(lBM usesthe word "keybutton"most extensively,however)to
r;uo7 6is6n
*-^
z-la /-\-
dl
o
.D
o
r-\ c\r
rY:Js
c
denote the plastic buttons (Fig. 1-3), which are arrangedin a
standardizedformaton the keyboardof thetypewriter.However,if As W" Q)n
a
o
o
(t,
you use the word "key," someambiguitymay arise, becausein
r;)sOP6s @F o
common(but erroneous)usagethe word "key" is sometimestaken o
J

to meanthe typebarhead that strikes the paper(for example,it is o

i'1u6)FOz {)F
x
often saidthat the "keys are dirty," whenin fact it is the typebar ]D
E
headsthatneedattention). =o(l)

fi*OFG?Qs
o
o)
E
ANDTYPEBAR
TYPEBARS I{EADS
G
(J

= G)P6:q$
First andforemost,typebarsandtypebarheadsare foundonly o
on typebar machines*as in contrast to the more advanced o

"i* r:a_Q?q:
9
a
o
(U
o

92H'ut)ru*
o
c,
c
o
- (D
-o

U6Z, 1p 'f

tJs
r)a 3*)g6i
o
o,
c
\:tt €c
>,_ ,--\cf)
LY: (U

es U"
ah
o
p
c
/--\O f
'E-
,--] x f t-JP
6

(9- E
'6
(!
o
F i g . 1 - 2 . T h i s B r o t h e re l e c t r i c ,M o d e l 4 5 1 2 , t y p e w r i t e rt a k e s t h e w o r k o u t o f F
typing. Through electricallyactuated mechanisms, it maintains even typing c.j
pressureon alltypebars,regard{esso{ the strengthof the finger that pushes the
c;
keybutton (cou rlesy of Brother International Corporation ) . lir

14 15
 e
a
typewriters,which are equippedwith sphericalelements(these f
o
are calledsingleelp,me.nt
typewritersand will be explainedlater). .9
o
However, there are still manytypebarmachinesin use. Typebar 5
machinesare still being manufactured.When a keybutton is .E
p
o
depressed,the corresponding typebarswingsup in anarc, and[he N
o
typebar head strikes the ribbon/paper.Since the typebar and b
o
typebarheadmakeup a solidpart, mostcompanies simplycallthe (!
completepartagfebar (Fig. 1-a). 0,
=o
7
TYPEBAR
TYPEWRITER cD
N e
As I said, there aretypebartypewriters(Fig. 1-5)andsingle /q E
1,N .2
elementtypewriters,For many years, typebartypewriters domi-
nated the tlpewriter market. International Business Machines X -F' (J
'E
;
(lBM1 put the first single elementmachineon the market in the 4E
'-4t
tf,
2
(E
1960sandeventhereafter,until the mid- andlate-1970s.Typebar
machinescontinuedto dominatethe Americanmarket,presumab[y
becauseIBM held exclusiverights to the patent on the single
fr-x
1-x lo
o
o
o

elementmechanism,andwouldn'tor couldn'tinundatethe market IE

to
*P -N
(\l to
with this advancedmodel (meanwhile,however, IBM itself {=-a\ la
continuedto alsomanufacture andmarkettypebarmachinesuntil,
s-* -&
lo>
lc
t;
in the late 1970s-l am toid by an IBM representative-this lo

companydiscontinued manufacturing them).

On the typebar machine, the individual typebars-one
s-8
q**F--- o)
F
llt
IE
l:
lc
i.), l(6
typebarfor every letter, numberor characterthat canbe typedon -<J=6 t@

u-J
l3
lo
the machine-are arrangedin a sort of semi-circle,so that each I E(t,
|
individualtypebarswingsup in anarcto makeanimpressionon tle tc
le
paper when the correspondingkeybutton is depressed.Some- \(o l-o
ta .6 :
times, the complete assemblyof typebars, together with the -. () t:
segmentin whichtheypivot, is calledaffiebasket. l;a
The primaryadvantage of typebarmachinesisreliabilify,since v lEe
theyhavebeenin productionfor manyyears.A disadvantage is that .(D lsE
l(6F
l>o
the operator is restricted to one type style and type size per lpc)
machine,becauseremovingandreplacingthe typebarassemblyis lf(6

too difficult to do routinely. Another disadvantage,which has It EF6E

loc
nothing to do with maintenanceor repair, is that it requires
excellenttypingskillsto avoidoccasionally clashingandlockingup IE:
t;:
two or three typebars,when typing speedoutrunscoordination. t5P
l-o
This can'thappenona singleelementtypewriter. lEa
SINGLE
ETEMEIIT
TYPEWRITER
Iti
ll -st E
tf,
On the singleelementtypewriter(Fig. l-6), a sphericaipiece, | 6,O
JtrY
with the die-impressedletters, numbersandcharactersarranged
17
16
 Ft,r 1-6. This IBM Selectricll, with the cover swing back f or a view of lhe ribbon
machines
caiisoge and typing element, is typical of the many single element
typebar machines.
no* o,i tne mart<et,which will probably eventuallyreplace
F i g . 1 - 5 . T h i s o t d t B M M o d e l A machine is typical of fast as
older typebar m a c h t n e s , Rernovrngand replacingthe element with a differentone is as easy and
dating back to the 1gSOs. h J r n r n tgh e m a c h i n eo n .

aroundit, takesthe praceof the typebarsof the ordermoders(Fig. and other brands aS well, a standard typewriter is one
on which
l-7). The sphericalpieceis variouslycailedan "erement,',,,type each character takes up the Same amount of space as any other
head," or "type font" by the various companieswhich
now character,with the implieddistinctionbeingbetweenthis andthe
manufacture si ngleerementtypewritersandlor"elenlents.,,
Logicrvouldseemto dictatethatthe term',singleelement"is
a misnomer,sincethe elementcanbe easilyremovedandreplaced
(Fig. 1-8)or, moreimportantly,replaced
by anelementcontaining
a differenttype styreor type size. Sinceihe adventof
the early
singleelementItsM modelsof the lg60s,singleelementmachines
havebecomemore and more sophisticated andversatirein their
functions.
Becausethe onry"old" singreerementmachinesin usetoday
are the 'ld IBM moders,singleerementmachines are lookedupon
as too advanced and innovati'efor do-it-yourserf
repairjobs and,
accordingly,it is next to impossibleto get ser'ice manuars
on
lhem. 1'he exceptionto this generalrule is that tBM selrs
IBM
servicemanuars(Fig. 1-g) to anyonerequestingthem,
wouldbe able to obtainone for your specificsingleelement
and you t
IBM
model.
F g . 1 - 7 . T h i s p h o t o o f t h e s a m e m a c h i n ea s t h a t o l F i g . 1 - 6 h a s t h e r i b b o n
each
r:aitridgeremoved for a better view of the element. In the case ol'lBM.
and
etemeit is a distinctlyditferent type style/size. Each has its own name
STAITIDARD
TYPEWRITER number for rdentification(interestinglyenough-in the case of IBM efemenls-
plainly
within some typewriterbrands,it is importantto indicate the number that identrtiesthe elem6ritto tAM servicemenis not the one
whetheror not your machineis a standardtyiewriter. In IBMs, Stampedonthep|astictopotlhee|emeni,buttheextreme|ysma||number
stamoedinto the elementitself' next to the plastictopl'

18 19
 .l

a rTlRivi otEp?dud.o*,efr
O C:-/UVLJ
f;uo
Cbdom
*
f,r{rh6De

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o
a
t
o flirtrr - , ,
I y p e b al yr p e w r i t e r
Iypebalypewriler

ldjustmenl
Patlsl{anual
h lc./Prhl list
h, Irrrb fr

.i hi tb. lln loili l:

F,g. t S. This array ot fBM service manualsand parts manuals does not indicate
t t r a tI h a v e t h e i n s i d et r a c k w i t h l B M , b u t s i m p l yt h e I h a d t h e m o d e s t m e a n s t o
purchase them. You can do the same. The simplestway to do it is to begin by
Fig' 1-8 lf itwere"o:"^gy3bl-:^rhat.atypingformatwourdcatorsixctifferenr o:lling the toll-freenumber given in this chapter,whereyou will be given informa-
style/sizes,these sjx elements,at aibtaicost rype lion on how to contact your regional IBM engineeringrepresentative.
of around $100, wou/d take the
plq.c".of six typewrite.rs.one might
ask, however, why these machines are
c a l l e d" s i n g l ee l e m e n t "m a c h i n e s . -

machinegenerallyusedfor speciarized purposes,suchas typeset-

ting, on which different characterstake up different
unit widths
(the generic term for this latter
machineis proportionorspacing
typewriter). Thus, the primary differenc",fiom
the repairman,s
point of view' betweenstandardand proportionar
spacingtype-
writers is in theescapementmechanism.
Variouscompaniesthat manufacture the proportionalspacing
typewriters identify them with their own-
tride names. For
example, while IBM stiil manufacturedtypebar
machines,its
proportionalspacerwentby thenameof.Erecutiue(Fig.1_10).
with the adventof singreerementmachines,theierminorogy
has changedsomewhat.when makingthe distinction
between
standardtypewritersand machinesfor typesetting,
it wourdbe
well to havesomeunderstanding of pitch. Fig. 1-10. lf you've recentlyshopped for used typewriters,you may have seen a
tew srmilar to this one in the displays. lt is an excellent typewriter, but with
geveral disadvantages for general typing, the most notable being lhat the
PITCH OFA TYPEWRTTER various characters take up various amounts of linear space, making back
on a standardtypewriter,the wordpitchmeans gpacrng for corraclions confusing in the beginning. However, if your Vping
the distance {ormat calls for an even right-handmargin,on a low budget,this machine willdo
betrveentwo charactersas they are typedon
the paper.Tradition- lhe lob excellently, Providing it has a carbon ribbon and that it is in good
condition.Otherwise avoid it.
20
21
 a l l y , s ta n d a rdty p e w ri ters have been ej ther 10-pi tch (10 F i g . 1 - 1 2 .T y p e a n y c h a r a c t e ro n a
character/spaces to the inch)or l2-pitch (12 character/spaces to proportionalspacing machine. Tap
the inch). on the typebartypewritersthepitch is established in the the back space button once. Betype
the character,and the result will be
escapementmechanismand is inalterablewithout changinginner
s o m e t h i n gl i k et h i s
mechanisms.However, on the more aduancedsingle element
machines,either lO-pitchor l2-pitchcanbe obtainedin the same
foll,,rvinga certairtprocedurein typing,the right-handmargincan
machine. on yet more advancedsingle element typewriters,
}re"typedeven-or justified-to give an even more printed look
10-pitch,lZ-pitchanda modifiedform of proportional spacingcan cl-he right-handmargin can also be justified with a standard
be obtainedonthesamemachine.
typewriter, but the printedlook is not quite achievedbecauseof
when pitchis fixed, as on typebarmachinesand some'lder typewriter).
the rrrherent typedlookproduced by a standard
singleelementmachines,it is generallyassumedthat the appro-
Unlessyouhavea specificneedfor a typesettingmachine,it is
priate type sizefor a lO-pitchmachineispica and for a l2-pitch
not oclvisabieto buy one of the older mcldelproportionalspacers
machine,elite.However,in the singleelementmachinesthis is no
wittr :r view to maintainingit yourself. They are not only
longerstrictlytrue.
Conrplicated to adjustand repair, but relativelycomplicatedto
operateasrvell.
PICAANDELITE
If you havea recentlyacquiredbut older machineand don't
on the older typebar machines,the word pica )ndicateda whetherit is a standardor proportionalspacer,makethe
f,irrorv
lO-pitchmachine,with a type that wasapproximatery r2-pointin followingtest. Type one character(anycharacter).Then tap the
size; and elite indicateda l2-pitch machine,with a type that was backspacekeybuttonandretypethe samecharacter.If the second
approximatelyl0-point in size. (The point systemof measuring typu)gdoesnot superimpose (register)exactlyon the first typing
type is widelyusedin the printingtrade,but in my opinionit has spacingmachine.Thus,if youthink
(Frg. 1-12),it is a proportional
only a tenuousconnectionto the typewrittencopy from standard Btaorrtrepairing or this
adjusting machine,youshouldbe awarethat
typewriters.) the rnechanism that movesthe carriageduringtyping (calledthe
€S(Qpement) is relativelycomplicated. Moreover,be sureto get the
PROPORTI ONAtSPACI I{GTYPEWRITER Sppropriateservice informationfor this kind of machine,which
As expiainedpreviously,a proportionalspacingtypewriteris rnavoutwardlyiooklike other,standard models.
one on which eachcharacteris assignedits orvnunit width (Fig.
1-11), and the carriageis madeto move that distancewhen the TY P E WRI TER RI BBO T{S
correspondingkeybutton is depressed.The appeal of such a A typewriterribbonrs essentially the carrierfor the medium
machineis twofold. Sincethe charactersdon't line up undereach that createsthe impressionon the paperwhen the type heador
other like postsin a fencerow, the copyhasa "printedlook.,'By elernentstrikesit. The two kindsof ribbonin commonusageare
iabricribbonsandcarbonribbons.
This is a line of 10-pitch standard A fabricribbonmay be eithercotton,silk or nylon-with the
tattur beingpreferable-impregnated with an ink of the chosen,
This is a line of 12-pitch -standard type ayailablecolor. The ink spreadsthroughthe fabric by capillary
ctctign.When ink is taken from one small area (as in typing a
This is a line of proportional spacing type
clraracter), the ink in that areais replenished-untilthe ink of the
tc*al ribbonis depletedthroughrepeateduse, or throughdrying
Fig. 1-11. These three lines of type iilustrate the ditferonces between the
varlous escapement mechanisms. lt may not be immediately obvious to the ttut. Thus, the inkingcapacityof the ribbonremainsaboutuniform
casual observer that the line of proportional spacing type has any unique throughoutits entire length and width. The entire length of the
characterisiics;however, you'll see that certain characterstake up less space falrlicribbonis usedrepeatedly,madepossibleby a mechanism in
than others,while on the linesof standardtype this is not true.
the.nrachinethat wtndsandrewindsthe ribbonfrom reel to reel (or
22 23
 sltoolto spool,if you prefer).This procedurecanbe repeated
over lf a typewriteris designedto useonly afabricribbon,thereis
and over until the ribbon is so depletedof ink that
it no longer eXtrcrlely little chancethat youcansubstitutea carbonribbon.You
makesa dark impression.As cornpared to the carbonribbon, tjre
fabricribbonhassome distinctdisadvantages, pr'otrably won't be able to find a carbonribbonof.a width to match
only slightryoffset *hat of the fabricribbon.Also, you probablywon't be able to find a
by someminoradvantages.
Loosely speaking,carbonribbonshave somewhatthe c,arbonribbon woundon a reel, or in a cartridge,that would be
same by themechanism of yourfabricribbonmachine-
characteristics as carbonpaper,with a "plain"sideanda ,,coated,, "rccepted
side. The coatedside containsthe carbonthat is deposited Assumingthat you could get aroundthese obstacles,you
on the would find that the one-timecarbonribbon would not make a
paper when the ribbon is struck by the type
heid. However, clrSlinct impression.The mechanism that rnovesthe ribbonthrough
speakingmore correctry,I shouldsay that there are
currentrya the rnachineis designedto movethe inkedribbononly a fractionof
varietyof ribbonsthatare calledcarbonribbons.Not
all of them are the distanceoccupiedby a character.This worksall right on fabric
constructedthe same way; nor do they react quite
the same. rrbhonswhich are inked by capillaryaction,but not on one-time
However, the one feature that variousso-calledcarbon
ribbons r'rbbons,on which the mediumof the ribbon is totally depleted
sharein commonis that they are one-timeribbons-that
is, when when struck by the type head (thus, the slight overlappingof
the ribbon is used long enoughto empty the originar
reer, the characterson the ribbon will causeindistinctareasin the typed
ribbonis usedupandmustbediscarded.
The primary advantageof a carbonribbon over i mpressions) .
the fabric 'lhere
ribbon is that it makes a uniformry dark, crisp are availablecertain kinds of so-called"reusable"
impression Clfbonribbons(the word "reusable"is a misnomer,however)that
throughoutits life, while the impressionof the fabric
ribbon gets purport to amelioratethe problemof one-timeuse, which will
progressiveiydimmeras the ribbonis usedrepeatedry.
The fact allowan overlapping of characters. However,it is difficult,if at all
that a carbonribbonmust be disposedof after one
use is offsetby possible,to find one of theseribbonsthat canbe substitutedon a
the fact that it is initially fairly inexpensive.However,
typing with tebric ribbonmachine.
a carbonribbonturns out to be more expensivethan
rvith a fabric As a generalrule, your choicesin selectinga ribbonfor a given
ribbon' If you run out of ribbon when uiing a carbon
ribbon, you fnachineare limited by the fact that you're almostforcedto use
can'ttype anymore until youpurchasea new ribbon,
whirea fabric ribbonis woundon a reel that will fit your rnachine.This
ribboncanbe usedbeyondits optimumlife (andoften ,wlr;rtever
is). Finally,a tS even more true in the caseof ribbonsloadedinto cartridges,
carbon ribbon deposits negligibte residue on
the typebar or 5incethe cartridgemustfit the machjne.However,the tendencyis
element, whereasinked fabric ribbonsreaveso
much residue of tlr;rtsomechoicesare availablein cartridgeribbons.For example,
ink-which tendsto collectdustandlint-that type
headsshould a ft:w cartridgeribbonmachinesare designedto take either fabric
be cleanedafterseveralhoursof typing.
And what, you may ask, do.. a lengthy or carbonribbons,with cartridgesbeingsuppliedaccordingly.
discussion of Nlost of the advancedsingle element typewriters use car-
typewriter ribbons have to do with type*.Iteis per
se? First, tridge ribbons.Generallyspeaking(andalways, in the caseof ItsM
ribbonsare anextremeryimportanttink i; the torar
typingprocess, SeltctncIIs), the availableribbonis eitherone that is transported
with regardto the qualityof typeproducedby machiie,
a secona,if thc full width of a charactereachtime the ribbon is struck (i.e.,
you don'tunderstandthe capabirities of a givenribbon,you may be
misled to think the typewriter doesn'twork .o.r".ttf. each time the escapementmechanismand ribbon transporting
Here are a n'lechanism is activated)<lr one that allows some overlappingof
few tips.
characters.In IBM terminology,the former ribbon is calledhiglt
H e l p fu l T i p s yrcldcorrectablefilm ibban (Fig. l-13), andthe latter is calledTech
Ill Gig. 1-14).The term "high yield" in the caseof the former
As a generalrule,a typewriteris designedto useeithera fabnc this ribbonactually yields a signifi-
rrbbonis misleadingbecause
ribbonor a carbonribbon,but not both.Thereare a few characters than the Tech III ribbon.
exceptions c;ntly lower number of
to thisrule,however.
Moreover,the use of the term Tech III is alsoa poor choiceof
24
25
 F,cl | 14. The IBM Tech lll ribbon cartridge is designed to interacl with the
ctbb,onlransporting mechanism of the seleclric ll in such a manner that
Fig' 1-13'The rBM high yieldcorrectabre ihanrcter overlappingis possible.Moreover,this ribbonhas certaincharacteris-
lrT.logll-c-artridgeis speciary
designedto interact:,th,th"ribbon.transfort {qci whrch ditfer from those of the film ribbon. This is an enremely long-lasting
of the rBMserectricrr rn such a
mannerthat characters do.not overlapeachother carlridge
ribbon.Theterm"hiohyield-rs saresplrro-inai""feu. tna "rrrent strites tne
characters thatthisribbonyierdsmore
thanan 6ariie,reM corie&IorJrir,'n
ribbon,primariry lmlror.tant, when choosing a paper to be printed as letterheads, that
rsmoreribbon-notbecauseofanyspeciar becausethere
ctraracterisricsof theribbon. the paperis compatible (i.e., accepts a dark,crispimpression) with
youf p:rrticular
ribbon-especially in thecaseof thecarbonribbon.
words becausethis cartridgers to be
used on the SelectricII R rbbon Pr oblem s
typewriter.Both,incidentally, arecorrectable,thoughby different 'fhe
methods. following are some possible problems arising from
suppliersthat are not affiriatedwith IBM, but rrrbbons, theircauses:
and
who suppry Problem: The impression is too light(i.e.,notdarkenough).
cartridgesfor ItsM macrrines, do not usethe ItsM terminorogyto
describethe ribbons.Theydesignate Cause #l: Thetypingpressure is notcorrect.
theribbonthatis comparabre
tofilm aspinh-or sometimesorangeorred,.'---core, Solution: Typingpressurewill be discussed later.
andthe ribbon Cause #2: Incorrectpaperis beingused.
comparable to the TechIII asbluecore.
ln using either the film or Tech III cartridges, Solution: Use the kinds of paper describedpreviously.
you shourd
understandthat the constructi<ln Sonretimes a backupsheetbehindthe originalprovidesa cushion-
of eachcartridgeIetermines how
it will contactthe machinemechanism, tng effect and makesa darkerimpression.Avoid hard-sur{aced or
andthereforedetermines
the rateat whichtheribbonwillbe transported (Fig. l_lS). Slossypaper.
Apartfrom the kind andquarityof theribbon, Cause #3: In the caseof a fabricribbon,the ribbonis either
the kindof typing cJupleted throughuseor is shelf-worn.
paperusedaffectsthe qualityof the typed
impression.with either
a fabric or carbonribbon, a hard-surfaced Solution: Replacethe old ribbonwith a new one. To avoid
papertends to dim the
impressionandduil its crispness.Moreover, the problem of shelf-wornribbons,buy from dealerswho havea
the impressionfrom
an inked ribbon tendsto smearon a hard-surfaced fapidturnoverof stock.
paper.Some Cause #4: The multiple-copycontrolis incorrectlyset.
h.1rd^slrfaced paperswiil not acceptcarbonribbonimpressions
all' ordinary typingpaperis arwayisuitable at Solution: Most typewritershavemultiplecopycontrols,the
t. be usedwith either
a fabricor carbonribbon.other suitabrepapers Furl)oseof whichis to makecompensations in the strikingpressure
are mrmeograph ottlre typingheadwhenseveralsheetsof paperare rolled into the
bond, duplicatorbond andxerographic(the
ratter, which is prain
paperusedin Xeroxandotherprainpaper lrachine.Generally,this is accomplished througha mechanism
copiers,is lesssuitabre
becauseit is fairlyslick;however,it does whichbacksthe platenslightlyawayfrom the reachof the typing
tur" * i*p,J.rion). It is
hcads,activatedby a leverwhichis usuallycalibrated in the letters
26
27
A, B, C, D, E, etc., with thehighestpressurebeingrepresented by areclippedoff, on eitherthe bottomor
I'roblem: Characters
A, the next lower pressureby B, etc. Generally,for up to two ,I,P
sheets of paper-plus-carbon, this lever should be sel at the Ciruse #1: In thecaseof somesirrgle-elernent machines, this
maximumpressure(understand, however,that this mechanism r3cArrs('d by anincorrectadjustmentof the mechanistn that lifts the
does not regulatetypingpressureper se, but movesthe platen Blernent duringtyping.
away from the typing head, and the more iikely result of an Cause #2: Inanycase,a too-narrowribbonwill causethetop
incorrectsettingof the mutiple-copy controlis irregularimpres- arrthebottomof the characters to be clippedoff.
sions,ratherthanconsistently lightimpressions). l'roblem: There are light areasin otherrvisedark impres-
Cause #5: In the caseof carbon(or ribbonscomparable to stoJls.
carbon),the ribbon may be shelf-wornor simply inferior. At the Cause #1: In the caseof inkedribbons,this couldbe caused
risk of soundinglaudatoryabout"brandnames,"I wouldsuggest by drrty typeheadsor shelf-wornribbons.
that you alwaysuse brand name ribbonsthat correspondt<l the Cause #2: In the caseof carbonribbons,this may be caused
brandnameof your typewriter(lBM ribbonsfor tBM machinesand by shelf-wornribbonsor moregenerallyby a ribbontransporting
the like). This rule doesnot alwaysholdtrue, and you may find mech;rnism that transportsthe one-timecarbonribbonan incre-
some "off-brand"ribbonsto be superiorto brand-nameproducts; nrental distance that is too short, causingoveriappingof charac-
however, this has not been my own experience.While some ters.
companyexecutivesdeny that carbonribbonscan becomeshelf- Solutions: Most solutionsare self-evident-cleantyping
worn, at leasta few repairmensuggestthatthe shelflife of carbon
heads,etc. In the caseof the carb<lnribbon, be sure you're not
ribbonsis betweensix monthsanda year. tryrngto usea one-timecarbonribbonin a mechanism designed for
;rninkedribbon.In thecaseof somesingleelementmachines (tBM
5c'lectncII, for example)the depression/disengagement of a gear
in the ribbon transport mechanism,only when the Tech III
carfridgeis installed,causesthe ribbonto be transportedslorvly.
Theref<lre, if for anyreasonthis gearremainsdisengaged whenthe
film ribbon cartridge is installed, the film ribbon will not be
transportedappropriately to producea uniformlydarkimpression.

