Acquired 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter ultraportable typewriter (Smith-Corona)
Serial Number: 3Y 2279770
Brown crinkle paint; white plastic keys; SCM Elite No. 66 typeface; US keyboard
Acquired for a song and a dance on 2025-04-14; Seems to be in relatively solid shape; nothing huge out of place; need a full COA, but seems fully restorable; the case is a bit dirty and has a light smell, but should be cleanable; came with the original manual and warranty card stub. The dried out 18 feet of black ribbon was replaced on 2025-04-30.

A brown crinkle painted 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter sitting at an angle on a wooden card catalog Close up angle on 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter with the front right corner facing us. Side view of a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter. In the foreground we see a gleaming chromed return lever on the left. Angle onto the left rear corner of a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter with a view into the typebasket An opened soft typewriter case with a manual for a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter and the original warranty card sitting on them. View into the basket of a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter from the back. We clearly see all the silver slugs featuring a standard elite typeface Angle on a brown leather soft case for a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter. It's obviously dirty and grimy and sitting on a wooden table top. View down onto the right hand side of the carriage section of a 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter. On the side of the chassis inside of it we see the serial number scratched into the frame. The left 1 5/8" diameter spool of a typewriter sitting next to a friction fit "C"-shaped clamp that is meant to hold the ribbon onto the spools hub. Side view of a 1 5/8 inch black metal typewriter spool. On the left side of the hub in the middle is a hinged curved piece of metal that when opened will allow one to lock the end of a 1/2 inch wide typewriter ribbon in

Acquired 1951 Remington Super-Riter Standard Typewriter by Remington Rand, Inc.
S/N: J2013204
Remington Pica 534, 10 pitch typeface; 6 lines/inch
Dirty as all get out, but seems to function nearly flawlessly. A full clean, oil, and adjust is mandatory as will be new ribbon, but in surprisingly solid condition for all the accumulated filth. Not all bad for a thrift purchase of $11.00.

View of a 1951 Remington Super-Riter standard typewriter sitting on a wooden library card catalog. It's sitting at an angle so that the front right corner is facing us. It's obviously quite dirty

Type sample on a white index card from a 1951 Remington Super-Riter. It's got a clear pica Remington typeface. The machine obviously needs some adjustment and cleaning based on the appearance of the type.

Acquired 1977 Olympia SG3 Standard Typewriter by Olympia Werke AG, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Serial Number: 7-3855889
Elite, 12 pitch, 6 lines/inch
In generally solid shape out of the box. Some paint worn off body along the corners and a bit dusty with some white out to clean up. It’ll need some tweaks to the a few minor spots, but it should clean up to almost new pretty quickly.

The one glaring issue is a needed tweak to the spacebar to trip the escapement properly. The platen is pretty solid, needs new ribbon, screws on carriage tightened, a ring and cylinder adjustment, right carriage release is sticky, and tabs need some minor attention. Beyond this it is pure butter. What a lovely experience to type on. Who’d have thought such a thing possible in 1977?

Front view of a 1977 Olympia SG3 Typewriter

1977 Olympia SG3 Typewriter with the white hood removed so we can see the naked keyboard and type basket. Closer inspection reveals some dust bunnies inside.

View of most of the typeslugs on a 1977 Olympia SG3 Typewriter

Rear of a 1977 Olympia SG3 Typewriter with the carriage and hood removed. We see all the internals of the machine including the escapement as well as lots of dust around the carriage interfaces.

Rear end of a 1977 Olympia SG3 Typewriter with the carriage removed and sitting on a wooden table behind the typewriter itself.

Faint black ink on an index card as a type sample for a 1977 Olympia SG3 typewriter.

Acquired 1929 Corona 4 Portable Typewriter (L.C. Smith Bros. & Corona Typewriters, Inc.)
Serial number: D3P08521
Received on Saturday 03-08, but didn’t open it up until this morning. The case is fairly worn and has the fabric peeled off in several spots, but the leather handle is in tact and in reasonably good shape. The machine has seen better days certainly and needs a thorough cleaning. The paint has some significant chipping in many of the common spots, including the ribbon covers, but I think it’ll polish up nicely and the resultant used patina will add to the machine’s charm. Some one has removed the ribbon vibrator, so that’s going to need some serious attention and possibly some additional replacement parts. The carriage doesn’t move smoothly and I suspect it’s because the drawstring has been replaced at some point by some inadequate cotton string which is now caught on something under the carriage. The rubber feet are totally shot and have a few chips. It’s definitely one of the rougher machines I’ve ever picked up, but I think it’s imminently restorable.

