Forward Unto Typing

Good luck to you all in your endeavors this November. Perhaps your work will end up in national bookstores?

Words are Winged

October 31st, 2014

Typewriter How-To's: How to open multiple documents

Underwood 3 Bank For Sale

That's right folks, now You! Yes, You! have the exiting opportunity to purchase an Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter, of the 3 bank variety! Not found in stores.

Before I chuck this little guy onto the evil that is "Ebay", I figured that I would let the Typosphere have a shot at it first. Aside from the spots of paint loss on the front bar and the back on the sides where the case has probably hit for the past hundred years, and the slightly obliterated "E" from "Underwood" on the paper bail, this machine is in outstanding cosmetic shape. The nickel plating shines brightly, the black paint still holds a lust. Mechanically, there are only two issues I can note. One, the pin for cap's lock does not hold. Never got around to fixing it. Second, the machine gives paper just enough leverage over the guide that it allows a slight ghosting to occur above the written line (As the character just above the used one on the slug brushes against the paper.) Take a gander, if you would. I am open to any reasonable offers:

The Drunken Fox

--{Big Fox, Little Fox}--

--{Before and After cleaning}--

--{Basic Workings}--

Fox Portable No. 1 Deconstruction

The Platen had finally arrived. Sliding it into place, fastening the knob to the end of the rod, and rolling in a new piece of paper, I eagerly anticipated the beautiful work my Fox Portable No. 1 Typewriter would produce. Alas that it was not to be. The ribbon vibrator was sluggish. The capital letters were off. Each strike of the key led to a faded double print. Key bars got caught under the comb and stopped the machine dead in its tracks. For all intents and purposes, the exterior of this machine was beautiful, but the interior was laughing at me.

It is laughing no more.

Say hello to only part of the machine still assembled. And even still, I have successfully taken this apart as well. I dare say I now understand the workings of the Fox P. No. 1 better than most anybody else. And despite my earlier disappointment with having so many small issues make the machine unable to properly type, I am glad it forced my hand.

I am glad because now I will be able to clean this filth. By the end of it all, my machine will be as clean as it was the day it rolled out of the factory. Every body piece, every segment, every screw is going to be thoroughly cleaned. One piece I've already cleaned has proven that, so long as one has patience and works at it, anything can gleam once more.

If there are any questions from any of you regarding issues with the inner inner inner workings of such a machine that you yourselves have, I will do my best to help you as well understand how to fix said issues.

A Nightmare on Typewriter Street

The victim was found decapitated by typewriter-police, with no intent to hide the separate parts. Officials are asking any witnesses to step forward.

Further autopsy yields few results. Typewriter City officials have declared a machine-hunt for the one responsible.

Where has Quality gone

The Quick Black Fox

The Quick Black Fox

To begin, I would like to discuss titles. My previous entries have begun "The Quick Brown Fox", and many of you may believe that to have simply been due to my desire to draw the connection between the famous key-testing phrase, and the Fox Typewriter. Quite truly, even though the two do make a nice connection, the "brown" was left in for another certain reason; The machine was quite truly brown. And not by design. Rather, just as with most of these antiquated machines, it was covered in a veneer of  tobacco residue. But Lo, after many an hour scrubbing and scrubbing and crying, that which was once Black turned Brown is now Black again. And in an impressive fashion, if I do say so myself:

 The platen, having been more solid than a rock, is en-route to being recovered, and so this machine will have a final, "new" finishing touch to it to make it work wonders. Over the course of many hours, dozens of issues were dealt with on this machine, from the shifting sticking to the escapement catching, the keys not returning properly and the ribbon vibrator getting caught on the upwards movement, the list goes on. 

When I first acquired the machine, many of the nickel plated parts had appeared to have been worn down to the copper layer underneath, and I had almost lived with this fact (Was it what is considered "Patina"? Its the first time I've encountered it). But after vigorous scrubbing, the filth came off, and revealed perfect nickel plating still shining brightly. I may or may not have jumped for joy.

Before/After

Although the issue of whether one should or should not take apart a machine depends wholly upon the circumstances and condition of the machine, and the ideology of the person making the decision, I find that choosing to do so allows me to thoroughly clean a machine to an appeasing degree. 

The dirt and debris was not visible until the platen and paper-bail plate was removed, again reassuring me of my actions. There were dead bugs under the carriage as well, leading me to believe that this machine had either been stored in a barn for twenty years, or some similar such location such as an attic or basement. (I would bet a whole $10 that there's a Sholes and Glidden shoved behind a steamer trunk in someones attic somewhere.)

I do believe that upon installing the newly recovered platen in the near future, this will quite truly become my favorite machine, though I will be deathly afraid to take it anywhere.

Special thanks once more to Mr. Richard Polt and Mr. Robert Messenger for their help in understanding certain functions of the machine.

Words are Winged

July 16, 2014