PLATEN
il
The platen is the long, cylindricalroll, with a handknob on
t'ither end, againstwhich the typing head strikes when it is
actuated(Fig. 1-16). The platen serves the dual purposeof
providinga striking surfacebehindthe paper;and it works in
conjunctionwith feed rolls to feed the paper throughthe type-
rrr.iter.To servethislatterpurpose,it is equipped on oneendwith
a rutchetwheel,whichengageswith a pushpawlto movethe platen
e specifieddistance.
On most oldertypewriters,the platenis rubber-or perhaps
svntheticrubber*which, when new, is resilient to provide a
F i g . 1 - 1 5 . L o o k a t t h e s e l w o c a r l n d g e sc l o s e l ya n d y o u ' ) ls e e a s i g n i f i c a n t cushioning effect.As the typewritergetsolder,andregardless of
difference in their constructton(note frre hollow stud in lhe upper cartridge, tlreamountof useit gets,the rubberof the platenhardens,causing
which is the Tech lll cartridge).This determinesthe rale at which the ribbon is
two problemsto developgradually.The typeheadscut throughthe
transporledthroughthe rnachine
paper(this is pzrticularlyproblematicwhentypingon mimeograph

28 29
 On singleelementtypervriters,theplatenremainsstationary.
Thet ypingelementis transportedfrom left to right duringtyping.

PAPER
TABTE-FEED
ROLLS
Thepupertable,which may alsobe calledthepaperpun, is a
curvcdmetaltable(or pan),directlyunderneath the platen.It hasa
higlrly polished surfaceand is fitted rvith feed rolls (see parts
3o-'31,Fig. 1-17)which contactthe platenin sucha mannerthat
wfrelrthe platenis turned,the paper,whichis grippedbetrveenthe
ptatenandfeedrolls, slidesover the polishedsurfaceof the paper
tahieand is fed throughthe typewriter. The tensionbetweenthe
platenand the papertable-feedrolls can be eliminated-so the
piper can be quickly removed-by a pafer releosemechanism.
F i g . 1 -1 6 . H e r e t h e p l a t e nh a s b e e n r e m o v e df r o m h e o j d l g M , M o d e lA , a n d i s Tfrrsrnechanism morefullylaterin thischapter.
will be described
lying in front of il. This particularplaten was resilientwhen new, but rs now hard
and shoufdbe replaced.That's a minorjob.

stencils)and, in extremecases,the non-resilience of the praten

may cause a typebar to break. A hardenedplaten should be 64
replacedwith a newone. \
Another problem that can developgraduallyis that of the
platen surface, which was smooth in the beginning,becoming
ridged, with the ridges runningaroundthe circumferenceof the
Hfr
<f
platenasspaces equalto thepitchof thetypewriter.This causesan 14
unevenimpression.In the earlystagesof ridging,the effectscanbe I
amelioratedby usinga backupsheetof paperbehindthe original
sheet. Later, the platen can be resurfaced.Resurfacingrequires
specialequipment, but it is a relativelyinexpensive i
procedure. 15
On sometypewriters,the platensare easilyremoved,while
on otherstheyareremovedwith moredifficulty.Removingplatens
will be discussedfor certainmodelslaterin thisbook.
M,X*\:T*Y#'-
CARRIAGE
On typebarmachines , acarriagemovesleftwardduringtyping
;tr,,Yv"9
't2tt
to allow the line of type to progressrightwardon the paper. on .t1;
manuals-andgenerallyspeaking,electricsas rvell*the carriage
is pulledalongby the tensionof a spring,and at the end of the
predetermined travelthe carriageis pushedrightwardto alignwith
I

I
,
the left-handmargin of the paper. on a manualtypewriter, the 5
carriageis pushedby hand,whereasonmostelectricsthe carriage s2A
rs returnedunderpower.In anycase,the carriagerides on tracks.
The entire carriageassemblyincludesthe platenandpapertable F;g t-17. This blow-up shows the carriage parts of certarn Brother Models
a n dfe e dro l l s(F i g .I,l 7 ). (courtesy ol Brother lnternationalCorporation).

30 31
 Thepaperbail is a cylindricalrod,the lengthof the platen,and
is equippedwith rolls that swing down ,g.in.t the praten.its
purposeis to holdthepapersnugagainsttheplaten.

0VERV|EW 0FCOritTROt BUTT0trtSAt{DTEVERS

Typewriter control buttons, levers, knobs, etc., alrow the
typist to control certain inner mechanismsfrom an external,
convenientposition. In some cases these controls are
easily
identifiablebecausethey are marked;in other casesthey are
not
markedand, in a few cases,referenceto an operator'smanuai
is
1!out the only way to identify them. In any case, proper
identificationof thesecontrols,andthe useof the most appropriate
terminology to describe them, is important when discussing
problemswith suppli ers andprofessionalrepairmen.

Frg 1-19. This close-upphoto shows the two space bars of the proportional
SpaceBar IBM typewritershown earlierin this chapter.Oepressingthe space bar
spaong '3"
Apart from controllingthe actionsof the typebarsthroughthe rnarked will move lhe carriage three unrts of space; depressingthe space
bar marked "2" will move the carriagetwo unitsof space.This providesa means
keybuttons, other operationsof the typewriter are controlled <rfvaryingline (engthsto fit certaintypingf ormats.
through various control buttonsand levers. The space
bar (Fig-
1-18,Item 1)is locateddirectlybelowthekeybuttonassembly,
in a lrosition where it can be touchedby the typist's thumb. Most
generally,a light touch on the spacebar causesthe carriage(or
r-v-pingelement, in the caseof single element machines)to be
rnovedone "space," which on standardtypewriters is always
cxactlyequal to the movementwhen a characteris typed. On
certainmachines,a constantpressureon the spacebar causesthe
c;rrriageor elementto move and continuemoving(i.e., "repeat
spacing")until the pressureis released(on the machineof Fig.
l-18, repeat spacingis accomplished by depressingthe bar
rndicated asItem 2). If therearetwo spacebars,theirfunctionswill
dependupon whether the machineis a standardtypewriter or a
ltroportionalspacer.
The Second Space Bar On The Standard Typewriter.
'fhe
secondspacebar (usuallyon the left) on a standardtypewriter
5
rnaybe eithera repeatspacebar(asin Fig. 1-18)or half-space bar.
3
The Second Space Bar On The Proportional Spacing
Typewriter. Speakingprimarily of the IBM Executiue,the two
? spacebars, from left to right, wili be numbered"3" and "2" (Fig.
I
1-19).The spacebar to usefor normaltypingis the "2" spacebar,
rvhichmovesthe carriageleftwarda distanceof two units of width.
Fig.1-18.Thisis the orympiaModerB-'r2,manuarporlabre 'fhe
typewriter.
By the space to use for clther purposes-such as modifying line
limeyou readthisentrre-chapter
youwillunderstand
to (courtesy
wharattmbnumoersrefer lengthsif desired-is the "3" spacebar, whichmovesthe carriage
of OLyMplAUSntruC.y.
leftwardby a distanceof threeunitsof width.Thesetivo spacebars
32
33
 are used in conjunctionwith the backspacekey, which
movesthe
carriagerightward(thatis, bach)by a distance

spacebar will causerepeatspacing.

of oneunit of width,
to adjustthe lengthof rinesof t1pe.A constantpressure
on the ,.3,, @4
g
0n-OffGontrolgutton
Theon-offcontrorbuttonis, of course,present
Click
Cllct ln r C&rdi..
Close/
Oalh. lb,
onryon erectric
machines(Fig. 1-29;'upperreftcornerof the keyboard.
Generaily
speaking,if it is foundin an obviousprace,
ctoseto the keybutton
format, it will be clearlymarkedwith the words
on andoff. If it is
not foundnearthe keybuttonpaner,it may
be foundon the side,or
underneath,the keybuttonpinel, in whiih case
the words on and
off may be indicatedby a pointer or disprayed
througha smarl
window.
Frequently,the on-offcontrorbuttonis not
. embodiedin the
switch itself, but is connectedto the switch
through a linkage.
Sometimesa misadjustmentin this rinkagecan cause
switching
problerns;therefore,whendiscussingswiictrinfprobru*.,
be sure
and make the distinction between the switch
itserf, the on_off
control button and the linkage_if there is a linkage.
Shiftand ShiftLockControfButtons
In the Iowerleft andlowerright cornersof the keybuttonpanel
are locatedthe shift controlbuttons(Fig. l-lg,
Item 3). Directly
above the shift control button in the lefi corner is
the shift_Lock
controlbutton(Fig. l-lg, Item4).
on a tlpebar machine,depressingeither of the shift
control
ffirrroruEB
buttonswill causethe completetlpebai assemblyto
such a manner that the ufper portions of the
be roweredin CassetteHcctric@
type heads, which TEAIURIIiG Rl8B0l{
IASY
A 0U|CI, CHAll0lllS
SYSTtt.
contain capital letters and other "upper .u."i ' 13 66'ia(p ''":':;;:::::,:#i:il ' Kavset'rbu'!a'!o?
characters,will
strikethe platen-simirarry,ona singreelementmachine,
theupper
case characterswill strike the platen, but F l g 1 - 2 0 .T h i s i s t h e B r o t h e re l e c t r i c M
, o d e l J P l 0 . O n t h i s p a r t i c u l a rm a c h i n e ,
in this case it is
accomplishedby rotating the typing erementlg0 flro on-off switch is clearly marked, but this is not the case on all machines
degrees,since fcourtesy of Brolher fnternational Corporation).
one hemisphereof the elementcontainsthe lower
casecharacters
while the oppositehemispherecontainsthe
uppercasecharacters.
The typebarassemblyor elementreturnsto its opcratorpushesagainsta lever (Fig. 1-18,Item 12) that extends
lower caseposition
when the shift control button is released.Depressing outwardfrom the left endof the carriage.This lever is alsocalleda
the lock
control button will lock the assemblyor element line spaceleuerbecauseit also controlsthe mechanismthat turns
in positionfor
continuousupper casetyping, and canbe rereased tire platen.
by-depressing
andreleasingeitherof the shiftcontrolbuttons. On electric typewriters, the carriageis generally, but not
CarriageReturnControlButtonor lever always, returned under power throughan electrically actuated
on a manuartypewriter,the carriageis returned rrechanjsmwhenthe operatordepressesthereturncontrolbutton,
to its starting locatedon the right-handend andabouthalfwayup the keybutton
positionat the left-handmarginmanually(by
armpower),whenthe prnel .
34
35
 simultaneousry as the caniagereturns,the pratenwiil turn to l:otlr mar stop and carriagereleasecontrol buttons. On the other
achieve vertica.lline-spacingbetween lines of type.
The line harrd,if there are two margin stop levers locatedon the paper
spacingmechanismwiil be exprained in thenext two chapters. scale, margin setting is accomplishedby depressingthe appro-
pnatelevel (i.e.,left-handleverfor the left-handmarginstop,etc.)
TabSetandClearControlButtons
to disengageit from a lockedposition,andsimply slidingit to the
Tab set andtab crear maybe one control button, which newposition,whereit is allowedto lock in place.
rocks
back and forth (Fig. l-lg, Item l0), or two There may be considerable variationsfrom thesemethodsof
separatecontrol
buttons.while the locationvariesfrom machine marginsetting, from machineto machine.However, it's usually
to machine,it is
generallyfoundnear the keybuttonpanel. not difficult to figure out how to set rnargin stops, even on
Depressingthe tab set
engagesa mechanismwhich sets a tabular unfamiliarmachines.Here are some points to rememberabout
stop wherever tle
carriageor elementhappensto be locatedat the nrarginsetting.
time of setting.
Depressingthe tab crearwiil eriminateor ,,crea.r,,previousryset ! On anyproperly operatingtypewriter, either standardor
tabularstops,providingthe carriage/elementis tabbld to thaistop proportionalspacer,the carriagewill alwaysstop at the present
beforedepressingthe tab clearcontrolbutton.Actuar
tabbing(i.e., left-handmarginwhenthe carriageis returned.
tabulating)is donethrougha tabcontrolbutton.
D On variousstandardtypewriters, the right-handmargin
-qt()pmay only stopthe carriagewhen charactersare beingtyped,
TabControlBufton
brrt not when spacingor tabbing.On someproportionalspacing
The word tab means tabular stop and even the nuchines, settingthe right-handmargindoesnothingbut set the
ordest of.
typewriters was equippedwith these stops which, positionof a warningbelt. It doesnot actuallyset a stop that will
when appro-
priatelyset, wouldailow the carriageto siop the carriagein its leftwardtravel.
movein oneuninterrupted
motionandstop atthe presetposition.Depressing The actual mechanismof the carriage stops is simple and
the tab control
button (Fig. 1-18,Item 12) activatesa mechanism srraightforwardand most generallyeasilyvisible and accessible.
which momen- 'Ihere
tarily releases the carriage from the escapement will be moreaboutthis in later chapters.
rnechanism,
allowingit to moveleftwardunderspringtension
until the first tab
stop is reached,where the carriagewilr stop. lrlarRel(MarginRelease)Keybutton
Depressingthe tab
control button subsequenttimes causesthe carriage
to move to A margin release keybutton (Fig. 1-18, Item 5), usually
subsequentpreset tabularstopsin a series.The
mechanismthat locatedon the left end of the keyboard,allowsthe typist to move
accomplishes this wiil be discussed
morefully in the next chapter. 'tlre carriage beyond the preset left-hand or right-hand margin
stops,withoutthenecessityof resettingthe stops.Then, whenthe
MarginSetControlButton(s)or lever carriageis againmoved betweenthese two limiting stops, the
If the setting of the reft-handand right-hand margins stops are again effective, unless and until the margin release
is
accomplishedthrough a control button, it will be keybuttonis againdepressed.The mechanismthat is activatedby
marked,mar
sel-or somesimilarmarking.If it is accomplished tlie marginreleasekeybuttonwill be discussed in the next chapter.
throughlevers
locatedon the paper scale(Fig. l_lg, Item l4), they
may not be
marked, but their positionsmaketheir functions CarriageReleaseGontrolButtons
obvious.In the
caseof a mar set control button, there may be only
one control Carriagereleasecontrolbuttonsare generallynot so marked,
button, with which to set both the reft-handandrighi-trand
margin but they can be identifiedby their locationsat either end of the
stops.This is usuallyaccomplished by movingthJcarriageto the platen (Fig. f-18, Item l9)-generally betweenthe ends of the
marginthat you wish to eliminate,depressingthe
marsfop button platenandthe platenknobs.The reasonfor two controlbuttonsis
simultaneously with thecarriagererease controlbutton,movingthe for the convenience of beingableto releasethe carriagewith either
caniageby handto the newposition,andsimultaneously
releasing lrand.It is not necessaryto depressthesecontrolbuttonsin order
36
37
 to move the carriagerightward, but it is necessaryto move
the IouchControl
Lever Eutton
orGontrol
carriageleftward-or the directionit traversduringtyping.
'l'ruch
The featureof being ableto move the carriage(andthus the control(also calledtutch regulutionand other similar
type headsin relation to the platensurface)by handis uniqueto keybuttonsor leversare foundon manualtypewriters,for
rrirrlrcs)
typebarmachines,as the elementcarriageof the single element thc purposeof regulatingthe amountof pressurethat must be
machinescannotbe released.Therefore,nothingcomparableto applred to a keybutton to activate the typebar. This is to
the carriage release contror buttons is to be iound on single cornpensate for the differenttlping pressuresthat differentpeople
elementtypewriters. inherently exert when typing. Through this compensation,the
pressurewith which the typebarsstrike the platen is indirectly
regulated.Touch control is also availableon some electric
RibbonPositionControlgutton mat*hines.
In normal operation,eachtime a keybuttonis depressedto TypingPressure
Regulation
type a character,a mechanismlifts the ribboninto positionto be On some electric typewriters,the pressurewith which the
struckby the type head.when the typebarcompreteiits cycre,the 'type head strikes the platen can be regulatedby a pressure
ribbon is lowered.This resurtsin an up-and-down motion of the regulatingmechanism.The buttonthat actuatesthe mechanismis
ribbon during typing. On fabric ribbon machines, rhe ibbmt son)etimescalled an imfressionregulator, and is often marked
position(or colorcontrol)buttonis usedto put the ribbon position rvith* and- symbols(seeFig. 1-20,the controldirectlybelowthe
in
whereeither its top half is presentedon the up cycle,or its bottom on-offswitch).
half. This providesa meansof switchingfrom the blackportionof Typing pressurecontrol is not the sanreas touch control,
the ribbonto the red portion or, in the caseof a correctingribbon, inasmuchas it doesnot regulatethe amountof manualpressure
from the typing portion to the correcting portion. Moreou"., 'thatmustbe appliedto a keybutton.
depressingthe ribbon positioncontrol button still further will On most electric tlpewriters, in additionto overall typing
completelydisengagethe ribbonlift mechanismso that no surface pressureregulation,the pressuresof individualtypebarscan be
of the ribbon is presentedfor tlping. Thus, with the type head regulated through individual screw adjustments,found eitlrer
missingthe ribbon compretery,no printed impressionis made trnderneaththe machineor under the top cover of the machine.
when the type headstrikes the paper/praten.Tiis is the position This procedurewill be describedmore fully in the chapteron
usedfor typing mimeographstencils.on fabric ribbon machines, adlustments.
the ribbon position controrbutton is locatednear the keybutton
panel,usuallyon the left sideof the panel(it is on the righi BackSpaceKeybutton
sideof
themachinein Fig. l-lg, however). Thebackspacekeybutton(Fig. 1-18,Item 9) is almostalways
On certainsingleelementmachines(again,notablythe IBM locateddirectly above the return control button. Depressingit
SelectricII and comparablemachines)there is no color control ..rctuatesa mechanismthat causesthe carriageto movebackward.
because,to date, there are no dual-corored The distanceof this movementon standardtypewriters is one
ribbons (there are,
however, ribbons of various corors, interchangeable characterSpace.On some machines,a cons[antpressureon the
simply by
changingthe cartridge). However, there is a backspacekeybuttonwill causethe carriageto keep movingback
frovision, Ln the
elementcarriage,to disengagethe ribbonlift mechanismso that a untit the keybuttonis releasedor the carriageis stoppedagainst
mimeographstencil can be typed. Never type on a mimeograph the left marginstop;thisis thefeatureof repeatspacing.
stencilthat is not coveredwith the protectivefilm sheet.If this fiim On some proportionalspacingtypewriters, the back space
is not suppliedwith the stencil,reavingtheribbonin normaltyping keybuttonis foundin the traditionallocation.Ratherthan moving
position, rather than disengagingthe ribbon lift, will keep the the carriagebackwardby the distanceof a character,it movesit
elementfrom becomingcloggedwith the collodionof the stencil. b;rckwardonly one unit of measurement,whichis inherentto the
rnachine andalwavsIessthana characterwidth.
38
39
 MuftipleCopyControlLever platcnis reieasedby pushinginwardon the platenknob itself.In
on most electricmachines, the pratencanbe movedslightry anv case, the knob returns to its normalpositionunder spring
backfrom the strikingreachof the typeheadsto compensate pressure,re-engagingthe ratchetwheelwith the pawl as soonas
for the
Iargereffectivecircumference of the platenwhenseveralsheetsof youqui tpushingit .
paperare inserted.This is accomplished by movinga multiplecopy Xeybuttons
control lever (whichmay not be markedas such),which *uv
bL
calibratedin eitherlettersor numbers.This lever will usually Keybuttonformatson U.S. typewritersare for the most part
be
foundon top of the typewriter, in the areaof the platen,but starrdardized, with eachkeybuttonactuating eithera lowercaseor
it may
sometimesbe foundnearerthekeybuttonpanel. uppercasecharacter.However,this formatcanvary widelyamong
specialpurposetypewriters-suchas thoseusedfor advertising
PaperReleaseLever layout, etc. Insofar as standard typewriters-and especially
typebartypewriters-are concerned,there may be some slight
To facilitatestraighteningthe paperafter it has beenrolled
variationsin keybuttonformatfrom one machineto the other, with
into the typewriter, the papertable andfeed rolls can be backed
rnostvariationsoccurringin symbols,numbersand punctuation
awayfrom the platen,untilthe pratenandfeedroils no longer
touch rnarks.
eachother. This is accomprished througha paperreteaie lever,
usuallyfoundon top of andon the right-handendof the typewriter The variationof keybuttonformat from one single element
(F i g . 1 -1 8 Ite nrachineto the otheris slightlygreaterthanon typebarmachines,
, m2 0 ).
;trrclthese variationsintroducethe problem of selectingthe
[ine SpaceSelectorlever alrpropriate typingelementsfor a givenmachine.Within the ItsM
srngleelementline, for example,somekeyboards are designated
As I saidearlier, whenthe carriageor elementis returned as "88 character,"while othersare designated as "96 character."
to
the left-handmargin stop, a push pawr engagingin the praten Tvping elementswill not interchange betweenthese two IBM
ratchetwheelturns the platenby somepredeterminednumber nrodels(namelythe IBM SelectricII and tBM SelectricIII). Of
of
linespaces.This predetermined numberis setthrougha rinespace c'ourse,there are slight keyboardformat differences-with cor-
selector lever (not to be confusedwith the .rrrirg" fesponding differencesin the typing elements-between the
,"tr*
lever-which doublesasa linespacelever-on manualmachines), varioustypewriterbrands.
which is generallyfound on top of the machine,on either Despite smallvariationsin keyboardformat, the variations
the
right-handor left-handend (Fig. l_lg, Item 13). On are never so radicalas to causetypingdisorientation. A typical
some
machines,line spacingis avaiiabrein single-spacing, Variationwouldbe the inciusionof somemathematical symbolon
doubre-
spacingandtriple-spacing, andthe linespaceselectorleverwill be orrcmachinethat is not presenton anothermachine,but generally
calibratedwith the numbers,,I,,,',2,,and,,3." On othermachines, this new keybuttonwill not usurp the place of one that is
line-spacing is availablein singre-spacing,
one-and-a-half- traditionallyfoundon typewriters.Everythingsaidhere in regard
spacing,
double-spacing, and-sometimesbut not arways-tripre-spacing. to keybuttonformatappliesto U.S. standard typewriters.
As a generalrule, the rine spaceselectorlever will be located
on t8MSELECTRTC
il CoitTRotS
theendwherethe platenratchetis found.
In additionto the foregoinglist of commonlyfoundkeybuttons
PfatenReleaseKnob arrrlcontrol levers,sometypewritershaveothers.For example,
The ratchet of the pratencan be disengagedfrom the push fht' IBM SelectricII-as well as comparablesingle element
pawl, causingthe platento turn freery.Thi; is nrachines-haveinnovativefunctions,for which controlbuttons
accomplished
by
pushinginwardon a buttonin the centerof the platen lntl leversmustbe provided.Onthe SelectricII youwouldfindthe
knob(usuaily
found on the left-handknob only-Fig. l-1g, Item 1r), tbl l ow ing.
whire Depressingand holdingthe indexkeybuttonturns the platen
simultaneouslyturningthe platenknob. on somemachinesthe
thc numberof verticalline spacesat whichthe line spaceselector
40 41
lever is set, while the carriage(i.e., the element, of course) natnesand purposesof the variouscontrols found on
lc,c;rtions,
you
remainsstationary. typrwriters. This is to help youlearnthe properlanguage,so
(EXP) keybuttonreturns cai.,he on speakingterms with professional repairmen, manufac-
Depressingandholdingthe express
parts,
the element leftward, until the keybuttonis releasedor the iurcrs and distributors. It is extremely helpful to call
levers, etc., by their correct
technically names'
elementreachesthe left-handmarginstop, without the platen's {u1t:tions,control
turning.Thus, elementreturn canbe accomplished without line Tlrjs cansaveyouSomedelayandfrustrationwhenseekingadvice,
talk
spacing,if desired. orderrngparts or servicemanuals.[n the next chapterI will
which these external controls
In the lower-right-handcorner of the keybuttonpanel is a 3b0ut the internal mechanisms
keybuttonmarked with the symbol X, enclosedby an arTow acti vate.
pointing leftward. This is the correctingback space keybutton
which,whenmomentarilydepressed,backspacesthe elementone
space,whilesimultaneously engaging a mechanism whichwillhold
the element in position while one characteris typed. When a
secondcharacteris typed, the keybuttonsare back in normal
operatingmode,andthe elementmovesrightwardduringtyping.
On the insideof the right-hand platenknobof the SelectricI is
a free-turningdial, calibratedin numbersfrom 0 to 4. This dial is
not connected to anymechanism of themachine, andis simplyused
to give the operatoran indicationthat the endof the pageis being
reached(the IBM operator'smanualrefers to this dial as the
page-endindicator).It is an unnecessary conveniencefeatureand
servesno usefulpurpose.
On the right-hand endandalmostdirectlyover the platen,on
the SelectricII, is anunmarkedleverwhich,whenpulledout of its
normal position and toward the typist, disengagesthe platen
ratchet in such a manner that when the ratchet is later re-
engaged-after turningthe platenanynumberof turns-the lever
canbe movedto its normalposition,re-engaging the ratchet.Line
spacingwillregisterexactlyasit wasbeforetheplatenwasmoved.
The IBM operator'smanualrefersto this leverasthe linefinder.
On the left-handend of the SelectricII and almost directly
over the platenis anotherunmarkedlever. The normalpositionof
this lever is towardthe rear of the machine,where it is held by
springtension.Pullingit towardthe tlpist and holdingil activates
a mechanismwhichmovesthe elementbackone-halfspace.The
typewritercanbe operatedwhile this leveris heldback,to provide
one-halfor 7Vzspacesbetweenwords.The IBM operator'smanual
refersto this leverasthe halfbacksDacelever.

