Hero view of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter sitting on a library card catalog next to a bottle of gin and a penguin-shaped cocktail shaker

Restoration of another 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

On Thursday, I broke down my recent Royal KMG typewriter for a full clean/oil/adjust. I spent some time cleaning most of the removed body panels and auxiliary parts.  Yesterday, in the cool of the morning I blew it out and flushed it with mineral spirits.  Then re-assembled it all. I oiled and adjusted most of it back to as close to factory condition as I can without a full disassembly. 

A 1950 Royal KMG typewriter stripped down for servicing and cleaning. Parts and tools are arranged all over a large wooden table.

When I received this machine it was in mediocre shape at best. The $21 I spent on it was pretty indicative of it’s value. Somewhere along the way the paper table had taken a hit and been dented. I spent some time on forming it back up, and it’s in better shape than before, but could probably still use some more concerted and careful work with a rubber mallet. I was pleased to discover that the disconnected drawband wasn’t compounded with a broken mainspring. Royal made it pretty easy to re-tension the mainspring with their screw assembly in the left rear corner.

Frontal view down onto a gray frieze 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter with tombstone glass keys

There are a small handful of small remaining issues that I’ll take care of fairly quickly in the coming weeks including: 

  • the tab set is still a little rough and doesn’t have a consistent, strong return
  • the platen needs to be re-covered
  • the feet and rubber compression pads need replacement
  • the carriage return arm doesn’t have as consistent return as I’d like
  • the scale on the paper bail really ought to be reconditioned, but is in fairly average, workable shape for a 75 year old machine. I’m also not sure how I’d like to attack a reconditioning yet.

I’m sure to find at least one other subtle, but niggling issue as I put this lovely machine into my regular rotation of typewriters. I’m thrilled to have an elite typeface version of the KMG to pair with my pica typeface version.

Twin gray frieze 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriters sitting next to each other on a wooden library card index. Careful inspection will show one to be in elite and the other in pica.
Twins! 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriters with elite (left) and pica (right).

1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter with the hood opening and showing the basket and a black/red bichrome ribbon

Close up of the keyboard on a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter featuring black legends with orangish-yellow letters on tombstone -shaped glass keys

Close up of the hood and carriage of a gray 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Front left corner view of a gray 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Left side view of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Angle on the right rear corner of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter with a particular emphasis on the Magic Margins lever, the variable lever, and the carriage return.

Angle of the rear and down onto the back of the carriage of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Table level view of the rear of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter featuring silver faded decals of the Royal logo and the manufacturing information

Left rear corner of a gray 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Right side view down onto a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter. Of particular note, there's a touch control mechanism mounted into the removable side panel.

Front right corner of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

View of the typeslugs on a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

Close up of a type sample on an index card in the carriage of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

White 4x6" index card with a type sample of a 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriter

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Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

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