Warning: Viewer Discretion is Advised.
A package is on its way. A special sort of package, one which requires the workbench to be cleaned and prepared.
Lo. The UPS was able to deliver the package safely, something they don't seem used to doing.
As you have already guessed, the contents have a particularly familiar form.
Beneath the cardboard and the bubblewrap, we have a case.
And Houston, we have a typewriter. A Victor portable typewriter, to be exact.
Yes, this is the machine which languished on Ebay for over a year. The price finally came down enough that I decided to throw a best offer out, and it was accepted. So now I am the owner of one of the failed typewriter designs of the '20s. And I'll be honest. This thing is in good shape all around, save for the one part that was made of potmetal (and which also happens to be rather important); the frame-segment. Everything else is high enough quality steel.
Well, you know me. And what I tend to do to typewriters. So lets pop the hood, get to work, and give the typosphere the best glimpse its ever had of the Victor Portable.
The carriage lock is a cool feature, that seems to work well.
The carriage knob is unique, in that the screw goes through the plastic part of the knob itself. It also turns out that the rod is spring loaded on the left side.
The carriage bearings are rather unique. They are like an Underwood 3-banks, save for extra star wheels.
The carriage rocks back for shifting.
The design is meant for the escapement to stay where it is, though, so the carriage escapement rail is designed to sway over the fatter gear.
A cool "feature" of this impressively designed machine is that the carriage is actually held in place by a swinging pivot. Unscrew the one on each side, and pop. comes right out (be careful around the ribbon vibrator).
Taking the keylevers out was a task which I was rather unorthodox in, to say the least. But theyre out.
The Victor portable (patents pending). It will clean up great, as there is no rust what-so-ever; just a very sludgy layer of grime all around. The real task at hand will be the repair of the broken up pot metal. That shall, indeed, prove a daunting task. But nothing that a blowtorch, some solder, and some grinding shouldnt be able to fix
OMG! I would never have the temerity to do this to such a rare machine. I got a Victor myself (in a trade for a Gourland) a little before this one turned up, and I inspected it closely (even peeling off the tight, thin shell) but did not do any disassembly. Thank you for the interior glimpses. It's an interesting, clever mechanical design; I hope you'll be able to fix that frame and get the machine typing. Looking forward to the next installment. (And congratulations, it looks like you got this for a good price.)
ReplyDeleteIt actually made the decision easier, knowing how rare they are. The world needs to see just what these things are like on the inside, and boy it is not dissapointing. This thing has got more features and cool quirks than I could have ever realized. Over-engineered for sure, but you can see the designers brilliance oozing out of every bit.
DeleteThe Gourlands look to be cool pieces of engineering as well, with their flip-able carriage. Is your own Victor currently working? Do you need any specific photo's taken of mine while its in pieces so you can figure out any issues?
My Victor doesn't work, due to the notorious potmetal. That part of the frame would need to be completely replaced, I think. I think I'll preserve it as is.
DeleteWow, you took on the notorious busted-frame Victor. Best of luck in your repair endeavor, it'll be nice to see one that actually works (:
ReplyDeleteIt's turning into one of those "Don't judge a book by it's cover" scenarios. The only messed up part is that piece of potmetal, and its core is still straight and true. A healthy dose of special super-glue and epoxy is currently helping fill in the cracks, and if all goes well I'll be able to get the typebars and linkages out in a day or two once I feel confident enough with the parts structural integrity.
DeleteI doubt I'd take a Victor apart that far. I've rarely taken any more common typewriters apart to that state. I don't know about any heating of the broken parts though. Depends on how the metal was made heat can make things worse, at least with modern powdered metals. JB Weld maybe. Congratulations on getting one in quite nice condition. I look forward to seeing the finished project.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, the only machine I would not be comfortable taking apart would be a Blickensderfer Electric (and I know I will never, ever have to face that problem anyway). I've decided to forgo the solder (and thus the heating) in favor of epoxy and some special super glue. You're right, heating up the metal may have possibly made things far worse in the end.
DeleteNice work. I recently learned that one of the major down-sides to the so-called 'pot metal' is that it is extremely porous AND it also doesn't react well to petroleum based products - it's a double-death trap waiting to happen. Some well-meaning soul put some oil on the fulcrum wire; the frame soaked it up and just disintegrated in situ. :( Sad choice on their part. I am not sure the design choices were fully understood at the time - or maybe they were and this was a 'designed obsolescence' choice? Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful machine. Best of luck!
It's the darndest thing, because everywhere I look on this machine I see quality. Good steel, with nice protective coatings. Nothing seems to have been skimped on. Yet the one part that really should have been sturdier than the rest was made of potmetal. Granted it likely rolled off the assembly line working great, but it turns out time hates potmetal. And thanks to you, I know to keep all oil based products away from it!
Deletea TWDB hunter in Germany has 3d printed a segment for a Mertz 3 with similar potmetal problems:
ReplyDeletehttp://typewriterdatabase.com/1928-merz-3.7327.typewriter
https://crazy-type.blog/2017/05/21/3d-druck-chance-zur-fertigung-von-ersatzteilen-teil-2/
Ha, that's indeed the plan actually (I've solicited the services of a particular typospherian expert on 3d printing). I saw that Merz the other day though, and was glad to see other people are doing it too. Perhaps 3d printing a whole typewriter isnt that far off, really.
Delete