S U MMA R Y
WhatI haveatternptedto do in this chapteris familiarizeyou
with typewriterterminologyandto give you a descriptionof the
43
42
 fl?eers

-----
2
Chapter KEY

KEYLEVEH
Manual TYPEBARWIRE
BELLCRANK
Typewriter
I e.2-1. In this illustration,one typebaris isolatedfrom the assembly to clarify
Mechanisms lh6 process (courtesy ol Brother InternationalCorporation).

New manualtypewriters are still available.while it may be an by the typebarwire, the bottomend of the typebaris pulledin the
overstatementto say that they are an important segmentof the drrectionof the key, andthe headof the typebarstrikesthe platen.
industry, it is fair to say that they have been present in the As a further illustrationof the typing mechanismprinciple,
consumermarket in sufficientamountsand for enoughyears that refcr now to Fig. 2-2. Whenthekey is pusheddown,the key lever
manyof the machinesseenby professional repairmenare manual pullsthe typebarwire in the directionof the key, whichcausesthe
typewriters. iylrebar to swing in an arc toward the platen. Note that in this
while the mechanism descriptionsin this chapterareintended particularillustration, it is the lower characterthat strikes the
to be representativeof a fairly largecross-sectionof machines,the platen,and that the upper characteris abovethe curvatureof the
illustrationsare those of well-knownand popularbrands,taken platen. This is the positionalrelationshipbetween the typebar
from service manualssuppliedby manufacturers.However, the headand platen when the typewriter is set to type lower case
textual descriptions,togetherwith the iilustrations,shouldhelp characters.
you to understandthe underlyingprinciplesof the mechanisms of To seeyet anotherillustrationof a typingmechanism,referto
just aboutanymanualtypewriter. f rg.2-3. Whenthekey lever (1)is depressed, the key lever link (4)
The part namesin the textual descriptionsdo not always rs pulled aroundmaking the key lever shaft (3) the center of
matchthe onesthat I havesuggested because,asI explainedin the revolution.Becauseof the movementof the key |ever link (4), the
first chapter, there is some variance in terminology between Srrblever (6) is rotated,with the sublever shaft(5) beingthe center
manufacturers.The names were used as they appearedin the of revolution.The typebarlink (8) is pulledby this movement,and
servicemanuals,to makeyourreferenceeasier. the typebar(9) swingsup andstrikes the platen(10). Lastly, the
key lever (1) andtypebar(9) arereturnedto normalpositionby the
TYPII{G
MECHA}IISM tensionof the sublever spring(7).
Thelyping mechanismcausesa typebarto swing up andstrike
the platenwhena keybuttonin depressed.Referto Fig. 2-1. when SPACING
MECI{A}IISM
the keybutton(key)is depresseddown,the key reverpushesdown The spacing mechanism causes the caniage to move one
on the bell crank. Sincethe bell crank is connectedto the typebar ctraracterspacewhenthe spacebaris depressed.Referto Fig. 24.

44 45
 32
;e
-n(d)
PLATEN TYPEBAR lSTROW 2ND
E<
.! 0-
Y P E B A RR E
TYPEBAR
r9i
loo
l€t

lBs
-/4.--
-\:'r
/i

l>o
lc-
lct c
l c 9(!
l':
lo o.
lE or
Fig.2-2. This typing mechanism,f rom tre BrotherModel JP7, f urther illustrates
typingmechanismprinciples(courtesyofErotherInternationalCorporation). IEE
Whenthe spacebar is depressed,the spacerod is moved in the
le*
lss
directionof the arrow, escapecrankB moves,andthis movement lt -d> t
lo-
is transmittedto the half spaceratchet,whichin turn movesthe lB.g
carriage.Releasingthe spacebarcompletesthe spacing. ll (>! ;c
To look at yet anotherrepresentativespacemechanism,refer
to Fig. 2-5.Whenthe spacekey (1)is depressed, the spacelink (3a)
lqE
16n
pushesa corurection (4), whichin turn pushesthe loose dog (5a), IOo
l5a
whichpushesthe fixed dog (6a). This removesthe fixed dog (6) laP
from the escapement wheel(7), andthe carriagemovesonespace. l-sE
ICo
Finally, when the spacekey (1) is no longerdepressedby the
operator,it-together with the spacelink (3)-is returnedto home lE$
positionby the tensionof spring(8).

ESCAPEM
El{TMECHAI{I
SM
The escapement mechanismcausesthe carriageto move one
IEE
leo
spacewhen a keybuttonis depressed(i.e., when a characteris
typed).Referringto Fig. 2-6, whenthe characterkey is depressed, IrH
l -(/)

the escapecrank(rear-F-42) will be rotatedin the directionof the IEE

arrow, by an escape crank (front-F-40). The escape crank lE5
(rear-F-42) will shift the half spaceratchet(F-48) to the plate
where F-48 is engagedwith the spaceratchetwheel (F-37), via
IE;
leg
escapecrank(rear- F-42). l'd.9
| >\E
The half spaceratchet(F-48)will be pushedinto the insideof IEE
the addendumof the spaceratchet wheel (F-37).Meanwhile,the
space ratchet (F-47) will be disengagedfrom F-37. In this
lf"E
l:{
t69
:
condition,the carriagewill be shifteda halfspace,by the tensionof tir b
the springdrum.

46 47
 F-54(G)F-s(F)
F-50

F-40
A-55

( B )0 0 0 3 9r N . - 0 0 1 1 8 l N .
F-37

F i g -2 ' 4 . T h i s s p a c i n qm e c h a n i s m ,
taken,,,
howipacins
i"
|il:?:,;*:ws ""fo.npronir"*,r"rt;;;;ffi; lnternarionar (A)0.066lN.-0.074lN.

F-48 and F-47 wirr return to the Frg.2-6. This escapementmechanismis f rom the servicemanual of the Brother
originarposition by spring ModetM- 1OO.The adjustmenttolerancesthat are shownhere willbe disqlssed
action, while sirnurtaneously
F-ao wirr return to its original rn a later chapter (courtesyof Brother lnternationalCorporation).
position,andthe carriagewilishift
anothe.harfspace.A fuil space
shiftingof the carriagehasbeen
accomplished. To see anotherescapementmechanism,refer to Fig. 2'7.
Whena keybuttonis depressed,the typebar(not shown)pushes
the escapementdrive plate, whichmovesthe escapecrankA and

mechanism Frg.2-7.Thisescapement mechanism is fromthe Brotherservicemanuallor

!i;i;},l|,l; orrheorvmpia
Moder
r-rtil, if you readthe text carefully
ll,::f ""'"s th6 BrotherModelJP7.lt's easyto understand
Corporation).
(courtesyof BrotherInternational
48
49
 alsoescapecrankB, the harfspaceratchet
andspaceratchet,which
rernovesthe spaceratchetfromthe space
ratchetwheel.
For yet anotherescapement mechanism,see Fig. 2-g. when F-35
the key lever is depressed,the typebaris
operatedin in" direction I
of the platen,andthenthe side F-33 c-3s
iUl of the typebarprJu, the side
f.a.21
Qil of the segmentuniversarbar. The tip of ih" bo,,o.n
(ab)of the segmentuniversalpushes pr.t I
the connection(5),and then c-30
(-
rrI-1-

c-2 9

Fig.2-9.Thisbackspacemechanism
is oftheBrother takenfromthe
M-100,
Erother
service (courtesy
manual ofBrother Corporation).
International

the setscrew(5a)of the connectionpushesthe loosedog (6) in the

upper direction. The fixed dog (3) leaves the star wheel (1) in
;rccordance with themovementof the loosedog(6).
The carriagemovesin the directionshownwith an arrow, by
the force of the mainspring.Then the revolutionof the star wheel
(l) is stopped by the loose dog (6), and the movernentof the
carriagestops.
Finally, when the key lever is no longer depressed,the
typebaris returnedto homepositionby the sub-leverspringand
universalspring (8). The loosedog (6) is releasedfrom the star
wheel(1) by the loosedog spring(9), andthe carriagecompletes
its movementin the direction shownwith the arrow, by spring
tension.The revolutionof the star wheel(l) is discontinued by the
fixeddog(3), andthe carriagestops.
Incorporatedin this mechanismis a "silent return" feature,
whichoperatesasfollows.The silent return (12)is pivotedon the
shaft(11) of the escapement wheel,held friction-tightagainstthe
wheelby a specialspring. Whenthe carriageis movedfrom left to
right, the wheel(1) turns in the directionshownby the arrow (R),
draggingthe silent return in the samedirection.The arm (12a)of
the silent return pushesaway the fixed dog (3), which normally
rides over the teeth of the wheel. Whenthe carriageresumesits
normal forward movement, t}te silent return returns to horne
positionby thehelpof the wheel.

EACK MECHANISM
SPACE
The backspacemcchanismcausesthe carriageto move back
Fig'2-8'Thisis theescapement
mechanism one space when the back space keybutton is depressedand
o_f,"reorympiau*"*il*
tromtheolympiaservicernanuar
rcotirresioror-vrvrerA released. Referring to Fig. 2-9, when the back space key is
usA rNc.).
depressed,the backspacelever (C-30)pulls the backspacewire
50
51
 ssg$igiigf
sssiae;e:ini+la$
i
FFigei*aiguiF$s;-
$EiF'
ggggigrFgiraaii
EFsErEs$e'a5aE$if

BACKSPACECRANK

BACK
SPACEROD
BACKSPACE
KEYLEVER

WHEEL
SPACERATCHET

it more fully (ccurtesyof Brother

(tt
Fig. 2-10. This is the back space mechanismol the Brother Model uP7. As always read the text to understand
G) Corporation)
International
 gFFEs:1.

EEEEFEl$
iEE{EB
Fig.2-11. This is the Otympfa ModelB-12 back space mechanasm,as shown in
the Olympia service manual. By now it shoutd be evidentthat the carriage is
literally pushed back through manual power as it works through the various
levers and linkages, since the natural lendency ol the carnage is to move
rightwardwith the tensionof the springdrum (courtesyof OLYMPIA USA lNC,).

Whenthe last characteris typed,that is, whenthe last typing

key prior to marginlockingis depressed,the margin stop (G-S2) N
rr)
pushes the carriage stopper (F-13) a half spaceto the left to (,
activatethe marginreleasebarunit (C-23),whichis alsopushedto
the left. The margin releasebar unit (C-23)is pivoted at (A),
activatingthe ribbondrive crank(D-16) to the right, drawingthe
(B) portionof the marginreleasebar unit (C-23)againstthe ribbon
drive crank(D-16)at the momentthe key lever is released.As the
key lever is released,the carriagemovestheremaininghalfspace.
The (B) portionis sprunginto lockingposition,andthe key type is
locked.
Another marginstop mechanismis shownin Fig. 2-13. The
typing key is depressed.The right margin stopper is pushed
againstthe carriagestopper.The escapestopperis pushedin such

55
54
 (r l
lEg
LX

a rnannerthat it swingsagainstthe half spaceratchet, makingit

[lJ
o-
(L 2,ff
zaE
lI 9 Eo. C
I --
(Ec
inrpossiblefor the half spaceratchetto disengagefrom the ratchet

gF=
|
I c- rvheei.The carriageis lockedsothattypingis no longerpossible.
o
F
a
I E=
I Ztc
Yet anothermargin stop mechanismis shownin Fig. 2-14.
lo--O The left marginstop(10)is set wherethe typingline shouldbegin,
zc. I
| =- and the right marginstop (12) is set where the carriageshould
Ct r- \ | :o
I EEE
E stop-or the typing line shouldmaximallyend. Whenthe carriage
*q I
I
I
Qo
o'- n)ovestowardthis latter positionby actualtyping,the right margin
=5 t>9
I
I
a\'5
-z ,a( 6
>top(12a)touchesthe carriagestopper(5a),and,simultaneously,
tlre stopper (5c) touchesthe back frame (20a). This stops the
|
lha)
t-E6
o- rnovement of the carriagestopper(5),andthecarriageis stopped.
lc06
olE
5> MARGIN MECHAT'II
RELEASE SM
F;
PE If it is necessaryto begina line of type aheadof the left-hand
6 F rrrrrgin,or finisha line of type pastthe right-handmargin,amargin
.Y ?i
Y s6
C) N-E
qg
(r 93
z ,tUt -J _U or
-5
(, bs
(r (r I
TU O 9o
o- F qlg
o{
o- CE :e
o
F IU -o

a o ;5
UJ ut (oiy
CI (L IL €o
zA
^ffi o 88

Hsfr o TL
( J (o/o, t ?
CE o a;E a
UJ
() o
(r
6€E
'\ iEa
$ao
[U RH9
a i eE
c *.9
[U o)(v.6
J :oq
E E9
Ha
-tu s p;
ocS

4d Eco
;E€
C'J C=
(r> F
.(!v

< TIJ T g'A Frg 2- 14, This is the marginstop and marginreleasemechanismof the Olympia
>\< N
cit oo I
dE
l',loOetA-te, taken from the Olympia service manual (courtesy ol OLYMPIA
irbg u s Ar N c . ) .

