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American National 14-20 screw thread and 7/8th Inch
The rubber 'stopper' feet of Underwood 5 typewriters are almost always 'gone'. The rubber is generally hard and the weight of the machine has compressed the foot. This is bad, not just because the...
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New spacebar for an Oliver 3 typewriter
The ends of the spacebar of an older Oliver typewriter are often broken off. The spacebar is made of a 'plastic' material and the ends are relatively thin and exposed. Not surprising then that the...
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Swapping-out cellulose acetate keys on a Comptometer
To start, five columns of white keys for a Comptometer.These are genuine, old keys. Not new reproductions, but relatively good originals. They do have some yellowing and have started to deform, but...
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One mystery part - mildly disconcerting
After taking it apart and putting it back together, one spring that won't fit anywhere. This Blickensderfer 7 was also one key-lever spring short. The odd thing is, that the remaining spring will not...
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Excavating (or destroying?) a layer of history on a machine
This particular Underwood 5 was bought locally, originally meant as a reference machine to help with the restoration of an older 1920 Underwood 5.This machine was not only a newer 1928 version, it also...
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Manufacturing process for a new Blickensderfer type wheel 407
How to make a new type wheel for the Blickensderfer; in this case a reproduction 'Small Roman' type wheel catalogue number 407, codename 'Table'.To start with, take a 3D-model of the type wheel. This...
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Messing-about making new Blickensderfer ink rolls
The original ink rolls of my Blickensderfer were hard and dried out. Whilst it is written on The Internet that these can be revived, decided instead to have a go at making new ink rolls. It is also...
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Designing new type wheels for the Blickenserfer typewriter
It is possible today to create new type wheel designs for the Blickensderfer typewriter! With readily available software tools and common, low-cost 3D printing technology, functional type wheels...
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First time the covers are off in a while, it shows
When it looks like this on the inside, it's been a while since anyone removed the covers.This loose, woolly dirty dust must have taken some time to build up. It will need to wait in the shed, until a...
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Brief glimpse at the Blickensderfer lettering in gold
The case of my Blickensderfer 7 is structurally good, but was given a dousing in creosote (?) some time in its life. This had turned the outside to a sort of 'burned black'. The fittings were also...
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Ink rolls for the Blickensderfer dry out, they also did so a century ago
Old, original rolls for the Blickensderfer typewriter will still contain plenty of colorant, but be completely dry - and the typewriter will not print. Online sources mention these can be revived with...
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Silver-Reed 100 sitting on a chair
(Typed with a reproduction wheel 223 "Print Type" on a Blickensderfer - a bit blotchy from a freshly over-inked pad.)
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Difficult to date, timeless construction (from 1884)
Once very common and still found on flea-markets and in thrift stores, the pocket spring balance. In this instance, a Hughes Pocket Balance with the scale marked in kilos.Above the legend stating it is...
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Cut-out drawing of the Underwood 4-bank portable typewriter (why?)
Inside the lid of the carrying case of the typewriter, there is a nicely cut-out image of the typewriter itself.This label is present in more (all?) of the early Underwood 4-bank portable cases, so...
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Experiment with rubber typewheel for the Blickensderfer
The platen of the Blickensderfer 7 typewriter is rock-hard - like slate. When it was new and still rubbery, it would have cushioned the impact of the hard, vulcanite typewheel and have evened-out the...
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Burroughs Adding Machine Company hidden marking (Portable Class 9)
Clearly marked; Burroughs Adding Machine Company.That was an unexpected spot to find the company name. This is on the bottom-inside of the damper or dashpot of a Burroughs Class 9 adding machine. The...
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Re-activating column 7 and 8 on the Burroughs Portable adding machine
When entering numbers, all columns seem to work. For example, entering 7777 on the left-most columns makes all segments rise and print as they should.When then doing a total, the columns 7 and 8...
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Tune-up for the wind-up gramophone (and playing records)
Spending some time last weekend playing records, the bright colors of some labels do impress. From the way these were stored, they'll have been shielded from sunlight. Sleeves are usually a bit faded,...
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New gasket for the Burroughs Portable adding machine
Many Burroughs Portable adding machines don't have it anymore, but originally there would have been a rubber gasket between the top housing and the base-plate. It may have perished (as rubber can do),...
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Carriage cleaning of the Burroughs Portable adding machine
This Burroughs Portable adding machine has the wide carriage option; a 12 and a quarter Inch carriage with tabulator stops.The brightwork on this wide carriage was very dirty and/or corroded. Most of...
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New 7/16" ribbon for the Burroughs Portable adding machine
Even though it all works with a standard half-inch ribbon, the Burroughs is actually built to take a 7/16" ribbon. These are not too common anymore, but can still be bought. They can also be found in...
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Type cleaning on the Burroughs Portable adding machine
Just like typewriters, the type on an adding machine can get clogged-up with old ink or dirt from the ribbon. The Burroughs, like most adding machines, has a rising-segment printing mechanism; the...
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Repairing fault-handling of the Burroughs Portable adding machine
With the subtract-function fixed and columns 7 & 8 re-activated, this Burroughs Portable performed all calculating functions flawlessly. What however did not work at all, was the catching of...
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New felt under the Blickensderfer 7 base
The Blickensderfer 7 typewriter is screwed to an oak base-board. On the bottom of this base-board now again a thin sheet of ochre wool-felt.This new sheet was cut to size from a sheet of 1mm thick...
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Updated typewheels for the Blickensderfer typewriter - Italic English
New, improved 3D models of English Italic typewheels - catalogue number 440 (scientific) and 497 (universal). The STL's for both are available for download on Printables.From using 3D-printed...
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