While I wouldn’t call these rare, I don’t see them pop up very frequently, and even less frequently do I see them in the non-traditional black enamel. I’m definitely thrilled to have one with the DuPont DUCO light maroon with the contrasting panels in crackle finish rose gold. I’m hoping it’ll be a stunning workable machine when I’m done with the cleaning and restoration work.

Preparation of a typeface sample is going to require some repair work.

Close up of the slugs and basket of a 1929 Corona 4 typewriter. The top levels of yellowed legends can be seen on the glass keys.

Focus on the front and upper carriage portion of a 1929 Corona 4 typewriter which has two patches of crinkle painted rose gold on the front.

View of the right side of a maroon and gold 1929 Corona 4 typewriter.

Left side of a 1929 Corona 4 typewriter. There are a variety of paint chips missing from the edges of the front of the typewriter.

Acquired 1920 Corona 3 Ultra-portable Typewriter (Corona Typewriter Company)
Serial number: 335207
A 3 bank typewriter that folds in half for portability.
Received on Saturday 03-10 and unpacked this morning. This is now the oldest machine in my collection and the first true antique as it’s now 105 years old. The first thing I’m struck by is the tiny size and scant weight of the entire machine and the case. I’m curious to compare the weight to that of my Zephyr and Skyriter.

The case is in reasonably good shape considering its age, but some of the fabric is coming off and a previous owner has chosen to tape portions of it together. I’ll likely do some serious restoration work to the case at some point.

1920 Corona 3 folding typewriter in an old and worn wooden fabric-covered case. The typewriter is folded in half in the case and on the back side of the lid of the case we see the typewriter's manual.

Condition

The machine itself is in pretty solid shape considering the age. Someone kept the slugs clean. Things are a bit sluggish, so it’s going to need a solid cleaning which I’m hoping will bring most of the functionality back to snuff. The ribbon vibrator seems a tad slow, particularly for keys struck on the left side of the keyboard. The platen and carriage area are going to need a good scrub as there’s some dirt and grime stuck in it. I suspect that I won’t be using the manual’s suggestion of gasoline to clean things out however.

Accessories

The machine came with a cleaning brush and an original instruction manual, which is somewhat useful as some of the mechanisms aren’t as straightforward as on later models as well as things unique to this particular folding machine.

Interior of the top of a typewriter case which has hardware for holding a nylon bristled brush and a small manual

Functionality

This has an even smaller return/line advance mechanism than my Orga Privat 5 and is bordering on almost not existing. It’s just the tiniest little nub actuated with the forefinger and thumb to advance the line while pushing the carriage to the right. There really isn’t a carriage return lever to speak of, but the mechanism is quite clever.

This is my first machine with a “figure” key, which allows for the use of the third row of characters on the slugs. It’ll take some getting used to for using it, particularly as the keyboard seems shifted over with respect to the home row of keys which means that there isn’t a key for one’s pinky to rest on or use. As a result it’s going to be difficult doing traditional touch typing at speed.

Right side view of the 1920 Corona 3 typewriter.

The machine only came with a monochrome ribbon though it does have bichrome capability using a switch on the ribbon vibrator assembly which is found on the left side in an odd configuration.

I was able to eke out a typesample without too much trouble, but I’ll wait until the machine is cleaned up and back in proper order before attempting to use it for more than a minute or two. I suspect it’ll need some tensioning on the miniscule mainspring assembly.

Typed index card with stark black lettering from the pica typeface 1920 Corona 3 typewriter

Overall, it’s compact and clever in so many interesting ways.

1920 Corona 3 folding typewriter folded in half and sitting in it's wooden case

Acquired 1957 Royal FP Standard Typewriter (Royal-McBee Corporation)
Serial number: FPP-6164099
Standard platen, pica typeface, in Royaltone or Pearl Light Gray smooth
Received in generally workable shape, though without ribbon; definitely dirty; internal foam disintegrating; brights are going to need a load of polish; temporary photos to provide some idea of condition until I get the chance to clean it up.

My wide carriage 1958 FPE was so nice I thought I’d try out the larger face in a more traditional carriage.

Close up of the US style cream colored keys on a 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter

The hood and carriage of a 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter

Dirty typebasket and filthy slugs of a 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter.