57
 leleasemechanismcan be activated by depressingthe margin
release keybutton (usuallymarked ,,MR"). The margin releise SHIFT MECHANISII

works as follows (see Fig. 2-13again).when the marginrelease

key is depressed,the marginreleaserod movesin the direction
of
the arrow, causingthe carriagestopperto come off the
margin
stopper,at which time it returns in the directionA, allowing
the
escapestopperto comeback,whichin turn allowsthe escapement
mechanismto function.It is possibleto type throughthepreset
position.
_ To study yet anothermargin releasemechanism,see Fig.
2-15. When the marginreleasekeybutton(l) is depressed,
the
margin link (3a) moves in the directionof the arrow to push Frg.2- 16.This Brothershift mecfranism,laken f rom the Brotherservicemanual,
the
carriagestopper(5), andthus(5a)is releasedfrom the maigin is fairly typical of those mechanisms wttich shift the typebar Seclor; however,
stop later in this book you will see mechanisrnstrat shiftthe carriageup and down. In
orthercase the typebar strikes the platen on an arc of the curve ol the platen in
such a manner that the slightly curved typeface hits the platen (courtesy of
flrotherInternationalCorporation).

tl}a). Whenthe typist releasesthe marginreleasekeybutton(1),

the tensionof the spring (4) pulls the margin link (3) back, thus
t€turningboth the marginlink (3)andmarginreleasekeybutton(1)
to theiroriginalpositions.

SHIFT
MECHAIIISM
Theshiftmechanism raisesandlowers the typebarassembly,
9o that the appropriateupper-or lower-casecharacterswill strike
the platen, while the inappropriateoneswill not touchthe platen
becausethey are eitheraboveor belowthe curvatureof the platen.
See Fig. 2-16.Whenthe shift keybutton(the keybuttonto the right
rn theillustration)is pusheddown,t}e shiftleverpivotsto pushthe
shift operatingplate in the directionof the alTow,causingthe other
end of the shift operatingplateto movedownwardin the direction
r:f the arrow, thus lowering the sectorflate holdcr.This allows the
uppercasecharactersto strike the platenwhena typing keybutton
is depressed(notethat in Fig. 2-16,the mechanismis holdingthe
typebarsin lower caseposition-that is, the shift keybuttonis not
.rlepressed).
In the context of this discussion,lower case means the
c haracterson the lower half of the type head, which strike the
piatenwhenthe typebarisup. Someservicemanualsrefer to this
F i g . 2 - 1 5 . H e r e , O l y m p i ae x p l a i n s more fully the operatron positionof the segmentas uppercase,presumablyon the premise
and principteof the
rnargtn reiease mecha ntsrF_read the lext (courtesyof
OLYMPIA USA tNC.). thai the segmentis in the uppermostposition.However,common
usage(andstrict definitionas well) wouldseemto dictatethat the
58 59
 lower caseconditionis when the segmentis up, and iower case
characters(asopposedto capitals,etc.)aretyped.
To see anothershiftingmechanism,refer to Fig. 2-12. when tU
the shifting keybutton (1) is pusheddown, ttre shift lever (3)
E
rotates,its pivot point beingthe key lever shaft(c). This rotates lJ-

the torsion bar (4), which is retainedat the left and right side
framesby the shift center(6) andnut (7). Note that the torsionbar
is connectedto the shift lever (3) by a torsionbarpart (4a),andalso
to the segmenthangershaft(5) andsegmentbase(g) bv the torsion
bar part (4b). Thus, since the segment (10) is mounted on the
segment base (9), the segment base is lowered, placing the
typebars in upper case position. when the typist no longer
depressesthe shjft keybutton(1), the torsionbar (4) is returnedto
its home positionby the tensionof shift spring(g); and rhe shift
lever (3) andsegmentbase(9) are likewisereturnedto their home .i
O
positions. =
a
:f
SHIFT
LOCK
MECHAIIISM
(L
When it is necessaryto place the typebarassemblyin its =
lower position for continuousupper casetyping, the typist may

4a
depressa shift /oca(usuallymarkedlock) keybutton,which holds
o
the segmentdown.SeeFig. 2-18.when the shiftrockbutton(2) is
depressed,the tip of the shift lock lever (zz) is lockedat the shift
lockfitting(21).
' $\l o
E
(,

The shift lockcanbe released,allowingthe segmentto return E

'-
to its norrnalposition,asfollows(still referringto Fig. 2-18).when t
'N/-.-.-z/ ,Z.\
'\ \'

t,.X
-c
the shift button (l) is depressedslightly more than its locked c)
position,the torsionbar (4b)is rotatedby just the pitch of "S" (see E
(')
c
inset drawing)of the oval shapedhole (D) of the torsion bar part tr
(4b).This causesthe shift lever (3) to lowerby the lengthof stroke E

\\ oi
s, thus releasingthe shift lock lever (22) fromthe shift lock fitting
o
Q|). o

ci
VERTICAI TITIE SPACINGMECHAIIIS }I o-
E
vertical line spacingmeansthe vertical spacebetween lines,
whichis standardized at l/6 inch(six linesto the inch)on standard
typewriters.
The distanceof vertical line spacingmay differ on special c
a
F
purposetypewriters.For example,on the rBMExecutiuepropor- F*

tionalspacer,the verticaldistancebetweensingle-spaced lines is c\/

3/16 inch.
;
iI

60 61
 E
On standard,manualtypewriters, line spacingis actually o
o
accomplished simultaneously with the return of the carriage,even q)

though the carriage return is, strictly speaking,an operation c

o
independentof line spacing.However, the rever that is used to '6
return the carriageservesthe dualpurposeof line spacelever. See o
o-
Fig. 2-19.when the line spacelever is pushed,it movesagainstthe 1J
o
line spacelever plate, which moves the line spacepawl in the =-c.
o
direction of the arrow, causingthe line spaceratchet wheel to c
J
q)
rotate.Sincethe line spaceratchetwheelandplatenare integralto
eachother, the platenrolls the appropriateamount,determinedby (D
o
the number of teeth in the ratchet wheel. The paper, which is q)

grippedbetweenthe platenandfeed rolls, movesa corresponding o.

o

amount.In this particularmechanism,single-spacing, one-and-a- o

o
half-spacingand double-spacing is determinedby which ratchet :
E
wheel tooth the pawl slides into, which is typist regulatedby o)

moving the line spaceadjustingcam (see FiS. Z-20).This latter E

q)
mechanismwill be explained more fully in the chapter on E
t
adjustments. f
c
To seeanotherverticalline spacingmechanism,refer to Fig. (E
2-27. tilhenthe line spacelever (l) is operated,the feedarm (3) is q)
.9
rotated by the line spacelink (z). The rine spacefeed pawl (4a) e
o)
slides alongthe cam (6c) of the line spaceselector(6); thus, the a
ol
feedpawl (4a)is engagedwith a tooth of the line spaceratchet(5).
(I)
Sincethe line spaceratchetis integralto the platen,the platenis dJ
turned by an amountcorresponding to the travel of the pawl as it E
o
slides into a ratchettooth. The line spacingis restricted by the E:
.oO
touchof the feed pawl (4), with a stopperpin (12). The line space *z
Ieveris returnedto its homeposition ie
bya spring(l l). 6 tt)
\T
I
;<
PAPER FEEO ,ll
ic
F >
ts>
Paper is fed throughthe typewriter when the platen turns, .eo
becausethe paperis grippedbetweenthe platenanda set of small co
.9>
feedrolls (the feedrolls are turnedby the rolling of the platen,not CUl
(tlq)
-ct
vice versa).SeeFig. 2-22. Whenthe platenis correctlyinstalled, of
oo
and the paperreleaselever (not shown)is in normalposition,the tr()
:c
platenandpaperfeedrollers arein spring-tensioned contact.Thus, ao
whena pieceof paperis inserted,the backset of paperfeedroliers, E 8
co
whichare in contactwith the platen,catchesthe paperandrolls it np
oo
towardthe front set of the paperfeedrollers. The paperfeedplate -C=
h-c
(the curved plate betweenthe feed rollers, in the illustration)is ai?
,E
curvedupwardon the outfeedside in sucha manneras to deflect N;
69
the paperupward,aroundthe platen.This is an extremelysimple [.:
62
 LIN E S P A C ELE V E R LIN ES P A C ELE V E RP LATE

S P R IN GFORR OLLE R StDEPLATE(L)

cARRTAGE

Fig. 2- 19 Verticalline spacing is accomplishedwhen the handle (line space lever in the drawing)is pushed sidewaysto return the carriage.Study
this illustrationand read the text lo understand how (courtesy of Brother InternatronalCorporation).

LINESPACEPAWL

L I N ES P A C EA D J U S T I N G
-'' cAM

L I N ES P A C EF E E D I N G
PAWL STOPPER

L I N E S P A C E R A T C H E TW H E E L

S P R I N GF O R R O L L E R

SPRING
CAMHOLDING
LINESPACEADJUSTING

$€ Brothst Model JP7 (cqrrte6y <'l

;;.o-rra tt*--",a" singre,on+and-a-han,and dolble line spacing is accornplishedon
"t"-*t*
Br-otherlnt€metionalCorporation).
E

:,--.,- --; ::: ---- -

-
-- rr= E
mechanismandonethat is easyto work on (providedthat the platen
is easilyremoved,whichis not alway the case). E DEcovER( L'H')
cARRI AGSI

PAPER RETEASE MECHAIIISM

'[\e paper
releasemechanismreleasesthe contact pressure
between the platen and feed rolls, simultaneouslybacking the
paperpanawayfrom the platen.This releasesthe paperandallows
the typist to quickly remove the paperwithout the needfor turning
the platen knob, and/or straightenthe paper,in caseit was rolled
into the typewriter crookedly, witlout the need to remove and
reinsert the paper.The mechanismis activatedthrougha lever on
top of the typewriter (the lever is often unmarked).See Fig. 2-23.
Whenthe paperreleaselever is movedin the directionof the arrow
(towardthe typist in actualpractice),the paperpanis pushedaway
from the platen. Since the movement of the paper pan is
interconnectedto that of the paper feed rollers (the paper pan
usuallyrests on the feed roll assembly),moving the paper pan
downwardalso movesthe paperfeed rolls downward-away from
the platen. In this condition,the paperis freedfrom the grip of the
feed rolls, as well as from the drag betweenthe platen and paper
pan.
For a view of yet anotherpaperreleasemechanism,see Fig.
2-24. Normally (that is, whenthe mechanismis set to feed paper
throughthe typewriter), the L-shaftarm (2a)pushesthe paperpan
(7) towardthe platenside by the tensionof the spring(3).
Whenthe paperreleaselever (1) is depressed,the releasepin
(1b) pushesagainstthe L-shaftarm (2), causingthe L-shaft (2a)to
move away from the paper pan (7). In the illustrated mechanism,
depressingthe paperreleaselever (1) releasesthe paperbail scale
arm (5-connected to 6, the paper bail) by pushingit up. This
conveniencefeaturefacilitatesmovingor removingthe paper.

FEED(ORTRAIISPORT)
RIBBO}I ITECIIAI{ISM
Tlteribbonfeedmechanrsrzcausestie ribbon to be fed through
the typewriter onesmall incrementeachtime a characteris t1ped.
When the ribbon has passed from one reel to another, the
mechanismreverses the direction of the ribbon feed, so that it is
fed back to the recently emptied reel. See Fig. 2-25. When a
keybuttonis depressed,the bell crank will pushthe ribbon drive
crank (D-16), which will push the ribbon feed pawl (right-D-40).
The ribbonfeedwheel(right-E-2) is rotatedin the directionof the otympiaModerB-12,taken
@ng lnech-an].smforthe USAINC')'
of OLYMPTA
arrow by the ribbonfeed pawl (right-D-40). fromthe servic"man'it
Olympia (courtesy

66 67
 :
d)- rAPERFEEDROLLER

(Bl*)-:'. HOLDER
/ /
iR.t -

PAPERFEEDROLLER

WRONG

\'*
-\- \

PAPERFEEDROLLER PAPERFEED
ROLLERHOLDER
of he BrotherM-lOO,taken
Fig.2-22.This is the paperfeed mecfranism o{ BrotherInternational
frotnthe Broher seruicemanual(courtesy
Corporation).
 PAPERRELEASE
MECHANISM

PAPERBELEASE_IEVEe C A R R I A GSEI D E
SPRINGFORPAPERRELEASE
LEVER PLATE(R)
PAPERPAN
PAPERRELEASE

P A P E RP A N H O L D I N G
S P R I N G( R )

CARRIAGE
PAPER FEED ROLLER

P A P E RP A N H O L D I N G
S P R T N G( L )

Fig.2-23. Since lhe feed rolls ar€ connected to the_paperpan, mwing theiatter away from tha platen also mores the ro1s,and the paper will be froe
to move around (cot.rrtesyo{ Brother lnternalional Corporation}.

\6,
\ \/.
\i- CLEARANCE
/ t -

I
A
Qa)

CONDITION
RELEASE

of oLYMPIAusA
olympiaservicemanual(ca'rrtesy
is from the orympiaModerB-12,takenfrom the
paperrereasemectranism
Fig.2-z4.This
r NC. ) .
 (D
t
When the ribbonis woundall the way on the right reel, the
I
eyelet(A) of the ribbonpulls (B) in the directionof the arrow, with
5
o
th
(C)beingthe fulcrumof the motion.This causesthe ribbonreverse
og
wire (E-12) to move in the direction of the arrow, moving (D) t,
E clockwiseon its fulcrum(E), throwingthe ribbonfeedpawl (D-40) ll
- ;rndstopperplate(E) out of meshwith the ribbonfeedwheel(E-2).
E
.q)
As a result, the ribbontravel will be reversedandit will be wound
c to the left side.
o
-o Yet anotherribbon feed mechanismis shown in Fig, 2-26.
.E
o Whenthe key lever (f) is operated,the ribbonuniversalbar (2)
c
] pullsthe ribbonfeedlink (4) andalsothe ribbonfeed lever (3). By
o
this pulling operation,the gear feed pawl (5) is engagedwith the
3 ribbon ratchet gear (6), causingthe ribbon ratchet gear (6) to
g \.# (o
CE
LU
o
o rotate.The directionof the ribbonwindingis reversedasfollows.

w
o t-
When the eyelet hole (9a) of the ribbon tape (9) pulls the
I
LU -
o J E reverselever (8) inward, a changeof ribbon windingdirectionis
8 rrutomatically made.Both reverselevers(left__8andright-7) are
=
v4\ / IU o
Y
N G
{,/ c
\ d+ ,P Y
2^:." z G
E
\ O:.
cf k.9
\\ O (/)(u
J bb
J -ce
LU oo
AC)
\ cl

\\\l\
d J ( !
-c
FO
E E
vtr
:E
:-
6
- \ \ \ \ \\\s,|'
.lJ o
;€
tro
.}) E6
B - L i N EF U L C F U M

?\>
x(/)
;o

E 3
o()
--X
xo
;(!
E-o
,"o
E!
FE
.c
to(!
NI Ftg. 2-26. This Olympia ribbon feeclng mechanism, taken from the Olympia
cv{
.(D .',6rvice manual, shows how th6 ribbon is fed and revers€d (courtesy of
tLO Ot-vr,lpre
usA tNc.).
retainedat certainpositionsby the reverselever pin (right-7a) C O L O R C H A N G EM E C H A N I S M
and the reversering (10). The gear retainingpawl is mountedon 8VHOLOER
the reverse lever (7) andis engagedwith the ribbonratchetgear(6)
in order to preventrewinding.At the sametime, the ribbonfeed
system on the oppositeside becomesfree, being pushedby the -r----€Tl-
reversering (10).
vraneronl ll
lnreeoN
,':)
RIBBON
tIFTMECHAIIISM ,,( i P

LJ
Theibbon lift mechanrsrz causesthe ribbon to vibrate up and
down, in synchronization with the actionsof the typebars,so that Ftv
the type headscontacteitherthe upperor lowerhalf of the ribbon. RVOPERATINGPLAIE
Whenthe ribbonlift mechanismis disengaged, the ribbonwill not UNIVERSALBAR
be lifted when a characteris typed, causingthe type headto miss 2\
the ribbon completelyas it strikes the platen.This enablesthe / _l
/
typist to type on a mimeographstencilwithoutthe ribbonactingas
wlgn cnalge sroPPER
a barrier. Sincethe total heightof the ribbonlift is madevariable,
one-half of a ribbon can serve one purpose (typing black, for
instance),andthe lower halfanotherpurpose(typingred, or laying C O L O FC H A N G ET E V E R
\ COLOHCHANGESELECTOR
down a correctingsubstance,for instance).Thus, in typewriter
terminology,"ribbon lift" and"color change"work in conjunction
with each other. See Fig. 2-27.lVhen the typist operates(i.e.,
moves up or down) the color change lever, the motion is COLORCHANGELEVER
transmitted to the color changeselector, changingthe position of HOLDINGSPRING
the RV wire againstthe RV operatingplate. The color change
stopper moves and the lift and lifting positions of the ribbon are Frg 2-?7. As explained in the text, "ribbon lift" means the distance of the up and
changed. down motion (vibration) of the ribbon during typing; and "color change" means
varying that dislance so that certain portions ol the ribbon are used while other
For a view of yet another ribbon lift and color change portions are missed. lf the color ciange selector is set for "stencil," tha ribbon
mechanism,seeFig. 2-28.Whent}recolorselector(1) is operated, vibrator is (generally) moved downward slightly, where it remains stationary, so
the cam lever (3) is rotated around the shaft (a) bv the color rt is missed by the typebar (courtesy of Brother Inlemational Corporation).

selectorlink (2).The camlever(3) is providedwith threecams(3a,

3b and 3c). Position3a correspondswith "red," position3b with changedby the color selector(1), the revolvingangleof the ribbon
"black," and3c with "stencil."The camlever (3) is retainedat the lift crank (8) aroundthe shaft (4) varies. Thus, the degreeof lift of
"color-selected"positionbythe color selectdetentspring(11). lhe ribbonvibrator(9) becomesvariable.
The mechanismworks when a keybuttonis pusheddown, as
follows.As the key (10)is pusheddown,boththeribbonlift link (6) TABUTATION
MECHAIIISM
andribbonIift bar (7) arepulledby the ribbonuniversalbar (5).The Tlte tabulation mechanismmakes it possible to move the
ribbon lift crank (8) is rotated, making the shaft (4) the center of carriageleftward,in one continuous,freewheelingmovementto a
revolution,andthe vibrator(9) rises. Sincethe ribbonis threaded preset position, where it will automaticallystop. The typist
throughthe vibrator,the ribbonrises with it. accomplishes this by presettingtab stopsand,thereafter,simply
The actualamountof ribbonlift is determinedas follows.The depressingthe tab button until the carriagereachesthe desired
ribbonlift crank(8) is rotatedby the ribbonlift bar (7), beingguided stop.SeeFig.2-29. Whenthe tabkey is pusheddown(in the arrow
by the cam lever (3). If the preset positionof the cam lever (3) is direction), the tab operating crank (F-3) is rotated througtr the

74 75
 8-LINEFULCRUM

Fig.2-28.Hereis yet ano0terviewof a ribbonliftandcolorcfrangemecfranism(corrtesyofOLyMplA USAlNC.),

