Friday, October 16, 2015

Another Belowtree Update

The Underwood keeps slowly coming together. In cleaning the machine, I'm always glad to take the time to compare before and after pieces so that I can assure myself all is going well, and looking better.

Nice and shiny new lacquer on the left, dull dirty dusty tarnishing on the right.



This immediate difference made my day:


The left bar had previously looked like the right bar, but steel wool put an end to that.


I have every single remaining part of the body of the machine cleaned and painted, ready to be installed. That is just waiting on... 


41 typebars. Yay for countless forthcoming hours of sitting like a zombie at the bench, dremel-ing away.

FUN FACT! The Underwood is designed to allow you to take out the type-bars without much dissassembly. Simply throwing the escapement and another bit allows you to wiggle type-bars out. Now you have no excuse to not clean your Underwood type-bars fully!


Has progress occurred? You decide!

Before being torn asunder

Trust me, it looked worse than the picture would lead you to assume.

Torn asunder, all the way to the frame.


Everything taken off, including the paint.


A new paint job


Assembly begins


Current stage:
Keyboard completed, Ribbon assembly installed and tuned, Escapement, slotted segment, and type-bar rest installed, type-bar installation beginning.




12 comments:

  1. I'm very impressed!

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  2. Great before and after shots.

    If it's not a trade secret, I'd love to know what brand/type spray lacquer you are using for your parts.

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    1. Just rustoleum. Cheap and easy to find, yet does the job exceedingly well

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  3. Random Underwood 5 question for the day: how do I go about removing these two front rods on an Underwood?

    Underwood 5 image

    I have brought home a spectacularly rusty Underwood and I would like to remove the rods for cleaning - would I need a special tool like a slotted screwdriver?

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    1. And here is my random Underwood 5 answer for the day: I was unable to find any proper tools to take the nuts off. Two has only a single slot on one side, the other two have the split slot that a forkes screwhead would be useful for. I ended up getting them off by utilizing some heavy pliers (you can see one in a picture above, sitting below said rods) and just using all my might, as mine were rusted into place. Do note that the rods will be pulled out from the left side, as they are designed to anchor into the right if i remember correctly

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    2. And here is my random Underwood 5 answer for the day: I was unable to find any proper tools to take the nuts off. Two has only a single slot on one side, the other two have the split slot that a forkes screwhead would be useful for. I ended up getting them off by utilizing some heavy pliers (you can see one in a picture above, sitting below said rods) and just using all my might, as mine were rusted into place. Do note that the rods will be pulled out from the left side, as they are designed to anchor into the right if i remember correctly

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    3. Random gratitude for your quick response - time to start bathing those rusted nuts in penetrating oil. I may ask my neighbor if he has a forked screwdriver.

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    4. If he does, and knows the actual name for it, would you be so kind as to let me know said name? I can't actually find any online ever, despite such screwdrivers surely being an immense help

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    5. Will do. I am thinking that I could probably take a regular screwdriver and use a dremel to make a divot in the center of the blade.

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    6. That may certainly be a possibility. I do know that the forked ones are also designed like the gunsmithing screwdrivers, in that they stay as fat as they can until they absolutely need to taper down to fit the slot, so as to keep strength and not snap. I've broken a few standard screwdrivers during my typewriter exploits, so I'm always wary of their strength, and even more so if cut into

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    7. Probably right there - I will be stressing that poor screwdriver enough to break through the rust. Perhaps these "snake eyes" bits are what I should use:
      Snake Eyes Bits

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    8. My gosh those are them! I would have never guessed they would be called "snake eyes" bits! I'll have to go get some now

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