Left ribbon cup and serial number of a 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter

Side view of a pearl gray 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter with a cream colored carriage knob.

The dirty undercarriage of a 1957 Royal FP standard typewriter

Acquired 1945 Remington 17 Standard Typewriter (Remington Rand, Inc.)
Serial Number: J732492 from October 1945
Pica typeface
When I was interested in getting my first standard typewriter last year, Ruben Flores immediately recommended I get a Remington 17. While I’ve picked up a handful of other standards in the meanwhile, I’ve kept my eyes peeled. I just couldn’t let this $21 beauty slip by. If my 1956 Remington Standard is any indication, this should be a fun machine to play with.

This got delivered on the 21st, but I hadn’t had a chance to take a look at it until today. It’s not in terrible cosmetic shape, but has definitely been collecting dust and cob webs for a few decades. It seems to be in reasonable mechanical shape. There is a sticky key or two that will need either some cleaning and/or forming. The carriage is going to need some serious cleaning and possible adjustment to slide cleanly. The mainspring probably needs some tightening, but I won’t be able to tell properly until the machine is cleaned up. Some of the internal felt portions will also need some re-gluing. Beyond this, this 80 year old typewriter should come roaring back to life sometime soon. (The recent Eaton Fire means it may take a bit longer to address the underlying issues as my tools and “shop” are quarantined / uninhabitable.)

I’ve uploaded a few “before” photos for general identification, but will update in the near future with some better ones post-cleaning and adjustment.

Angles view of the right side of a 1945 Remington 17 typewriter which has a kidney shaped hole in the hood

The dirty typebasket and slugs of a Remington 17 typewriter

View of the rear of a Remington 17 typewriter with the back panel opened up and hanging from two hinges at the bottom. We can see the dirty internals of the machine along with lots of dust and cobwebs.

View of the undercarriage of a Remington 17 typewriter covered in cobwebs and dirt.

The Serial number J732492 is stamped into grooved steel on the frame of a Remington 17 typewriter

Acquired 1958 Royal FP typewriter
Serial Number: FPE-16-66444461
16" platen, elite typeface, in Royaltone or Pearl Light Gray smooth
I’ve been wanting to score an FP for a long time. Well shipped and in generally functional shape. My first typewriter of 2025 and the first since the Eaton Fire. 

 

Acquired 1954 Smith-Corona Silent Typewriter by Smith Corona, Inc. (Goodwill)
Serial Number: 5A 458864
Pica No. 1 typeface; 6 lines/vertical inch
American No. 20A keyboard
Fifteen minutes of tinkering and this machine is imminently usable. It’ll take about a half day to clean up properly, but this is well on its way to its former glory. I should be able to turn this $25 find into a proper $350 work-a-day typewriter.
Acquired Solari #606 elite typewriter erasing shield, letter counter, line counter, 8 inch ruler by Solari Manufacturing Co., Los Angeles, California
A curved metal typing ruler for a variety of purposes including:
* curved erasing shield (especially useful for carbon copy packs to prevent carbon transfer)
* elite spacing letter counter
* line counter
* 8 inch ruler
Amidst all the typewriter paraphernalia I come across, the curved typing shield doesn’t get enough of its due. While it has some useful measurement functions, its primary functionality is as an eraser shield for erasing errors in carbon copy packs. You would move the carriage to the far right or left (to keep eraser crumbs out of your segment and machine), place the shield behind the first page and then behind each subsequent page to erase the errors from each one at a time. The smooth, curved aluminum would allow you to erase without causing the carbon papers to transfer smudges to the pages behind the shield. 

The curved ruler comes with a convenient tab (here labeled “Elite”) for grabbing with one’s thumb and forefinger for placement into as well as removal from a carbon pack. They obviously came in both Pica and Elite versions to cover various typewriter typefaces. 

Our friend Joe Van Cleave cleverly uses one to cleanly tear off paper from his Kerouac-like rolls of typing paper. 

A thin curved aluminum Solari eraser shield placed between two pages in a Royal HH typewriter for making corrections. Sitting on the hood of the typewriter is a blue tape-based correction ribbon.

A typed index card with a Solari eraser shield sitting on top of it horizontally to measure the number of characters in a typed line of text. The numbers on the ruler correspond to the letters of text.

A Solari erasing shield sitting vertically on a typed index card to count the number of typed lines of text on it. Each numbered mark on the side of the ruler counts the corresponding number of lines of text on the page.