G.42
F-287 STOPPER

tr-,^-k TAB EYI

LEVER
TABOPERATING

Fig. 2-29.1tmay be a little ditfiqjtt to orient this tabulator mechanism to one in a machine,since only the essential parts areshown.However, a tab
mechanism isfairlyeasilyexamined inthe mactrine(courtesyof Brother lntemationalCorporation).
mediumof the tab operatingwire (front-F-2). The revolutionof
the tab operatingcrank (F-3) rotatesthe taboperatingIner through
the mediumof the tab operatingwire (rear-F-4). The revolution
of the tab operatinglever shall first rotate the tab stopper to the
arrow direction, andthe tip end of the tab stopperwill be engaged
with the tab stop pawl (G-42).At the sametime the tab operating
lever will pushthe spaceratchet(F-47)by its tip, disengaging F-47
from the spaceratchet wheel (F-37). When F-47 is disengaged
from F-37, t}re carriage is free to move leftward, through the
tension of the spring drum, until the tab stopper contacts with
G-42.
For a view of yet anothertabulationmechanism,see Fig.
2-30. When the tab key is pushed,the tab rod moves in the
directionof the arrow, turningthe tab operatinglever, whichturns
the tab stopper.The spaceratchet is disengaged from the space
ratchetwheel.This allowsthe carriageto moveleftward,until the
tabpawlhits the tabstopperandstops.
Anothertabulatormechanism is shownin Fig. 2-31.Whenthe
tab key (l) is depressed,the tabulatormainbar (5) is rotatedby the

)
i
("),
\o,.,

'Fig.2-31. from ths olympia

This is an olympiatab operatingmecfianism,
selvicemanual.The fact that the drawingdifferssomewhatlrom that of the
Brothermectranism doesnotmeanthatthemechanisms are radicallyclflerent
Fig.2-30. Thislab operatingmechanismis or.rlof the BrotherModel JP7 service
manual. Be sure and make the distinction between tab operation and tab
for example,hereyor.rseethetabchips(14),whicharenotshownin the Brother
illustrationsbut are presentin the actualmechanism(courtesyof OLYMPIA
sat- clear (courtesy ol Brother I nternationalCorporation),
U S AI N C . ) .
78 79
 movernentof the tabulatorlink (3). The rotationof the tab stopper
lift crank (6), causedfrom the spring(g), resultsin the rise of the
I
tabstopper(7). @-# -@ ir
when the fixed dog (9) is rotated by the tabulatormain bar
(5a),the fixed dog (g) is releasedfrom the escapement wheel(10).
This releasesthe carriageandit movesleftwardunderthe tension
etr
(}-i
of its spring.The tabchip(14),whichwaspresetfor tab l, touches
thetab stopper(7). o+I - i

when the tab key (l) is releasedby the typist, the tab stopper CLEAR
(7) leavesthe tab chip (14),andthen the carriagemovesleftward. t I
The return of the fixed dog (5a) to its home position causestle t
rotationof the escapementwheel(r0) to stop. The carriagestops SET
at a position where the tab was originally set. In this particular
mechanism,there is a brakingoperationon the carriage,which
worksasfollows-
There is a brakeshoe(1la) gluedto the brakearm (ll). when
the tabulatormain bar (5) is rotated,the brakeilm (ll) is rotated
by the spring(12)andtouchesthecarriagerail, whichresultsin the
stoppingof the carriage.Becauseof this mechanism,the carriage (+)sET
canbe releasedonly after both the tab stopper(7) and brake shoe
(1la)areset.
(_) CLEAR
TABSET-CLEAR MECHAIIIS M
The tab set-clearmechanismallows the typist to set tab stops
SET
at presetpositions,from an externalcontrol(namely,from the tab
set-clearlever, which is usuallydistinctly separatefrom the tab
keybutton itsel0. See Fig. Z-J2. To use this mechanism,the Fig. 2-32. This is a tab set-clearmechanismof the Olympia Model B-12, astaken
lrom the Olympia service manual. About the only thing this mechanism has in
carriageshouldbe movedto the positionat whicha tab stop is to be common wiin tne tab operating mecfranism is its contact with th€ tab cftips (6),
set. This can be done by either tappingthe spacebar or using the whrch will d€t€fmino whare cariage witl stop when a tab koybutton is pushed
carriagerelease control, until the carriageis in the correct place. (courtesyof OLYMPIA USA lNC.).
The tab set lever (1) is thenmovedto set (+), andthis movementis
transmitted through the linkagesto the tab set finger (s), which Irome position by the tab set finger (5b-shown in the inset
sets the tab chip (6), throughcontactwith Sa-also see the inset illustrationwith Fig. 2-32).
The tab set lever is returned to an intermediate,or neutral,
drawing.consecutivetab chipscanbe set by movingthe carriage
position through the tension of the torsion spring (7) when the
to the desiredpresetpositionandmovingthe tabset lever ( 1) to set
(+). typistreleasesit.
when tab stops are no longer required for a given typing CARRIAGE
RELEASE
format, their presencebecomesa nuisance.They canbe removed
The carriageis normallyheld in whateverpositionit happens
or "cleared,"as follows (still referringto Fig.2-82). To clearan
to be in, tfuough the engagementof the teeth of the escapement
individualtab chip,the typist mustfirst tab to thatstop,The tab set
rack with the ratchet wheel. Sinceit is desirableto occasionally
lever (r) is moved to (-). when the carriagemovesleftward,the
rnove the carriage leftward from its locked position without the
tabchip(6), whichwaspreviouslyset, is returnedto the individual
necessity of typing or using the spacingbar, a carriage release
80
B1
 -t q)
uJ lc mechanismallows the typist to move the carriageleftward, rather
a IE rapidly,by hand.SeeFig. 2-33.Whenthe carriagereleaselever is
[U ll c3 moved, the movementis transmittedto ttre spaceratchet, which
J
UJ t:
movesclockwise(in the directionof the arrow), disengaging from
rr t: the space ratchet wheel. The carriage is then free of the
LrJ
oE
uJ
IE
l9 escapementto "freewheel" l eftward.
tr.UJ lo Another carriagereleasemechanismis shown in Fig. 2-34.
cc-J ll -5c Whenthe carriagereleasebutton(1) is depressed,the rack bracket
lq)
C) IB (4) is pushed by both the carriagerelease lever (2) and release
IE
lp
lever pin (2a). The carriage rack (6) is releasedfrom the escape
lb pinion gear (7), swinging at the fulcmm of rack bracket retaining
It
t;
screws(5 and8). The mechanismis returnedto its originalstatus
by a releasespring(3).
F
t!
lEg
loS E}IECHAIIISM
PLATE}IRELEAS
I
O
F lss T\eplaten releasemechanismenablesthe typist to disengage
(r
c0
fr\
()
loo
lc-
lEe the platen ratchetwheel, so the platencanbe turned freely. See
Fig. 2-35. The platenknob (7), variableratchet(7-1) and platen
UJ
U)
zu)
TL lgE
I(!-
shaft (8) are connected.The pushrod (5) is inserted into the push

UJ I

lF.. (D
. L

IL
J
tu lq€
tr t -

l9 c0
L

ul
(t' ls:
IL(a
l@o
C a r r r a g eR e l e a s eM e c h a n i s m
(r
rE
o
IFF
l v

lo-
tt -€ :x
F
I,IJ lo ;,
I
O
lEt
a5 f-
LrJ
J g6
t:
E UJ
TU I EU
C) B
o-
U) $g
OO
Ee

9E'
5a
-t
oF
t-.Y
a;P Fig. 2-34. lf you study this drawing carelully, yorl will see a significantditlerence
96 rn its principle ol operation, from that of lhe previous illustration; however, the
toEr : end result is tha samo-the carriage is released (courtesy of OLYMPIA USA
tNC.),

82 83
 D For the reasonslisted, andalso becausemanualtypewrit-
ers do not commanda high resalevalue, the purchaseof a manual

_m,-
typewriter as a "fixer-upper" is probablynot a good investment.
However, an inexpensiveone would provide a good machinefor
the novicerepairmanto work on. In later chaptersI will give repair
andadjustmentinformationfor specificmanualtypewriter models.
In the next chapterI will discussthe mechanismsgenerallyfound
on electrictlpewriters.
L-
i
Fig. 2-35. This is a cutaway illustrationol the platsn disengagingmechanism,
which allows the platento be turned (by hand) in a freewheeiingmbtion. part (6)
is the centraf button in the^plalel knob wtrich, when pushed, releases the plat€n
(courlesyof OLYMPTAUSA tNC.).

I
button (6). The variable ratchet wheel (4) is engagedwith the
variableratchet(7-l) bVa spring(3). The part indicatedwith (l) is lr
the E-ring, and the part indicatedwith (5) pushesthe variable
ratchetwheel(4), whichis releasedfrom thevariableratchet(z-1).
Thus,the platenis freedto roll withoutthe dragof the ratchet.

SU M M AR Y
As you will remember,this chapterwasintendedsimptyasan
overviewof the mechanisms foundon manuallyoperatedtypewrit-
ers. Generallyspeaking,there is little simiraritybetween these
and the mechanismsof electric typewriters, the general excep-
tions being those mechanismsin which the moving of an external
lever directly changesthe positionof an internalpart or Iever as,
for example, the paper release, tab set-clear, margin stops,
carriagereleaseandplatenrelease.
Somepointsto rememberare:
D The power to pull the carriageleftward is the tension of
springdrum.
fl Absolutelyuniformtypingimpressionsare almostimpos-
sible to achieve on a manualtypewriter, since the density of
impressionsdependsuponmusclecoordination.
! Since the carriage is always refurned (sratntncd,that is)
backto the left-handmarginby arm power,most manualshavean
irritatingway of movingaroundon the typingtable.

84
85
 calledfor, and becauseconsumermachines(homemachines,as
opposedto thoseusedin offices)tendto be storedfor longperiods
in areaswheretheair is dustyor grease-laden (asin spareroomsor
nearkitchenareas),the machine that wasthoroughlylubricatedin
the beginningaccumulates dust, lint and greaseresiduefrom the
air. Moreover, through long periods of non-use, the original
coatingof lubricationgets gummyand sticky. The end result is a
typewriter with no serious mechanicalproblems or misadjust-
ments but one, nevertheless,that may have sticking typebars,
erratic spacing,etc. This malfunctioning typewriter, which needs
Chapter
4 little more thana thoroughcleaningand lubrication,is often seen
by the professionalrepairman.In fact, even if the customer
Practical
Tips assumesthat thereis somemechanical problem,andthe repairman
caninitially neitherverify nor denythe problem,the repairmanwill
fortheBeginning routinelycieanandlubricatea machinebeforeattemptingto repair
it. Thus, cleaningand lubricatingtypewritersis an extremely
Repairman
Typewriter importantaspectof typewriterrepair.
The professionalrepairmanmight arguethat, becauseof the
If you havereadthefirst threechaptersof this book,it may be time equipment requirementsand amount of cleaning, rinsing and
for you to answerthe question:Justhowinaolued doI want to getin lubricating fluids necessary,a thorutgh cleaning, rinsing and
repairing typewiters?Speakingfrom the most practical viewpoint, Iubrication is beyond the "handyman"repairman'scapabiltiy.
you wouldneedsomequitespecialreasonsto equip yourselffor the However,apartfrom the thorough,professional job of cleaningand
sole purpose of doing the occasionalrepair job on your own lubing,there is an alternatemethodof bleaningandlubing,which
however,that you might want
typewriter. It is not inconceivable, mightget a stickingmachinebackin operation.I'll explainboththe
to do the work yourself. You may depend heavily upon your thoroughand the alternate-or less than thorough-ways of
typewriter in your own businessbut live in a remotearea, wherea cleaningandlubinga typewriter.
call by a reliable servicemanis chancy in the first place,
time-consumingin the secondplace and expensivein all cases, THOROUGHTY AI'IDtUEINGA TYPEWRITER
CTEAiIIIIG
regardlessof how difficultor easythe repairproblemmight happen To thorougly clean a typewriter means to bring all the
to be. mechanicalparts of the nrachineinto contact with the cleaning
Beyond repairingyour owntypewriter, youmay wish to start agent.The simpiest-but not quitethe best-way to do this is to
a part-time businessin typewriterrepair. With that goalin mind,it immerse the works of the machinein a vat (laundry tub, for
is but one more step to visualizing that part-time business example),containingthe cleaningagent,where it is allowedto
expandinginto a full-time enterprise.No matter what your goals, soak,usually f.or12 to 24 hours. A more elaboratemethod is to
there shouldbe someinformationin this chapterthatcanhelp you. steam-cleanthe machine.Professionally,this would be donein a
steam-cleaning machineespecially designedfor cleaningtypewrit-
TYPEWRITERS
STICKY,DIRTY ers. Other, more elaboratemethodsemploy hand spray guns,
Typewriters are thoroughlylubricatedasthey comefrom the shorverheadmachines,etc- However,oneof the majorsuppliersof
factory. Becauseof the natureandthoroughness of this lubrication, all kinds of typewriter cleaningequipment,tools, etc., the Ames
the typewriter canbe usedfor severalyearswithout the needfor Suppiy Company,recommendsa completeimmersion of the
further lubrication.That is all quite well, but it does raise one machine,with mechanicalagitation.The machinesuggestedfor
serious problem. Becauseno ongoingprogram of lubrication is this is the CLEAN-O-MATICModel500TA(Fig. -1). Whatever

134 135
 I
1 I
3
g)

o
C'

o
o,
N E W 2 . W A YA U T O M A T I C
S A F E T YC O V E R _ S P F I N G L O A D E D
F O R ' S O F T ' 'C L O S I N G .N O S E T T N G -
N O R E L E A S I N GJ U S TO P E NA N D o
o

a
ASY-TO.SERVICE o
M E L T SA T 16 5 " F F E V O L V I N GC A S
o
M I C R OM E S HF I L T E F
P I S T O LG R ] P F T U S HN O Z Z L E
A B O V E L I O U I DL E V E LF I L T E F S E
W I T HF I E X I B L EN E O P F E N EH O S E L L S O L V E N TB E I N GC I R C U L A T E O t.lJ o
ADJUSTABLE F O R L I G H TS P F A Y 2 WAYCLEANINGACIION J

O F IS O L D S T F E A M S E L E C T O RV A L V EP E R M I T S
J co
I SOLIDFTANGESSTEEL U S I N G B O T HC L E A N I N GA C T I O N S z F o
WORKSHELF.
B E C E S S E DC O N T R O LS W I T C H- -
A T O N C EO F S I N G L YA S D E S I R E D o o F .9
U)
I L T E RB Y - P A S S vG l o
L A R G EA M E E RS I G N A , L I G H T ' H Y O R O . J E TM A N I F O T D -A 0_ o
o
>1.5 5
2 B E M O V A E L ES L U D G E P O W E F F U LI TH P
rn Ll-, ,6

-gP p
v t l

T R A Y SA N D F A C K
\-
G F A Y M I T L SP U M P
B E V O L V I N GC A S T E F S ctF
o l
-o
R U G G ED I - i E A V YC O N S T F UC T I O N T A
'd
-FEa
l6AND]4GAUGESTEEL
O R A I NP L U G
-i (<rO< 6 Y o.
h6532 J
-4I0O- ->
Is o
L

F i g .4 - 1 . T h e i n i t i a cl a p i t a lo u t l a yf o r a n a g i t a t i n gc l e a n i n gt a n k i s r e l a t i v e l yh i g h ,
I ---..i LL
3go
FOO
66 o)
' F

3
bul it will cut down dramaticallyon in-tank cleaning time (courtesy of Ames o
o
SupplyCompany).
(U
t-lJ tu .E
methodis used, a thoroughcleaningand lubingactually involves L o_
U
JF
three steps:cleaning,rinsing and lubncating.
N> )L UzU J (1 o
c
l-: -t -',A sf
EquipmentRequirements v= 3 LU CO o cq)
7J- o-'S" d E
The basicpiecesof equipmentnecessaryto thoroughly clean ^0- ,.i >ir=> o
X< z z 5
(and subsequentlyrinse and lubricate)a typewriter are an air trJ O ()O
O o _+scoc I
(D

Fi
compressor(FiS. 4-2), and a uat or cleaningmachine. Since
cleaning,rinsing and lubingrequiresthree solutions,it would be (E0_ li
helpfulto haveadditionalvats; however,one vat, equippedwith a 6,Q
F\J
drainplug anda provisionto savethe solutionsthat are reusable, ;u>o
oo-
woulddo the job, althoughit wouldbehighly inefficient.Youshould OJ
9A
alsohavea basketin whichto immersethe typewriter. - Q a
o-(D
}E
o< li
Cleaning,
RinsingandlubricationSolutions oo
€
- (>
i

As a cleaningsolution,Olympiarecommendsone consisting to

of 7 partsSoluasol#5 to I part LIX "12" Cleaner.Solvasol#5 is cx

OU
availablefrom SoconyMobile Oil Distributors,in S5-gallondrums ni o
rqo
only.Lix "12" is a detergent-like
product,especially
to be addedto
cir =
spirits,availablefromAmesSupplyCompany, whosemainofficeis U-O

136 137
 NO 12-ACONCENTFATE use the agitator cleaningmachine, immerse the machine and
MACHINECTEANEB
' agitatefor 5 or 10 minutes.Whetheryou use the vat or agitating
N o 5 8 C -1 2 8 L r x F 1 2 A 1 G a t . ,l machine,when cleaningis complete,lift the rnachineup in the
N o 5 8 C - 6 a 0 L r xi l 2 A 5Gal
N o 5 8 C . 3 0 L t xF 1 2 A 3 0 G a l ,l basketandlet the excessfluid drip backinto the tankso no fluid will
N o 5 8 C , 5 5 L r xF 1 2 A 5 5 G a l

I be l ost.

RinsingandLubricating
theThoroughly Machine
Gleaned
After cleaning,the machineshouldbe thoroughlyrinsed to
stop the cleaningaction. Use any of the previously mentioned
rinsingsolutionsor hot water.If youusewater,the machineshould
be thoroughlydried in an oven, as any drops of moisture in the
workscancauserust.
The last step is to place the machinein an oil bath, which
consists of 10 parts of mineral spirits to 1 part Arnes oil. As
mentionedpreviously,high-flashnapthamaybe substitutedfor the
mineralspirits. The spirits will evaporate,lettingthe oil adhereto
No. l2-A CONCENTRATE
the machineandprovidinga good,deep-downoiling. A lubrication
Machine
Cleaner tank called the "3-L Safety LubricationTank" (see Fig. 4-4) is
availablefrom AmesSupplyCompanyfor this purpose.
Fig.4-3. Lix # 12A cleaneris to be used with and extendsthe use of cleaning
f luid (courtesyof Ames SupplyCompany).
2537CurtissSt., DownersGrove,Illinois60515.Lix"12" Cleaner
in eitherone-gallon,
is available 30-gallon
five-gallon, or S5-gallon
amounts(Fig. -3).
The lubricatingsoiutionis an oil bath, whichconsistsof l0
partsof mineralspiritsto I part of Amesoil (No. 34L-32-quart-
.946 liters, No. 34L-128-gallon-3.8 liters, No. 34L-640-5
gallons- 18.9liters),availablein bulk.The oil maybe mixedwith
a high-flashnaptha,ratherthanthe mineralspirits.
TheGleaning
Process
Beforeimmersingeither a manualor electrictypewriterin the
various solutions, several steps should be taken to insure that
certain parts of the machinedon't come into contact with the
solutions.On either a manualor electric machineremove all the
outsidecovers,the platen,the bailrollers,the papertableandfeed
follersandanymiscellaneous rubberparts. NO.3-LSAFETY
On electric machines,also rernove the power roll, if it is LUBRICATIONTANK
rubber,andall the electricalcomponents. After removingall these
items, blow out any loose, heavydirt from the machineto avoid N O.2- RSAFEWRI NSETANK
gettingit in the solution.
If you usethe soakingmethod,put the strippedmachinein the Fig, 44. Separate tanks for the hree sleps of cleaning,rinsingand oilang save
dip basketandimmerseit in the cleaningsolutionovernight.If you time and make the work easier(courtesyof Ames SupplyCompany).

