I was going to do a post titled The Daugherty Disassembled, but this thing cleaned up so fast and so well that I ended up already finishing it by today.
The Daugherty cleaned up incredibly well, and it turns out that this thing was nickel plated wherever they could fit nickel plating. The quality of the machine is excellent, especially for the time in which it was produced, and its one of the most elegantly simple designs I have ever seen. Dont try to type too fast on it, and youll do alright.
This machine is now one of the crowning glories of my collection, and thats due in large part to its very unique appearance which I love.
Just check out that frame.
The typebasket plus keylevers comes out after taking out 2 screws, and from there you can take out the two segment rods (if it was a segment machine; I'm not even going to try and make a new name) for the levers, and they fall on out. Made it quick and easy to clean.
Heres the typebasket sans keylevers.
I had cleaned up the main body yesterday, and went ahead and just finished the rest today; that included the most simple carriage I have ever laid eyes upon.
All those bits you see? Thats pretty much all the parts to the carriage. A very efficient design, though it (of course) lacks a lot of features found on the shortly-thereafter-released Underwood.
And here is the machine, all cleaned up. My camera skills may be lacking, but trust me when I say the nickel plated spools are beautiful. Every machine needs 'em.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Now, I just have to cut a ribbon to size. These guys take a ribbon just slightly smaller than the usual half inch, so I'll spend a few minutes tomorrow getting enough ribbon cut to start typing. I'll be ordering some authentic blue ribbon from Baco to make this machine complete.
The only part that I can tell that is missing is a carriage margin. You can see the left one still in place, but somewhere along the line the right one got lost.
Random last notes! The pressure on the universal bar can be adjusted by simply turning a knob on the back, the clockwork motor can be wound up and wound down ridiculously easy compared to literally every other machine ever, and you actually have to engage a small lever above the carriage return to allow the platen to be rotated backwards.
Is there anything anyone wants to know about this machine?
...wow... That looks 'luxurious'.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful sight, seeing this ancient machine so clean and shiny. Makes it more 'imaginable', how this would have seemed to the first owner - an excitingly advanced new technological marvel! (Shiny too, as the latest gizmo's still are today ;-)
(That right margin could perhaps even be manufacturable - the left gives the pattern - looks like something that could be a stock part somewhere for tents/adjustable legs or the like. The machined finish (& thread) will be a challenge, but otherwise printed polished brass or steel could work.)
I was surprised by how well it cleaned up. Despite being my oldest typewriter by a decade, it's nearly in better condition than anything else I have up till the 30's. I wish, however, that I could see it as it had been on the day it was bought brand new. Must have been a sight.
DeleteI have a few ideas on how to tackle the margin stop with ease. They just wont look "perfect", but they should work.