Label from a Solari Eraser Shield listing its uses and features

Acquired 1939 Royal Aristocrat portable typewriter by Royal Typewriter Co. Inc. (ShopGoodwill.com)
Serial Number: B-884712
Black crinkle paint, glass keys, with case.
Definitely needs a cleaning, but this may be the second or third most solid typewriter I’ve ever received right out of the box. It will be the third oldest exemplar of an Aristocrat on the Typewriter Database. This will clean up exceptionally well.

Unpacked and sitting on the floor we see an oblique view of the left side of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter

Close up on the glass keys and keyboard of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter. The paper legends are black backgrounds with yellow letters.

1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter with hood open and featuring a close up of the basket

Focusing on the hood and carriage of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter from above. A bit dusty and dirty with flecks of correction ribbon around the typing point.

Angle down on a black dusty typewriter case for a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter

1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter black, dusty case featuring a black plastic handle and a metal clasp and lock.

View into the left rear corner of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter with the carriage moved to the right. We see the serial number in the leftmost corner.

Close up of the typing point of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter featuring lots of white speckles from a correction ribbon.

Angle down on the rear of a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter. We can see a metal bar across the back which has 5 manually moveable tab stops.

White index card with simple typesample of a pica typefaced 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter

Typewriter Tools Upgrade

I’ve been wrenching on enough typewriters, that it was time to up my game again and add some new typewriter tools to the proverbial tool bag. In fact it was also time for an actual tool bag! So back on August 16th, I added a portable repair person’s leather bag and some new typewriter repair tools to my collection. For those interested in improving their skills and typewriter tools, I am documenting some of these new typewriter repair and maintenance tools. If you’re getting into the space, I highly recommend you slowly build your toolbox with items only as you need them.

With some of the harder-to-find tools, do take care as they can often be dramatically overpriced in online auctions. The more cost-conscious should be on the look out for bundles of tools which are usually much less expensive than purchasing them one at a time. Additionally if you search around a bit you might find local collectives of typewriter enthusiasts who share or loan out tools.

View down from above a table full of typewriter repair and maintenance tools.
Save the containers of solvents and the bottles of cleaning agents, all of the items which appear on this table fit comfortably into the black leather tool carrying case.

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

The leather repair bag I picked up is similar to one that late century traveling repair people would have carried with them for on-site repairs and typewriter maintenance. It has a compartment in the bottom with space for three metal trays of replacement parts. It has a side pocket for manuals and any necessary service paperwork. The main compartment has a large open space for a variety of wrenches, screwdrivers, and various other tools for use on the job. 

Until I create a dedicated space in the garage for typewriter repair, this bag makes an exceptionally convenient storage space for keeping all my typewriter related tools in one place. I particularly love the heavy leather and patina of it as a piece and it works reasonably well as a decorative item with the rest of the collection.  Modern variations of this bag can be found at purveyors like Crawford Tool which cater to copier, fax, and electronics repair spaces. Sadly leather covered wood isn’t an option, but there are a variety of soft cover, hard cover, and even metal or military cases available, some with extensible handles and wheels. 

The bag itself is in great condition given its age and general use.  It certainly helps that it was incredibly well designed and made with some seriously sturdy materials. The thickness of the leather is truly astounding compared to any bag I’ve ever come across. There are one or two pieces of leather that need to be repaired or re-attached to the wooden internal frame and a button/snap that needs to be repaired. These should be easy fixes for a rainy day.

A black leather repair case sits on a table next to a copy of the Typewriter Repair Bible. Various card catalogs, a book case and several typewriters can be seen in the background.

The scuffed, but still very solid and functional leather repair person's bag with brass fittings and latches. The initials E L are embossed onto the front flap.

Three thin metal containers for replacement parts can be slid into a small pocket on the side of the repair bag.

View into the bottom section of a leather repair bag showing a wooden sided compartment.

The side pocket of the leather repair bag is just perfect for the Manual Typewriter Repair Bible along with any paperwork a repair person needs.

Repair bag in front of which sits three thin metal trays. One of the trays is open showing a variety of small compartments for typewriter repair parts.

Because new stock isn’t much of a reality and I prefer to keep parts in situ on parts machines for use when needed, I haven’t been using the three metal parts containers as much as I might. Instead, I tend to use them as temporary receptacles of screws, nuts, and springs while I’m taking apart machines for restoration. This helps in keeping sections separate for easier re-assembly and having three means that I could be working on three disassembled machines at a time if I wish without getting parts from different machines confused.