138 139
G IV INA
GWP EW R IT ER A
SUPERFI CIALCIEA}IIIIGAI{DLUBIIIG
Between thorough cleaningsand oiling, minor sticking or
bindingtroublesdueto dirt andgumaccumulation canoccur.While
it may be untimelyor inconvenientto give the machinea thorough
cleaning,you cancleanandrelubricatethe machinewith cleaners ^ PA€crsrcN TNSTFUYENT
FEPLAC€S NO AVS. 175 O'L€F

Z
and lubricants-or combinations of both-supplied in pressurized 'PLASTIC
CONI^INEF 58" ARASS SPOIJT

containers(Fig. a-5).
As with a thoroughcleaning,it is not advisableto get the agent
, € x r € M o s r o 9 ' : o v € A A L (A t A c H
usedfor cleaningthe metalpartsin contactwith rubberpartsof the ' O vE F ^ L LS r Z €R € T F ^ C I€ O5 ' r
CONI€NTSS OIL.MITV
EISIEL€
machine.Therefore,it is betterto removeall the coversandparts ANORCFTLLBTE
COT'ES FILLEO WtH FiI€ II{S?RUUENT
mentioned previously including, in the case of the electric AT'IACH€ O IUBE S EALING CAP
OIL PERMANENTLY

machine,the rubberpowerroll andelectricalcomponents. ." !ozu!E cAP^crrYovERr,'oz LEAx.PFoof NoN I-EAX.PROff PLASIIC OIL€R

EREAXAELENCft.TIPPIIJG-CftEPECEBULBAIJDTUB€ Of OII IEAKIT{G tN IOOL CASE

Carefullyremovedustanderaserresiduesfrom the interior of NO OANGER

5rr' FL€Xr8r€ SPOJr FOF HOS€ HAAD. rO CEIOr ^AEAS

the machine.Cleanthe typefacescarefully,after putting a cloth 8Y UER€LY

L€AX.Pf,OG

O€PF€SSI'€
TOP

TH€ SPOUI 9." tMIO TXE

under them, so that the soiledtype cleanerdoesn'tdrip on other TOP TH€ EEMNG IS AUTOilATICALLY S€ALEO

AMESAOS
CLEANER .IIIUERICANT CO[18INEO

A
l:\
tt
A
I lF- D
l'**ll l.+,
l c u e m e n l le s + l l : \ Fig. 4-6. When spot-cilinga typewriter,it's importantlo get the oil at the problem
I ll ll 1
point,not on the platen,feed rollsor power roll;an oilerwith a long spout will help
I I I C L E A NI€ R8 Is c I D in this task (coudesy of Ames Supply Company).
I ll ll I
I | | | lcueeruenl
:--r'I ll I
Aos-o I ll I parts. If the typefacesare quitedirty, don'ttry to use the blotting
DEGREASE. | I paperor "dough"for cleaning.Instead,usea liquidcleaningagent.
I@

;^-;;;;# Use the spraycleaner-or combination cleanerandoil-to do

EE
a job on the internal parts of t}e machine,following directions.
Cleanthe keylevercomb slots carefullywith a dry brush. Do not
"ii#.T.- lubricatethem.
ALL PURPOSE
Don't use any of the all-purposeoils sold in hardwarestores
OIt & CLEANER
for oiling a typewriter. Do try to oil all the parts, without
MACHINE OIL
over-oiling.
AOS
N O N . F L U I OO I L In lieu of an overall lubricationas described,problemareas
(suchas the escapement pinion,etc.) canbe oiled with the special
oilers for machinelubrication, which have long, thin, flexible
stickingproblemsmaybe solved
Fig.4-5.In betweenthoroughcleaning/oiling,
cleanersandorlsin pressurized
throughthe use of combination cans(courtesy spouts(Fig. a-6).Use typewriteroil, beingsure no oil getson the
of Ames SupplyCompany). platen,powerroll, feedrolls,bailrollers,etc.

140
 COSMETIC
CtEAIIING
Some professionalrepairmen seem to pay an inordinate ENGRAVER'SLACOUER STIK
arnountof attentionto the outwardcleanlinessof a typewriter. For
this purpose,specialcleanersand polishersare available(Fig. BRIGHTEN - CARBIAGESCALES,TABULATOB849[9 ATpSEYEOARDS'
- ' UP
4-7). Be sure to use the correct cleanerand polisheron painted RUliiNroEtlonnwo LINES.wlPE oFF EXcESS'
AVAILABLEINTHE FOLLOWING COLORS:
surfaces,keybuttons,clearplasticcardholders,etc., as the wrong NO,15O-WWHITE
NO.15O-BBLACK
solutions (such as denaturedalcohol, for instance)can cause N O .r 5 0 - R R E D 119.159-YYELLOW
fogging.Don't cleanthe plastickeybuttonstoo enthusiastically, as
it is possibleto remove the characters.However, if this should
Fig.4-8.Lacquerstick,whichcanberubbedinengraved|ines-torestore|os|
happen,Ames SupplyCompanyprovideslacquersticks (Fig. -8) when returning a type
characters,can save explanationsand embarrassmenl
in variouscolors, which canbe rubbedinto the engravedlines to ofAmesSupplyCompany)'
(courtesy
writerto thecustomer
restore the lost characters-Typewriterscanbe given the recon-
ditionedlook by paintingthe coverswith specialpaints(Fig. a-9).
Paintovens(Fig. a-10)are usedto give the paintjob a professional SELFSPRAY
look. PAINTSANDLACOUERS

sErEcTtilG
T00ts
Manyof the toolswhichyouhavein yourtoolboxwill be useful
in working on typewriters.However, specialtools, which antici-
pate the specialneedsof the professionaltypewriter repairman,
are providedfor the industry.The questionofwhetherto get tools
in standardor metric sizes is difficult, but it can be solved by
gettingboth. Thin wrenches(Fig. 4-11)are especiallyuseful,as
are hex wrenchand socketsets (Fig. a-12).
A few specialtoolsincludethefollowing:
tr Springhooks (Fig.a-13).
! Typebartwisters(FiS.a-la).

ONCEOVER
T H E W O N O E RP O L T S H
INSTANT
F O F W R I N K L EF I N I S H E S _
OFF
S M O O T HF I N I S H E S

NO 56C-16

IN 14OZ AEROSOL
S E L F - S P R A YC A N NO 12Op-16 NO 120P-128
16O2. 1GALLON 1 2 3 / aO Z . C A N

Fig.4-7. For lypewriter cnsmetics, it's smart to use cleaners and polishes Fig. 4-9. The psychological value of 9 le* paint lob on a reconditioned
"typewriter colors"
preparedlor the industry, as sorne products around the home or shop may mar tyiu,rnt"r is tremendorr] P"int. are available in a variety of
thefinish or fog plasticparts (courtesyof Ames SupplyCompany). of AmesSupplyCompany).
(courtesy

142 143
 s 6l'r
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tg UE
p-=
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f,.<
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oo q
f< dil s* -qRulaUga
3
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26 8e5o-€3iIF 3 aE
€ = E
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39 i$ =3
o
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0) si 6[il gyu 5 q
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U'

T O O L S. T Y P E W R I I E RW R E N C H E S

WRENCHES
OROPFORGEO NO DESCRIPTION
(rHtN)
675 O P E NE N O W R E N C H% ' ' O F F S E T7 / 1 6 "
650 O P E NE N D W B E N C H7 / 1 6 "O F F S E T% "
655 OPEN END WRENCH5i 16" OFFSET%"
660 O P E NE N D W R E N C HY r ' 'O F F S E T5 / I 6 "
665 OPEN END WRENCH9/64" OFFSET7/32'
670 OPEN END WRENCH3i 16''OFFSET9/64'
680 B O X E N D W R E N C H9 / 6 4 ' ', 3 / 1 6 ' '
rf- 685 8 0 x E N OW R E N C Hg i 6 { " - 7 t 3 2 "
690 BOX END WRENCHvt" - 5116"
695 C O M P L E T ES E T I N H A N O YK I I
(q 66s
METRIC SIZES

NO. DESCRIPTION

600 OPEN END WRENCH 4MM x 5 5MM

60s OPEN ENO WRENCH 6MM x 7MM
607 OPEN END WRENCH 8MM x 9MM
609 OPEN END WRENCH lOMM x l lMM
612 BOX WRENCH 6MM x 7MM
615 COMPLEIE SET IN HANoY KIT
rC __-_:o)
MM WRENCHES SAME AS THOSE SHOWN ABOVE

o LO 690

Fig. 4- 1 1. Just as auto manufacturers,typewritermanufaclurersbuild the machine aroundthe screws; lhin wrencheshelp get into these kinds
A
gl of places (counesyof Ames SupplyCompany).
 No.B65SOCKET WRENCHSET No.91 SPRI NGHO O KSET
14.PIECE1 /, 4 S
'' QUARE
DRIVE

NO 685
6 PT. SOCKETS
(Op e n i n gS i z e ):
3 1 1 6 " 7 1 3 21"1 4 "
9132"5116"11132"
3 1 9 " 7 1 1 61" 1 2 "
1OPT. SOCKETS
(O p e n i n gSi z e ):
1 1 4 "5 1 1 6 "
R EV ER SIB L E R AT C H E T
4-314"
2 ' ' EX T EN SION
SPINNER/EXTENSION ,-J,

5-314"( 1" x 3" handle,2-31 4"

shaft) Fig. 4-13. A spring hook may be your mosl often used tool (courtesy of Ames
SupplyCompany).

f,Keyleverbenders(Fig. -15).
! Ribboneyeletpliers(Fig.a-16).
No.S5OATLEN
HEXDRIVER
UNIT
I Link benders(Fis. 4-U).
t Ribbonvibratorarm benders(Fig. 4-18).
I Segrnentpick(Fig.a-19).
D Type cleaningbrushes (Fig.a-20).
7 PieceKit Consistsof:
No.850-C Amberyl handle with Also see Table4-l for a suggestedbasictool kit, as supplied
c l u tc h N o.850-1 by AmesSupplyCompany.
H e x b i t 1 1 1 6x" 4 3 1 4 "
N o .8 5 0 -2 H ex bi t51U " x4314"
No.850-3 Hex bit 3132"x4314" No, 152TYPEBARTWISTING(ROYAL)
No.850-4 Hex bit 118"x4 gl4"
No.850-5 Hex bit 5132"x4314"
N o .8 5 0 -6 H exbi t 3116"x4314" Forbendingor twistingtypebarsto bringintoproperposition.
1 / 1 6 s" l o t .
IN H AN D YP LA S TICC A S E

Fig- 4-12 A varietyof good qualitytools will make your work a preasure
Frg. 4-14. lf a typebar won't go thro.rghthe guide correctly,the solution may
(courtesy
ofAmesSupptyCompany).
simplybetwisting it slightly(courtesyofAmes SupplyCompany).

146 147
 N o ,5 K E Y L E V E B
RE N D E R S

N o .6 B I B B O NE Y E L E TP L I E R S
Forapplyingeyeletsandhooks.6 5/8"long.

F o rb e n d i n ga n da ri g n i nkge y revers,
fratrevers
andri nks.7 1r2,,
long.
.61 @No. 6-4 RIBEONEYELETDIES
Fj.g a 15- This speciartypewritertoot *n bend
rsvers tinrG"r- Replacement diesfor No. 6 Pliers
alignment(courtesyofAmesSuppJy Compinyl. "no
Fig. 4- 16. With this tool you may avoid the task ol ordaing ribbons with eyelets
oEStGt{rf'f
c A W0RKSH0P (courtesyol Ames SupplyCompany).
tf you begin thinking about a workshop,it forrows
. armost
iogicallythat you'll also be thinkingabout.o*"
*.y ,o attract
business.You'llarsobe wonderingwhetherto
stressservice,i. e..
machinerepair, combineservice with the sares
of ;.* ;;;.;l N o . 4 2L I N KB E N D E R
machines or stresssares.Evenif suchanoperation wereconducted
from your home(asin a garage),you *orid probabry
benefitfrom
storefrontfrontage,even if at first the arei *..
only a praceto
receiverepairjobs.
Makingthe decisionof whetherto stressservice Forbe ndinglinks,t ever s,et c. ,( 8" long.5/ 16"diam et er ,
or sareswiil
be an importantonein the longrun, because 1l 16"slot . )
it wilr determinehow
youplanto allocateyouravailable capitalbetweenresalestockand
equipment.Il for example,a repair businesshas
a real potential
for expansion,it wourdnot be a viabrerong-range this tool-the linkbender (courtesy
Fig.4-17. A comptetetools€tcant be withor.rt
pt.n ,o set the
repair shop in an area that is too small, or of Ames Supply Company).
to invest money in
equipmentthat wourd later prove inadequate.
Moreover, rnost
professionals adviseagainstmakingup homemade equipmentfrom
randomparts, sinceworking the bugsout of
sucha systemtakes
too muchtirnefrom the moreprofitabieactivityorr.i*t No. 44 RI BBO NVI BRATO RARM BENDERS
repair.
In the early stagesof pranning,it wourdie extremery (ROYAL)
herpfur
to receiveadvicefrom professionais andpeoplein the industry.To
that end, here is a quotefrom the *.r"nt Ames
Supprycompany
catalog: "Over the years, Ames Supply Company
has helped Usedin pairsforadjustingribbonvibratorarm. (5 t/4" long.)
thousandsof dearersto set up shopsor modernize
therr ord ones.
Ameswouldlike to herpyou to serectyour equipment
andto supply
information onanyproblemyoumighthave.,, repairindqstrycan'tbe purchasedin
Fig.4-18.Specialtoolsfor tha typewriter
yourlocalhardwarestore(courtesyof AmesSupply Cornpany) .
148
149
 loot Kit(courtesy
Table4-t . A EasicTypewriter Company).
Supply
olAmes

NO.93SEGMENT
PICK
Prlol Punch Krt - For Romoval Ol
81 6 Scrowdflver 6'8lad€ 3/16 8'l
Scrawdnver'B'Blade7t3?'Brl S p n n g d R o t l P r n s ,5 ' 2 6 5 1 i l € "
81-8
t,*" 3,32' l/E'
)g 6 Scrrydrrvsr'6' Brade.9/6rt Brl
Specral tBMSPrr^gHool SPrtng
A'216'8 Sctgwdrrvgt B Blade.58? Brt
Forcleaning
typebarslotsinsegments. A- I 16-3 Pmkst Clre Sqewdnvgr ' 3
B acl€.3'3? Brl
LmdBd
P u l l o r - ' l t 1 / 4 " L .3 / l 6 " D a
A-416-8 Sc'gsdnv€r'g Blad€ t { &t Sorlne Hook E Scnbe.
Phrllpsscr€u'dnvar'61r? L Bblsy-Slyls Frn€ Tip Twrezers-
88f
3/ l6, Brl 5L
pickis alsoanessential
Fig.4-19.Thesegment tool(counesy
ofAmes Supply 883 PhrllpsScresdhv€r-75/8 L ErtraLongTw3€z€rs
6d Trps 6 3/4 L
'
Sg{rat
14 At
Company). 16-512" PafallslFlatNossCunrrE Strarght Nos€ Locline Forc€Ps
p ters OPenThroal ComPpturd Needle Frlo Krt - | 2 Srzes No. 2
Laorage 5l 2'- Cut 5 5/8"1
Trp Cuttrng Plt6.s - Jaw Srze 1'2' L l-larldlc For Frl€3
See Fig. 4-2I f.ora suggestedfloor plan, as providedby the | 14
X7r32'Vl.rl Ov6(allLs(9 Wot Ston€ . Frnai Coarse
7i3 Sho|l Na€dro NGe Ph€rs ' Lmg Cloanr{ Brush - For Inn€r
AmesSupplyCompany,for a storefrontandshop.Also, see Table Handle I L
Machrne Parls. t 3/8" Bnstl€s
7U Wrnng Plss Ssrraled Duck 3/4',w
4-2 to understandwhat the numberedcomponentsof Fig. 4-21 Biil Jaws 7 7ig..L B-14-OS TypeBrush'(3) 1 114'Flows 3/E
7 13 '/Vl(rng& P,ck Up P re(s' Ss(rat- Bristles,6"L
represent and for a suggestedlist of shop and cleaning room od Jaws. Oo*el Prn JawS'!es 815 TYPogrush-9/16''EndTutls
5 116"L
closed ?7 15',1 X 1r?',W 'L
56l Scrsw Starler ' 6
accessories. -150 tlatOobt6'EndSpanner
Otler
W.ench Sol One End 5o Orner
' Small Magn€(rzerlDsmagrotjzer
Erd 75"An9l6 S zes l18 - 1/4
Ke€per Ssns - Srull
351 Motrc Dabl€'E.d Soann€.
Erass Hammer
SECURINGTECHiI I CAt I I{TORMATIOI{OI{TYPEWRITERS 3-54
Wronch 56l _ l2 S,zes 3MM 1OMM
S€k€tw.ench sMM
-
Mo{ianc s Hamm€(
6MM Rotractable Knrlo . Small
356 Sockelwtsnch
In later chaptersI will give step-by-stepdetailedinstructions 357 Sockotwrondr - 7MM
Adlustabl€ Wrgndr ' 6'
S69mml Prcl
1950 Socksl wrsnch - 1/4 " Hat Openrng
for repairingspecificmodelsof certain brand-name typewriters. '955 SmtetWrench-5i16'FiexQmtnq
7 PiocE Op6n EndMslnc Wrerch
S€l-Siz€sr 5.sMM' | !MM
349 Olympi6 Add€r Mrlllmeler
While it is a temptationto say that this specificinformationis all Wtonct Krl I O Pr€ce Combnabm CF sd Qen
€ndl8ox €nd wrmdt S€t
34S H€x XeY S€t Mrlhm€ler Srr€s
you will need to work on other brand,/models,it would be 1 27MM ' 5MM 8 Pree Opon End Wr8nch Sot
Parts Stofage Bor
45 Starrlard Hax KaYSet Srres
Parts Slo.ago Bor
somethingof anoverstatementto sayit. The factis thatin all cases 96
050' s,'3?
CantsnngPlnctr- 1/4"xd' Cl6atrng Cloths (5)
Ft'stArd Krt ncluded
you shouldattemptto get the appropriateservicemanualsfrom the 94 Ptn Onv,nq Punch - 1 {' X 4 WtO\
1,16"pr Ptatt Tml Cas6 Includsd

manufacturingor distributing firm. If you will need parts to l o o lx i t t t . 9 l E

(r00t-c stllcluolo)
completethe repair, you may get miscellaneous partsfrom Ames
Supply Companyand specific parts from either Ames or the GettingServiceManualsandParts
manufacturer.To do this, you will need the appropriateparts Catalogs FromCompanies OtrerThan IBM
catalog.
Pleaseunderstandthat in givingthe followinginformationon
typewriterfirms, I havenot personallybeenauthorizedto speakon
behalfof these companies,You may correspondwith any of them
N O .& - 1 4 T Y P EB R U S H
T h r e e1 3 i 4 ' ' r o w s o3f i B , ' b r i s t l e s ( 4 t u t6t ,s,)t o n g .
onlyto haveyour requestdeniedor ignored.However'I do believe
I ----_=- wood handle. that an intelligentlywritten, conciseletter will draw the desired
response.Yourbasicproblemwill be whetherto requesta service
NO, B_I4_NS
'' manualand parts catalogfor one specificmachine-in which case
C u r v e d p l a s h c h a n d l e w i t h 1 / 2" n y l o n b r i s t l e s , 6 5 / 8
---.--...-=----1n you wouldlogicallybe planningto serviceyour own machine-or a
selectionof manualsand parts catalogsfor a variety of models
manufacturedby the firm. In the former case, you will have to
I i"';;il ?::?:,?:Y:;"",risr
es-rwo
3i4 providethe modelnumberof your typewriter; in the latter case,
\ .-- .- rows,5 1.g. tong
yourrequestmaybe up for somediscussion,particularlyif it is the
policyof the companyto establishfranchisedsen'icedealers.
Fig.4-20.Don'tcriticizethetypicaluserfornotkeepingtypefaces
ctean-just be In no caseis it advisableto try andorderbrand-name partsby
preparedto do il yoursel{(courtesyof AmesSupplyCompany) . a visualorlaymen's description
simplyprovidingthecompanywith
'
150 1s1
 ECONOMICAL SHOP LAYOUT AND EQUIPMENT

STOREFRONT

REPAIR SHOP OFFICE OR STORAGESPACE

R
E
P
A
I
R
b
H
o
p

HANDLEREPAIR
ISNOTEQUIPPEDTO
THISSHOPLAYOUT MACHINES
OF ELECTRONIC

pad_timebusiness.oronelhal can
i F,g.4-21.perhapsthisshopplanand equipmentlayo|]lcan be modiliodto fit yourgarag€,ilyou'replanninga
dr groti,(courtesyotAm€sSupplyCompany).

- -]!_ '- ='= =+-, ==

==
 [ll

of the part; you will alwaysget a more favorable-andfaster-

ilt1
response if you furnish the part number, as taken from an
authorizedparts catalog,together with the correct name of the
F C
6 | t !

;E
I C \
til
ll

1
part. Alternatively,you may order parts from, or through,Ames ;a
t'c!
Supply Company. Here is an excerpt from the current Ames =3
d, 'tt
catalog,explainingits policyonpartsordering. E8
AE
"The parts listed in the following section (the section E.C
mentionedis catalogpagesof miscellaneous items, only a few of EE t{
which are listed by manufacturers'numbers)are some of the E
ot
3
.cr : il
miscellaneous itemsandassortmentcarriedin stock.We stockand
will continueto stockmanythousandsof availablemanufacturers'
=()
EA

tI
t[
- j

95
partsas well as manyhundredsof parts that are now obsoleteand F-
q.E
nolongeravailablefrom the manufacturer. G.=
o!
"Because our stock of parts is growing larger and more ;CL

complexevery day, it is becomingmore difficultto publisha parts E*

:
catalogof the items we stock as we have done in the past.
Therefore,we do notpublisha partscatalog.
"Since our stock numbersfor parts are the same as each

gH?tii
individualmanufacturer's part number,we suggestthat whenever
el, E 3
eli:
s
*
e
lg *iiel
Ee il
possibleyou usetheir catalogsandpartsnumberfor orderingfrom x,
q^

Ames branchesand agents.If you do not have a number senda

sample or drawing of the part needed along with complete
E
t'
T iEIF 3;a
UBY
6 ! C

informationas to the serialnumberof the machine,make,model,

EII_ i 5 5
pitch,color,etc.,andwe will fill in the partnumbersfor you.
"[f you cannotobtain the manufacturer'sparts catalogyou
need,pleaselet us knowandwe willtry to supplywhatyouwanton
specialorder.We do not keepa currentlist for partscatalogsin our
E
a
q
'!l 3 fl
ftHg
Ht Hrers**Egg
<=
iEl
ili fCIl
Ege
il
il
q

I
officesdue to their constantchangingin availabilityandprice. We !
ll
willbe gladto obtainthis informationfor youuponyour requestif I
B ril
stl
Q c ) 9 6 ( D r @
N
ta
la
catalogsare needed." rt
The end of the foregoingparagraphis the end of the Ames
catalogquotation.
IE
I .!!
It
l!
I
*6
il
il

[ltlHslilitsl i,
ll _-
ons
lmportantGonsiderati l! e
t = - 9 =! P .

sgEsif
's

While I may have mentionedthis before, it is important T t$

t.!
enoughto bearrepeating.Whennegotiatingwith manufacturers
service manualsand parts catalogs,you can assumethat two
for
i!
l!
considerationswill be uppermostin the mind of the recipientof
your request.Do you intendto reproduce(asthroughcopyingon a s! ts
( 6 N Hfl Rfl HEE; I .t heEEfit:Es
copymachine)thesecompanypublications? Do you intend to use
these catalogsand manualsto falsely representyourself as a
factclry-authorized
servicedealerof that company? The answersto E! il"-------oo 6 ( D N

1g
 boththesequestionsare, of course,no. I wourdsuggestthat you
makea straightforwardstatementto this effectin your initiat letter machineandunderneaththe left-handplatenknob.There seemsto
(notall companies are concerned aboutfranchised be no clear-cutway to determinewhich of thesenameplateswill
service/dealers,
however,and this questionmay not alwaysarise). Finally, when providemodelinformation;however,oneor the other of them will
correspondingwith or trying to get publicationsor parts from containa serialnumber(don'tconfusea serialnumberwith patent
manufacturers, allowplentyof time for a response.which company numbers) .
executivedo you addresswhen making these specialrequests? If you can'tfind any letter or numberclearlydesignatingthe
Logicwould seemto dictatethat you corresponddirecily with
the modelof the IBM, provide the companywith the serial number,
technicaldepartment;however, I usuailyiave better togetherwith thefollowingfacts:
luck if I
contactthe salesdepartment(addressthe salesmanagerby ! Whetherit is a standardor Executive.
nameif
possible-this informationis generallyavailablein D The colorof the machine.
tle current
standardand PoorsDirectoryofAduertisezs, foundin the reference D Whetherit usesa carbonor a fabricribbon.
sectionof libraries). D The lengthof the platen,andthe lengthof the writing line.
see the appendixfor a list of typewriter manufacturersand/or f The pitch.
distributorsin the UnitedStates. D The numberof characterson the keyboard.
tr Whetheror not it hasa decimaltab system.A decimaltab
GETTIIIG SERVICE MAiIUATS ATIDPARTS CATALOGS FROMIBM systemdiffersfrom anordinarytabsystemin thata seriesof tabset
The policy of IBM in furnishingservice manuarsand parts buttonscanbe presetto enablethetypistto tabto a certaindecimal
catalogsis that IBM is willing to sell thesepublicationsto digit in a columnof dollarsandcentsfigures.
anyone
requesting them. IBM does not establish franchised With the foregoing information, together with the serial
service
dealers, and in fact controls the sares of its products quite number,the IBM customerengineering peopleshouldbe ableto
stringently,throughfield representativescalled,,marketing identifyyour machinemodel andtell you the appropriateservice
i"p-
resentatives."Accordingly,the only IBM-authorized rup.i, ."r_ rnanualandpartscatalogto use.They will eithersendit to youor
vice is through IBM field repairmen,called representatives referyouto the IBM personwhowill.
in
"customerengineering. " what this meansin effectis that no onein A, B, C
As a generalrule, the modelof the olderIBM stzuidard
your town may advertisehis own name,or firm name, and D modelswill be foundon the nameplateunderneaththe left
as either an
IBM sales or service representative;however, as a practicar platenknob (you may have to move the carriagerightwardto see
matter,repairmencanbe andare trained,in independent this plate),althoughit will be statedas acodenumber,ratherthan
training
programs,to repair IBM typewriters. IBM phone by a letter. Generally,this codenumberwill be to the left of and
numbers are
listedin the yellow pagesof regionaror metrojoritanphone precedetheserialnumber.It is a two-digitnumber,asfollows:
books.
The nationwidetoll-freenumberfor IBM is gbo-63t--55g2,
except -The codenumber"10" istheblackmodel.
in NewJersey,whereit is g00-3S2_4960.
-The codenumber"ll" is the ModelA (usuallygrey).
-The codenum ber "12" is t heM odelB.
ldentifying0ld tBMTypewriters
-The codenumber"l3" is the ModelC.
speakingof olderIBM typewriters,IBM servicemanuals -The
and codenum ber"15" is t heM odelD.
parts catalogs combine information for standard
and Executiue
rnachines.Both standardsand Executiveswere manufactured On some Executives,the model will be foundon a plastic
in
IBM Models A, B, C and D (all of these models were nameplate, on theundersideof themachine.[n someinstances, the
typebar
machines,incidentally).The informationon the nameplates The ModelC Executive,whichhasan
rnodelis clearlydesignated.
of
theseolder modelsdoes not alwaysclearrystate the 86-character keyboardand a carbonribbon,is the Model 41, for
model, in
terms intelligible to the non-professional. example.The samemachinewith a fabricribbonis a Model 45.
Namepratesmay be
foundin either (or both) of two places-on the bottom Most of these particularmachineswere tan in color. Executives
side of the
rveremadewithl/32" and 1/36" unit escapements. The clueto the
156
157
escapementpitch is supposedto be given in certain digits of the Some professionalrepairmen recommendnot grinding a
serialnumber.I won't attemptto tell you the codesinceI havenot platenbecause,they say, it decreasesits diameter,causingthe
foundit consistent.To figure out the escapementpitch yourself, type headto travel an incrementaldistancefartherbeforestriking
youshouldunderstandthaton the machinewith the L/32" pitch, 10 the platen, therefore changingthe striking pressure. In sorne
three-unitcharacterswill occupy30/32"onthe paper. instances,decreasingthe diameterof the platenmayaffectthe way
One factorthat may leadto someinconsistencyin Executive it contactsthe feed rolls and causepaper feedingproblems.
identification is that if and when machines are factory- However, I have never ftad any problemswith platensthat have
reconditioned,the plate beneaththe left-handplatenknobmay be beengroundonetime.
removed,and a new numberstampedinto the metal. Sometimes Obviously, the superior way to reconditiona platen is to
this number is accompaniedby the letter "R," to indicate recoverit. Here are somefactsaboutplatenrecovering.The inner
reconditioned. part of the platen is called its "core." Platen coresare designed
With Executives,as with standards,be sure to includeas throughmanufactureto take either a cushionrubber cover or a
much informationabout platen length, kind of ribbon, etc., as non-cushionrubber cover. Cushionplatenshave a rubber wall
possible. thicknessof over 3/76". Non-cushion platenshavea wall thickness
of under3/16" (Fig. a-22). You cannorput a cushionrubber on a
ldentifying
RecentModellBMs non-cushion core,or vice-versa.
In previouschaptersof this book I havegenerallyreferredto Platens,andthereforeplatencovers,are codedby hardness,
all single element machines as "single element" machines; with the hardnessselected by the following facts. CodeA is
however, IBM designatesthis kind of machine as either the generallyusedfor oneto fourcopies,mostsuitableonportables,or
"Selectric" (code 21), "Selectric II" (code 26) or "Correcting for only limited numbersof carboncopies-a softplaten. CodeM is
Selectric"(code26). IBM hasquite recentlymarketeda machine generallyused for four to eight copies.This is standardhardness
comparableto the SelectricII, with additionalfeatures,which is for machinesthat require harderplatensthan CodeA-such as
called"SelectricIII, " for whichI haveno codenumberinformation. someIBMs, UnderwoodRhythmShift,certainSmithCoronas,and
RoyalMC. CodeEis generallyused for eightto 12copies.Because
The SelectricII and SelectricIII may use either the carbon
ribbonor fabricribbon(thefabricribbonmachinesare codenumber of the hardness,it is only usedon machineswhereneeded.CodeS
84, whichare the third andfourthdigitsof the serialnumber).Since is generally used for more than 12 copies, or for typing on
the rnostnotablefeatureof the codingsysternon IBM Selectricsis extremelyheavypaperor thin cardboard.
inconsistency,I can only suggestthat you provide the following
informationwhenrequestingservice manualsand parts catalogs:
platen length and writing line length, whether the machineis a

AA
singleor dualpitch, the numberof characterson the keyboardand
whether it uses the film ribbonand Tech III ribbon interchange-
ably.
The older Selectricshad an SYz"writing line with an 11.0"
platen. Other older Selectrics,as well as the newer correcting Generally, havea rubberwall
cushionplatens
models, had 11" and 13" writing lines, with 13.5" and 1S.5" platens
over3116"andnon-arshion
thickness
platens,respectively.
havea wallthickness 3/16".
under
REC0
il0t Tt0r{E0PTATEI{S
Ames SupplyCompany,throughits branchcompanies,offers Fig a-22. Hecwering an otd, prttedplaten is a viable, relatively inexpensive
the service of,reconditioningplalens. One way that a platenmay be {/wayout" for the customer.Ames SupplyCompany can provide you with more
reconditioned is by grindingit; anotheris by recoveringit. tnformationon this service(courtesyof Ames Supply Company).

158 159
 stencil'Riteis generallyused for cutting stencils,
offset
masterandfluid masters.Theseare speciallytreated
to resist the
oils from the stencil.Stencil-Ritefeed rolls should
be usedwith
stencil-Riteplatens.The costof recoveringa platen
is determined
by its lengthin inches.
For more information on reconditioningpratens,
contact
Ames supplycompany,whowiil arsoprovideylu with
information
o ns h i p p i n ge, tc .

AOJUSTI
ilGTHE PRESSU
REOI{IT{OIVI
DUAT
TYPEBARS
Many electrictypebarmachineshavea provision,in
the form
of separateadjustingscrews, to a-djustttre typing pressures
of
individualtypebars.on somemachinestherei.
, .o* of adjusting
screws,accessible afterremovingthe topcoverof the machine(on
the OlympiaModel 35, for.*urnpl";. On other
machines(notably
IBMs) the screwsare accessibleat the underside
of the machine
(Fig. a-23)aftertippingthe machine Fig. a-23. You are looking at the underside of an IBM Model A typebar
back.
At a given overail typing pressure, as determined typewriter. Nole the row of adjustment screws. Also note the bar above the
by the screws, in whrch numbers, correspondingto lypebars, are stamped. Turning
calibratedsetting of the typing pressure rever found the individual screws will change the pressure with which lhe corresponding
on most
machines,thepressureof individuartypebarscanchange typebarstrikes the platen.
fromtime
to time, with no apparentreason.Moreover, certain
characters
(seerninglythe "a s" and"gs" on someolder D Lookingat your referencepaperto seewhichscrewsneed
IBMs) seemto get out
of adjustmentmorefrequentlythanothers. turning, tap the appropriatekeybuttonandnote the results.If the
To makeindividuaradjustments,find the adjustment impression is too light, turn the screw counterclockwise,in
screws. quarter-turn increments,while tapping the keybutton until the
Generally,the screwswill be numbered(thenumbers
arenlton the
screwsthemserves, but stampedintoa metarbarin closeproximity impression is dark enough.If the impressionis too dark, or the
to the screws),with eachnumbercorresponding typefaceis cuttingthe paper,follow the procedurementionedbut
to a typebar.The
number"l" correspondsto the typebaron the extreme turn the screw clockwise. There are no locking nuts on the
reft endof adjustmentscrews,so you'reall donewhenyou completethis last
theassembly,number"2" nextto;'r, " etc.After o.ienting
yourself
to the screwsandcorresponding step.
typebars,dothefollowing:
To judge your results accurately,be sure the typefacesare
[J Roll a sheetof paperinto the machine.If you normaily clean and the ribbon is fresh (in the case of a fabric ribbon,
use
a backup sheet, or multipre sheets for carboncopies, roll especially).In the caseof a carbonribbon,be sure it is of the right
the
normallyusednumberof sheetsinto the machineso you'll density, and that you are usingthe right kind of paper(alsocheck
endup
w i thv i a b l ere s u l ts . such"idiot factors"asthepositionof the multiplecopylever,etc.).
D Setthepressurereguratorat thenormariyused If all lhe impressionsare consistentlylight, perhapsthe machine
setting.
D Type everycharacter-both upperandrowercase-on needscleaningandoiling.
the
keyboard,to determinewhichneedsadjlstment.
I Removethe paper(s),which wilt be used as a reference REMOVI
I{GTYPEWRITER
COVERS
whenselectingscrewsto be adjusted, fromthetypewriter. There is no single set of instructionsthat can explainthe
D Roll fresh papersinto the typewriter. Gain access
to the removal of covers of all machines.Sometimes,removingthe
adjustment screws.
coverscanbe a majorchallenge.Coversalmostalwayscomeoff in
160
161
 separatesegments.some are held on by screws with slotted
heads,somewith phillipsheads,andsomewith hexheads.Some,
suchas the coverof the IBM serectricII, aresimplyheld on by two
POSITIONINGSCR EWORIVER
lockinglevers.If coversare herdon by screws,it is helpful to have
N o . H J J - 8 7 P O S I T I O N I N GS C R E W D R I V E R
an assortmentof goodquality screwdrivers,andat least one that H6at tr6al€d 6xpanding st€olbits engag€ firmlyin sctowplot
^..-, ----
will hold a screwwhile removingor insertingit in a hard-to-get-to by simptgWshing mobon. Afte( uss. bi!s at€ resto.ed by push" r _
ing r€loas9 rod thal €xl€nds b€yond knurlod handl€.
place(Fis. 4-2q. watch for springs,retainingwashers,spacers, to. titlVidb Ovrrrll Lcttgtt
washersand rubbergrommets.when removingcover segments, HJJ-87-8 9i 64', 8'',
HJJ-87-10 3/16'' 10"
note how passageis made aroundand over external levers and
keybuttonsso you can replacethem accordingly.covers that can
to havea positioning
Fig.4-24.lt'sessential screwdriver on a
whenworking
actuallybe replacedever so slightly wrong canbe the underlying (carrtosy
typewriter ofAmesSupply Cornpany).
causeof vibrationnoiseswhenthe machineis running.
ribbongUideandnot so narrowas to losepart of the impression.[n
STOCIONG
At{ASSORTMEilT
OFRIBBO}IS somecasesthe ribbonmust be fitted with a hook for attachingto
For exacting customers, the kind and quality of ribbon the take-upspool,as well asan eyelet to work in conjunctionwith
impressionsmay be crucialto their satisfaction,aswell as to their the ribbon-reversingmechanism.The commonly encountered
perceptionof the qualityof the repairjob you turn out. Apart from ribbonwidths for conventionaltypewriters are Vz"and9/ 16".
the kind andqualityof the ribbon,you'll be facedwith the problem
of havingto supplyribbonfor the large variety of typewriters that FabricRibbonl{umbering System
youencounter.Hereare a few factsaboutfabricribbons. One fabric ribbonnumberingsystem,on ribbonssuppliedby
Ames Supply Company,is codedfrom TWl throughTW37 (with
Coftont{ylonandSilk Ribbons someomissions),which includesribbonsto fit most fabricribbon
cotton ribbonis consideredinferiorto eithernylonor si/ft,but typewriters. You wouldn'tneed all of these ribbonssincepart of
doeshavethe characteristic-whichmay be anadvantage them fit specialpurposemachines.Here is a list of ribbon that
in some
cases-of producinga blackerimpressionwith a lighter blow from wouldbe most sought-after.
the typebar.It might be preferredfor a manualtlpewriter, but the I TW1 . A Yz"ribbonwith eyelets6" from eachend; fits Brother
striking pressureof an electric machinewould wear it out about Standard;HermesStandardElectric and Portable;and Undenuood
twiceasfastasit woulda nylonor silk ribbon. O/S andPortable.
Nylon ribbon is consideredan exceilent ribbon, from the D TW2. AYz" ribbonwith eyeletVz"from the end; fitsNorse/ess
viewpoint of clarity, longevity and toughness.It gives an even Standardand Portable; RemingtonStandard,Electric, 17 and
impressionthroughoutits life, and the impressionis sharper PortableN/S; andUnderwoodNo. 150CoreandElectricO/S.
and
less feathery than that from a cotton ribbon. Nylon ribbon is n TW3. AVz" ribbon with a 1" loop on outsideend; fits Royal
availablein threedifferentgrades,for specificapplications. Standard andElectric.
si/ft is also consideredan excellentribbon, which gives an D TW4. A Yz"ribbon; fits L. C. Smith Standard;Smith Corona
even impressionthroughoutits life. The impressionis sharpand StandardandElectricO/S,
clear,but not asblackasthatof cotton. tr TWs. A Yz" ribbon; fits Underwood No. 150 Flange and
If you must stock ribbons conservatively,most customers Electric,N/S.
would be satisfiedwith cotton and nylon. It would probably D TW6. Ayz"ribbon:fitsR. C. Allen Standardand Electric.
be
helpfulif you were to explainthe characteristics D TW7. Ar/2"ribbon;fitsRemingtonVisible.
of eacrr.
Fabric ribbons are availableon spoolsand cartridgesto fit tl TlV8. A 9/16" ribbon on a toothed metal spool; fits IBM
specificmachines.The spool or cartridgemust fit the machine. ModelsA andB.
The ribbon itself musrbe of the correct width to feedthrough D TWg. A9/16" ribbonona plasticspool;fits IBM ModelsC and
the
t).
162
1ffi
 D T Wf O . N o t l i s te d . that advancesthe ribbononefull charactereachtime a characteris
tl Twr l- A g/LG"ribbonwith eyerets6" from eachend and a
typed.
hookon the outsideendonly;fits RoyalElectricportableg/16,,utd If a ribbon is listed as Mylar (or reusableMylar), it is to be
RoyalUltronic g/LG".
usedon a machinethat advancesthe ribbon only an incrementof a
! Twr2 . Avz" ribbonwith eyelets3" fromeachend:fits olivetti space.
Standard ElectricandPortable. Potyethylenerrbbonsmakethinner, sharpercharactersthando
D T w r3 . A 9 /7 6 " ri b b o n i,s t hesameasTW l l but w i thouthook
Mylar iiuuonr. some typists establish preferencesfor either
andeyelets;fits Adlerg/lG" andRoyalSg0,690,970and92l. or MYlar.
'polyethylene
-
D Twr4. A Yz" rtbbonwitheyelets6" from eachend:fits corona Certainpolyethyleneribbonsproducean impressionthat can
PortableNo. 3 Auto.
be lifted off the paperwith eithera sticky or dry correctiontapeor
D TWf 5. A Vz"ribbon;fits CoronaCorsairandCoronaPortable for
lift-off tab. Correctiontapes are used on machinesdesigned
Skywriter. casethe machine will not
them. Lift-off tabs are availablein the '
f) TWf 6. A 9/16" plasticcartridgeribbon;fits IBM Selectric
acceptthe tape. .
Model072. Mylar impressionscannotbe lifted off the paper,but they can
f1 Tw17. A Yz" ribbon with eyelets 6" from each end; fits a tapesare availablefor certain
be coveredup. couer-upcorTection
CoronaPortable,No. 4,Jr. andprof.
typewriters. Cover-upiabs are availablein casethe machinewill
! TwrS . A yz"ribbonwith eyeretss" fromeachend;fits a smith
not acceptthe correctiontaPe'
CoronaPortable, PortableElectric and Compact;and the Smith
CoronaStandardandElectricN/S. CarbonRibbonNumbering SYstem
D T W 1 9 . N o r l i s te d .
One carbonribbon numberingsystem codescarbonribbons
tr Tw2o. Avz" ribbon;fits Remington portableo/S (to 1953).
! Twzl. A Yz"ribbon,sameasTwl with eyelets,but shorter; from cR3 throughcR44 (with someomissions),asfollows:
fi ts R o y a l Po rta b l e . n CR3. A 5/16" x 4" (the latter numberis the diameterof the
a Tw22. A y2" ribbon,sameas TW1, but withouteyelets;fits spoolof ribbon whenbrandnew)that fits IBM NlodelsA, B, c and
Adler Standard, Electric N/s and portable; Facit standard, D, andali machineslisted underCR4'Mylar ribbon'
(after
Electric, and PortableN/S; and olympia standard,Electric and I CR4. A 5/16" x 4" polyethyleneribbon for Adler N/S
t969); Facit; Hermes ZOS; tnfr4 Models A, B, C and D; Olivetti
Portable.
I Tw23 - Avz" ribbon;fits AdlerStandard Editor 4, 5 and s14; olympia, except Model 35 (it won't fit the
andElectrico/S: and Model 35 becausethe diameterwhen new is too large to fit the
FacitStandard,ElectricandportableO/S.
a TW24. AYz" ribbon;fits CoronaportableNo.3 O/S. machine;however, in a pinchpart of the ribboncanbe takenoff and
D T W 2 5 , T W 2 6 , T W2 7 , TW 28, TW zg, TW 30, TW3r. discarded,to decreasethe diameterof the spool);Remington,after
Thesefit specialpurposemachines. 1961;Royal,mostmodels;SmithCoronaandUnderwood'
D TW32. At/z"ribbon;fitsRoyatite portable. D CRs. Not listed.
tr TW33, TW34, TW3S, TW36, TW3Z. These fit n cR6. A 9/16" x 235',polyethyleneribbon;fits IBM Model071,
purposemachines. 711,713and715.
i ncl ud ingNos.
n cR7. A 9/16" polyethyleneplasticcartridgeribbon; fits IBM
Ribbonslisted abovewithouteyeretswork in the designated
machinesbecausethose machinesdon't require an eyelet for Selectric072.
ribbonreversing. I CR8. 5/16" x 4" polyethyleneribbon, sameas CR4 but with
optional cartridge;fits IBM Models C (late) and D; Remington
MylarandPolyethylene ModelNo. 26; Royal441; andRoval660and662'
Ribbons
[] cR8A. Samespool as cR4, but with optionalcartridgeand
If a carbonribbonis listedas poiyethylene, it givesoff all its reversewound;fits Hermes705Land799,OlympiaElectric65and
coatingin onestrike of the typehead.It mustbe usedon a machine Remington100E.