New Tools

Since I wrote about a variety of some of the pictured spring hooks, oilers, and pouches from Crawford back in early August, I won’t cover those again, but I’m leaving a link to that post for those who may benefit from them. 

Along with the bag I acquired wide variety of wrenches, screwdrivers, tweezers, and some new specialty typewriter repair tools. The specialty tools tend to the higher end of typewriter repair and adjustment that most hobbyists can manage without, but which can be useful from time to time. 

Below are some of the new (and other recent) acquisitions:

Typewriter Manuals

  • The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible (wirebound; digital) – While there are a lot of great repair manuals out there, many specializing in one or more very specific models or series, this is probably the general repair manual you’d want in a pinch. The fact that it’s wirebound means that you can easily have it out on the bench for reference without worrying about the binding closing and losing the page you’re working on at a given moment.

Typewriter Cleaning Tools

  • Nylon, Brass and Steel brushes – these are good for a variety of purposes. The nylon brush is great for general cleaning an maintenance. The brass brush in combination with mineral spirits is perfect for cleaning type slugs which have heavy dirt, ribbon, and grime build-up and won’t damage the slugs. The steel brushes can be good for more aggressive cleaning of various rusted parts as necessary. Some care should be exercised though to ensure that the typebars aren’t so vigorously scrubbed that they are accidentally bent.
  • Chip brush – this type of soft bristled paint brush is excellent for handling dust, cobwebs, and other large debris when doing the first round of cleaning a typewriter. They’re also nice for regular weekly dusting of machines around the house.
  • Soft bristle fingernail brush – these have been excellent soft bristle brushes for use in cleaning typewriter external panels in conjunction with scrubbing bubbles or Simple Green cleaners. Their small size is particularly nice for getting into some of the smaller spaces that my bigger brush might miss. They’re also useful for getting the grease and grime underneath your fingernails after a day of wrenching on typewriters.
  • Libman curved hand brush – this has been excellent for scrubbing the exterior body panels of typewriters, particularly those with crinkle paint. The bristles are firm enough to scrub and get into small spaces without damaging the paint and stand up to some repeated use.
  • Cotton cleaning rags – these are excellent for a variety of cleaning uses, they’re fairly ubiquitous at hardware stores (especially the paint section), and definitely beat Q-tips for ease of use as well as cost.

General Typewriter Tools

  • 4 pair of precision AA tweezers – these needle tipped tweezers are excellent for holding onto small pieces including small nuts or washers which sometimes need delicate handling while screwing screws into them. They can also be used for type slug soldering if necessary.
  • Needle nose pliers, duckbill pliers, and general purpose pliers – the bag came with duplicates of some of the sort I’d already had.
  • Screwdrivers – the bag came with a plethora of variously sized screwdrivers (mostly flathead), but I find they’re not as useful as some of my smaller precision screwdrivers which I use more frequently. 
  • Jensen 8 piece open end ignition wrench set (with 7/32, 15/64, 1/4, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, and 7/16 wrenches) for handling a variety of small nuts. 

Specialty Typewriter Tools

Below are some of the more specialty and harder-to-find typewriter tools I’ve acquired, most of which came with the repair bag.

  • Two T-bar benders/link benders/type bar twisters – These thin bars with slots in the bottom and a T-bar at the top are used for bending or twisting a variety of typewriter parts which may need to be gently formed (typewriter repair-speak for bent).
  • Royal S-39 Ribbon Vibrator Arm Bender – This thin metal tool has two small slots cut into it for forming the Ribbon Vibrator Arms on Royals, but can be useful for forming a variety of thin metal parts. (see p. 360 of The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible)
  • Keylever benders/typebar rollers – these are useful for adjusting typebars with respect to type alignment
  • Eyelet tool for putting small metal eyelets into typewriter ribbon. Generally I use this for Smith-Corona and other typewriters whose auto-reverse ribbon mechanisms are actuated by the metal gromets placed into the ends of typewriter ribbon spools. I picked this up when I switched from using pre-spooled ribbon to buying bulk ribbon and spooling it by hand.