164 165
 when
I CRg. 5/16" x 4" polyethyleneribbon, same as CR4, but 5000-c/cD. To be used with cR20 correctablefilm ribbon,
Hermes 808 and olympia
withoutplasticcentercore;fits RemingtonO/S. usedon a foreignmademachine,except
tr CRf O. l/2" x 440' polyethyleneribbonfits Olivetti Editor 2 77,
SE
and3. D CR2 tB. Stickylift-off correctiontape,to be usedon Adler
Selectric III;
D CRI l. 9/16" Mylar ribbonin a plasticcartridge,is the sameas 1000-C/CD;Facii 1850NS; IBM SelectricII and
cR20A correctablefilm
TW16,exceptTWl6 is fabric;fits IBM Selectric022. Royal5000-c/cD. It is to be usedwith the
n CRfz. 5/16" x 3Yz" polyethyleneribbon; fits Adler O/S. ri bbon.
HermesandOlympiaModel35. D CR21C. Dry lift-off correctiontape;fits Adler SE 1000-c/cD;
n CRf 3. 9/16" x 350'polyethyleneribbon;fits IBM Composer, Iracit 1850NS: IBM SelectricII and SelectricIII; Royal 5000-C/
on
a special"cold typesetting"machine. c-D.To be usedwith the cR20A andcR20B ribbonswhenused
D CR L4. 5/16" x 3Vz"polyethyleneribbonwith twin reels; fits a foreignmachineexceptHermes808or Olympia 77'
RoyalElectricModel 565,Royaltwin reels. A CR22. 9/16" x 23i' correctablepolyethyleneribbon;fits IBM
tabs
D CR 15. 5/8" x 406' polyethylenecartridgeribbon; fits IBM SelectricModel 071, including711,713 and 715. Lift-off
SelectricII and SelectricIII. It is identifiedby the pink portion of included,
IBM
ribbonat the end,calledthe "pink leader." I CR23. 5/L6" by 4" correctablepolyethyleneribbon for
cR4. Same
D CRf 6. 5/8" x 290'reusableMylar ribbon(it is reusablein the N{odelsA, B, C andD, andothermachineslistedunder
sense that it is transportedthrough the machinein increments asCR4exceptthatit canbe correctedwith lift-offtabsincluded'
smallenoughto allow overlappingof the characters;however,it is J CR24. Not listed.
Mylar
neverreversedandreused);fits IBM SelectricII andSelectricIII. [] CR25. Cover-up correction tape, for blue leader
It is identifiedby the blue leader,which meansit canbe corrected ribbons. It can be used on IBM SelectricII and Selectric III'
with the cover-upcorrectiontapeor tab, n C R 26. Not list ed.
fits
[J CR17. A 5/16" nylon cartridge ribbon; fits the SCM tf cRz7. Cover-upcorrectiontape,for usewith cR15 ribbon;
Coronamatic. IBM SelectricII andSelectricIII.
D CR18. 5/16" polyethylenecartridge ribbon; fits the SCM I CR28. 5/8" x 405'correctable polyethylene ribbonto be used
Coronamatic. on IBM Selectric II and SelectricIII, and Remington SR101'
! CR19. 5/16" Re-Rite, cartridge ribbon; fits the SCM Correctswith lift-offtapeor tabs,tabsincluded'
ribbon;
Coronamatic. n CR28A . 7/8"x505' correctablepolyethylenecartridge
IBM Selectric II and Selectric III;
! CR2O. 5/8" x 405'correctablepolyethylenecartridgeribbon, fits Facit 1850;Hermes808 OS;
with a yellow leaderindicatingthat it can be correctedwith the SR l0l and MT 200' Lift-off 13[5 included'
and Remington
lift-off correctiontape CR21;fits Adler SE 1000-C/CD;Facit 1gS0 tl CR28B. 5/8" x 505' correctable polyethylene cartridge
NS; Hermes 808 NS; IBM SelectricII and SelectricIII; Olympia ribbon;fitsFacit1850;Hermes808OS;lBMSelectriclland
SGE77; andRoyal5000-C/CD. SelectricIII; andRemington SR 101andMT 200'
n cR2oA. Similarto cR20but with s05'ofribbon.orangeleader I CR29. g/L6" x 150' correctable polyethylenecartridgerib-
indicatesthat it canbe correctedwith CRZl-B lift-offtape. bon, identifiable by yellow leader, corrects with lift-off tabs,
! cRzoB. Similarto andfits the samemachinesas cR20A, with included; fits IBM Selectric 072 (this is the same cartridge as
minor, non-functionaldifferences in the construction of the TWl6, but with differentkindof ribbon)'
Adler
cartridge.Canbe correctedwith CR21Blift-off tape. n CR3O. 9/16" x 2M'polyethylenecartridgeribbon;fits
D cR2r. sticky lift-off correctiontape, usedwith cR20 ribbon; SE 1000andRoYal5000OS.
fits Adler sE 1000-c/cD; Facit 1850 NS: IBM Selectric II and tl CR31. 9/16" x 48' nyloncartridgeribbon;fits Adter SE 1000
SelectricIII; OlympiaSGE7T; andRoyal5000-C/CD. andRoyal5000OS.
D CRzlA. Dry lift-off correctiontape;firs Adler SE 1000-C/CD; I CR32. 9/16" x 264'correctablepolyethylenecartridgerib-
Facit 1850 NS; IBM SelectricII and SelectricIII: and Roval bon:fits Adler sE 1000andRoyal5000os. Lift-offtabsincluded'

166 167
 tJ CR33. 9/16" x 2M'Mylar cartridgeribbon;fits Adler SE 1000 In most cases,if the repairmanis seeingthe machinefor the
andRoyal5000OS. first time, and it is obviouslydirty, the original estimatewill
tr CR34. 5/8" x 405' polyethylenecartridgeribbon; fits IBM rnr:lude the costof a thoroughcleaningandoiiing,at a flat rate,This
SelectricII ElectronicComposer. rate is from $30 to $40 but will, obviously,vary with locationand
tr CR35. 5/16" x 4" cerrectablepolyethyleneribbon-is the tnflation.
sameas CR23,but with optionalcartridge,andwill fit the machines After taking on the commitment of keeping a machinein
listedunderCR8. repair,andknowingthatthe machinehasbeenrecentlycleanedand
D CR35A. 5/16" x 4" correctablepolyethyleneribbon; fits oiied, most repairmen will try to make rninor repairs at the
Hermes705Land799 OlympiaElectric65; andRemingtoni00E. customer'slocation-especiallyin the caseof office machines.
X CR36. Qume cartridge ribbon; this is a 1/4" by 300' multi- Generally,the repairmanwill ask the occasional user of a small
pickup
strikeribbonwith blueleader. ivpewriter to bring it into the shopand savethe expenseof
tr CR37. Dry lift-offtapeto fit Hermes808andOlympiaSGEZZ. anddeliverY.
D CR37A. Dry lift-off correctiontape to fit Hermes 808 and In most cases,the cost of a clean/oil and"generaloverhaul"
OlympiaSGE77. tthe generaloverhaulmay not amountto much,however,sincea
D CR38. 9/16" x 30' nylon cartridge ribbon; fits Olivetti thoroughcleaningandoilinggenerallysolvesa lot of problems)will
Audicart5 and6. alsoincludethe costof a newribbon,in the caseof a fabricribbon'
tr CR39. 5/8" x 394'polyethylene cartridgeribbon;fits Olivetti However, installinga new carbonribbon (on a carbon ribbon
Lexikon90. nrachine,that is) will not improve the quality of typing from the
tl CR4O.A cartridgenylonribbon;fits Olivetti Lexikon90. rnachine. unlessthe ribbonwasactuallypastits shelflife. They do
D CR4l. Dry lift-off correctiontape; fits Olivetti Lexikon and this becausethe quality of the ribbon is so intimately connected
OlivettiLexikon90C. rvith what the customerperceivesas good performancefrom a
tr CR42. 5/8" x 394' correctablepolyethyleneribbon; fits typewriter.
OlivettiLexikon90C;andOlivettiLexikon92C. "Marking up" the wholesalecost of parts and supplies,to
D CR43. 5/16" x |Yz-yardnylon cartridgeribbon; fits Olivetti arrive at a retail figure, is an importantaspect of business.
Lexicart80 andOlivettiLexikon82/83. Throughoutbusinessin general,markuppercentagefiguresrange
f CR44. 5/16" x 16.4-yardMylar ribbon that fits Olivetri from307oto around507o,with the costof transportation of the item
Lexicart80 andOlivettiLexicart82/83. passedon to the customer, one way <-rrother. Working witlt
GIVIIIGA CUSTOMER A}I ESTIMATE percentagefigures can be tricky, and many merchantsuse a
,'handy-dandy"computer chart for this purpose. I prefer to
The hourlyrate of typewriterrepairmenis higherthanthatof
auto mechanics.At a time whenauto mechanicrates were about understandthe formula, and then use an electroniccalculatorto
$19 an hour, typewnter repairmenchargedaround930 and IBM maketheprocessquickandeasY.
"customerengineers"chargedaround$40 to $45.Most repairmen Here is an example.Supposeyou havedecidedthat 40vais a
also inform potential customersthat traveling to and from the fair markupon a certainitem. This item costsyou $15,plus$1.50
repairjob requiresanextramileagefee. Somerepairmanavoidthis [JPS charge to have the item sent to your shop, from Seattle,
extrachargeby makingroutineweeklytrips to outlyingareas,with Washington.The customer cost of the item is arrived at by
the understanding that a machinerepairedat the repairman'sshop wbtracting 40%froml009o, anddividing the remainder(607o)into
the wholesaleprice. Finally,addthe transportation cost; thus,
will not be returneduntil the first subsequentroutine trip after
parts have arrived and the machinehas been repaired. N{ost = $25.00+ $1.59= $26.50.The retailprice of all partsand
repairmendo not providea loanermachinewhile the customeris H
Suppliesshouldbe establishedin this manner,in accordance with
waitingfor the repairto be completed; however,this practicedoes
the markupyou decideon, andincludedin the repair bill. Whether
vary somewhatwith how urgentlythe machineis needed,andwrth
thegoodwiil the repairman hopesto establish. thesechargesare actuallyexpressedor not dependsuponvarious

168 169
factors.For example,if you quotea flat ratefor a clean/oil,which The business aspects of starting up a typewriter repair
includesa ribbonasa matterof routine,the costof the ribbonmay businessmight be tough, becausecompetitionis ever-present.
not be shownon the bill. Markupfigureson variousitems may Most professionalrepairman rely heavily upon "commercial"
vary, dependinguponsuchfactorsas how longan item is likely to accountS- t hat is, account s wit h businesses which uSe
be heldbeforesellingit, andwhetheror not it hasa shelflife.The typewriters-rather than on consumeraccounts.If you don't see
generalrule beingthat the moreperishable an item is, the higher many commercial accountsin the offing, you might do well to
its markupto recoverpossiblelosses. rethink your start-up strategy and perhaps look for another
If you charge going prices for repair work, includingthe location.In anycase,set up your shopto be aswell-equippedandto
normal markup on parts, you will be expectedto warrantyyour operateas efficientlyaspossible.You'llfind,evenat $30 to $45per
work. Some repair warrantiesare for 30 days; some are for 45 hour, that you'll haveto work efficientlyto makeup for time taken
days. in otheraspectsof the business-includingtalkingto customers.
In order to attract business,some repairmenoffer service
contractsunderwhich,for a statedannualfee, theyprovideservice
for certain,listed machines.Currently,IBM is chargingabout$90
a yearto providesen'icefor the IBM SelectricII. Somerepairmen
modeltheir servicecontractson the IBM contract.If you decideto
write up service contracts,you will be selective abclutwhich
brandsand models-and the age of the machine-they applyto.
You should probably consult with an attorney to check legal
ramificationsand the wording of the contract.In any case,the
serial number of the coveredmachineshouldbe shown on the
servicecontract.
SUTIIMARY
In this chapter I have attemptedto describe the most
commonlyseen complaintsby professional repairmen.Theseare
sticky, gummy machines,pitted or aged platens, and erratic
pressureson electrictypebarmechanisms. Sometimes,ribbonor
paperor a combinationof the two, can causeproblemswhichthe
customermight perceiveas mechanical.For example,if a faded
ribbon or hard paperproducesa dim impression,the user might
thinkthe strikingpressureisn'tadequate.
Just as with any other activity in life, you don't repair
typewritersin a void. Somewherealongthe way you'll have to
contactsomeoneto get parts,supplies,toolsor just information.[f
the machineisn't one that is includedin the chaptersof this book
that follow, I wouldhighlyrecommendthat youget the appropriate
servicemanualsandparts catalogs.The former are necessaryfor
an intelligent evaluationof any mechanicalproblems.The latter
will give a nameand numberwhich you canrelate to your parts
distributor-ratler thana visualdescriptionandmade-upname-
therebyestablishing a viablerelationshipwith this unseenperson,
uponwhomyouwill dependfor fast,dependable service.

170
 Appendix:
Typewriter
Manufacturers
and/orDistributors
Adler Business Machines Olivetti Corporation of
1600Route22 America
Union,NJ07083 500Park Avenue
New York NY 10022
Brother International Corp.
Eight CorporatePl Olympia USA, Inc.
Piscataway,NJ08854 P. O .Box22
Somerville,NJ08876
Faci t-A dd o, I nc.
66Field Point Rd. Royal Typewriter Co.
Greenwich,Conn.06830 150New ParkAve.
Hartford,Conn.06106
Hermes Products.Inc.
1900Lower Road SCM Corporation
Linden,NJ07036 299 Park Ave.
NewYor kNY10017
International Business Machines
Corporation Sperry Remington
Old OrchardRd. P.O. Box 1000
Armonk,NY 105M BlueBell, PA19422

349
 K Platen parts, removing 294
Keybuttons 1 4 , 4 1 P l a t e nr e l e a s e 131
Keys 14 knob 40
mechanism 83
L Polyethylene rabbons 164
Levers 92 Power roll 86
Line space lever 35 Proportionalspacing 20
Lina space mecfianism 126, 286, 302
Line space
soloctor lever 40R
Lubricating 139 Repeatspacemechanism1O7,291
atypewriter 135 Return clutch 298
Lubricationsolutions 136 Returnjamming release 299
Ribboncarlridgemectranism 126
M Ribbon color change mechanism 123,
Manualtypewriters 13 271
Marginreleasekeybutton 37 Ribbonfeed mecfianism 66, 123
moctranism 57,n0 Ribbonfeed/rsversemechanism 278
setcontrolbunon 36 Ribbon liftmechanism 74,129
stopmechanism 52,280 Ribbon tiftingmechanism 27i
Index stops
Multiplycopycontrollover
114 Ribbon position control button
40
38
162
'164 Ribbons.conon
Mylarribbons fabric 163
fails to reverse 196
i feedmechanism 194
Nylonribbons 162 hetpfuttips 24
mylar 164
't2 0 162
A Communications nylon
Aircomprassor 1 3 6 Controlbunons 32 Olympiatypewriter, problerns 28
Correctionmechanism 130 adiustments 198'215 polyethyfene 1O4
E Cottonribbons 162 cleaning 176 iirr<' 162
Backspacekaybutton 39 oiling 176 stocki ng an assortment 162
mechanism 51,108,265 parts 172-176 lpewriier 23
0
ad
Brothert)rPewriter, 87 removingof Rinsing 139
Drivingmochanism
iustihgbetttension
'escaP-ementmecfianism 253 cornpon€nts 21!233 Rinsingsolutions 136
262 remwing of corers 21U233 Rolls,papertable-feed 31
parts 306 E romwingol mechanisms 213..
24 Electricalsyslem 87 233
itinringmecfianism 13
iemovingco\rers 251 Eloclrictypewrilers On-otfcontrolbutton us
remoringmolor 252 Elite ?2 Servicemanuals 1 2 ,15 1
spacebtr mechanism 262 Escapeme nt,malfuncltons 179 P Shiftcontrolbuttons u
swttctmechanism 253 Escapementmoctrar$sm20' 46, 98, Paperbail 32 Shiftlock.controlbuttons 34
262 Paperfeed 62 mechanism 60
c mallunctoning 186 Shift mechanism 59,100,268,295
Carbonribbons 23 t mechanism 282 Silk ribbons 162
numb€ringsYstem 165 Fabricribbons 23,164! release mechanism 127 Single element typewriter 16
Carriage 30 Paperpan 31 Singlespace mechanism 107
Carriagerelease 81,287 Paper release 31 Spacebar 32
cohtrolbutton 37 H lwer 40 m€chanism 262
mechanism 128,302 Hallspacemecfianism 105 mechanism 66,280 Space mechanism 106
Carriagereturn 112 Highyieldcorrectable Paper table-feedrolls 31 Spacing mechanism 45
controlbutton 34 film ribbon 25 Parts catalogs '151 Spacing problem 193
mechanism 25 Pica 22 Spacing, proportional 20
Cleaninga typewritor 135 I Pitcfr, ota typewriter 20 Spring drurn 282
138 IBMSelearicll, controls 41 Standardtypewriter 18
Cteaningprocess Platen 29
136 typewriters,old 156 reconditroning 158 Switci mechanism 87
Cleaningsolutions
36 lmpressionregulator 39
Clearcohtrolbutton
351
350
 T lubricating t35
Tab controlbutton 36 manual 13
Tabset 36 o l dI B M tW
Tab seUclearkey 188 pitch 20
Tab set-clear mecfianisrn AO,122 proportionalspacing ?2
Tabulationmechanism 75 secunnginformationon 150
Tabutator 199 s i n g l es l e r n e n t 16
mechanism 118,271 slandard 18
Tecfrlllribbon 25 sticky & dirty 13.
Tools 142 typebar 16
Touch conlrollever 39 Typing mechanism 44,8C
Typebars 14 Typing pressureregulation 39
adjustingpressure 158
heads 14 Y
mallunctioning 190 Variablelinespacer 197
typ€writer 16 Verticallino
Typebasket 16 spacingmechanism 60
Typewritercovers,remwing'161
Typewriter ribbons 23 w
Typewriters,cleaning 135 Warning bell,adjustment 29O
eleclric 13 Workshop,designing 148

352 Edited by: Robert Ostrand€r