Focus on a pouch of typewriter tools featuring pockets for a variety of screwdrivers, some hemostat, a pair of wire cutters and some plastic brushes. A portion of the table of typewriter repair tools featuring four pair of pliers, some spring hooks, a plastic packet of small c-wrenches, some cotton wiping cloths, a pair of typebar pliers and two T-benders Focus on three black pouches of tools with screwdrivers, hemostats, plastic brushes, a variety of metal tweezers, an adjustable wrench, a bar bender, several tooth brushes and a large red plastic pouch full of a variety of increasingly larger screwdrivers. In the back corner is a copy of the 400+ page The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible

Solvents, Cleaners, and Oil

I’ve written a bit in the past about some of the products and methods for cleaning and oiling typewriters. Below is a list of the solvents, cleaners and oils I use in my typewriter repair and maintenance practice.

A table top arrayed with

Solvents

I primarily use these to clean out the internals of most of my machines. Obviously care should be used to protect paint, plastic, and non-metal portions from these caustic solvents.

In cases where spattering or soaking issues may occur, I’ll use vaseline or other grease to cover up painted surfaces or decals so they’re not damaged, or I’ll cover things up (like keyboards with plastic or glass keys with paper legends) with thicker towels for brief exposures where soaking through isn’t a big concern. In some quick cases, like the painted logos on segments, I’ll just cover them with small pieces of packing tape which are easily removable without causing damage.

To help cut down on excessive use of these caustic chemicals, I make use of small plastic oilers with a long thin spouts to better limit and control the amounts of solvent I’m using. These are also useful for more accurately dispensing solvents onto small and specific parts. 

Remember that these solvents should only be used in very well ventilated spaces and away from open flames or sparks which can easily ignite them and cause fires. Repeated exposure to the fumes of these materials can damage your lungs.

  • Mineral spirits
  • Lacquer Thinner
  • Acetone
  • PB B’laster – this is great, but has a more pungent, lingering smell than some of the other solvents

Cleaners

  • Scrubbing Bubbles – this is great for typewriter exteriors including crinkle paint and plastic of most sorts
  • Simple Green – a great cleaner and degreaser for removing decades of dirt, grime, and nicotine from the metal exterior of a wide variety of machines

Oil

  • Premium Sewing Machine Oil – this is great in sparing quantities for typewriter carriages and linkages which require lubrication. The pull-out extended spout is excellent for accessing the hard-to-reach interior parts of typewriters, particularly if they’re fully assembled.
  • Rem Oil – This aerosol-based oil is excellent for cleaning, lubricating, and providing corrosion protection for difficult to reach typewriter internals, particularly when you don’t have need to strip an entire machine down.

As ever, following up oil applications with compressed air can assist in thinning down oil on parts so that over-oiling and dramatic oil build-up doesn’t occur. 

WD-40

Most will know of the regular caveats and admonitions about not using WD-40 to lubricate a typewriter, especially the segment. (Hint, it’s for Water Displacement—thus the abbreviation WD—and isn’t a lubricant.) However, WD-40 does work pretty well on crinkle paint finishes to provide both some protection as well as shine. 

The clean front panel of a 1950 Royal KMG in gray frieze paint contrasted with the dust covers one of which is covered in 70 years of dust, dirt, tar, and hair and the other cleaned and sparkling after a treatment with WD-40.

Future

I’m still on the lookout for some keyring pliers for both round and tombstone keys as well as a variety of peening wrenches, but my general need for these has been relatively low for most of the work I’ve done thus far. It’s also a somewhat larger investment, but I really want a nice air compressor for more easily cleaning out machines. I’m also curious to do some research on durometer gauges for testing platen hardness and creating some guidelines about when to replace hardened platens. I’d love guidance on anyone who has researched this area before.

I’m also hovering on the border of doing professional typewriter repair part time on the side. I only have so much space to store repaired and restored machines of my own, and I feel guilty about restored machines sitting around unused. But I also enjoy tearing them down, repairing them, and restoring them back to their former glory. Why not turn my hobby into a part time gig for helping out others and carrying along the craft of typewriter maintenance, repair and restoration? It would also allow me the ability to work on a broader variety of machines.

What typewriter tools are in your collection, and, most importantly, how are you using them?

I always love hearing ideas, tips, and suggestions for making the work of typewriter maintenance and repair easier and more accessible for the home mechanic.


Editor’s note: This is another article in a recuring series of typewriter articles about typewriter use, collecting, repair, restoration, and maintenance. If the subject is of interest, feel free to delve into more of that collection.