Sunday, May 6, 2012

Mystery Machine Revealed

Ta daaa. It's a very dirty American Model No. 8.

The picture does not do this dirty machine justice.



What a dramatic difference. It looks brand new (almost).

The finish on this machine was well preserved.

Here's the carriage lifted up so you could check your spelling.



This customer repair is one of the nicest Corona No.3 I've seen.

This Royal P model has some wear but still looks great.

I get a lot of these type of Royal machines for repair.

7 comments:

  1. That American Typewriter is SUPERB! I have never seen even a photo of one before. Amelia must be amazing. It is great she is so interested.

    Those repair machines are wonderful. Each time I see one of your machines it makes be wish I still lived in PA. There I was within driving distance. A few hours, but driving distance that I often made week end trips to Boston of Cape Cod after work on a Friday.

    Good old CRC QD I use it and several of their other chemicals. Excellent stuff.

    Good to hear your shop is busy.

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  2. Wowwww ... fabulous before and after pictures! And it types very nicely. A great machine for Amelia's collection.

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  3. The American Typewriter is truly spectacular, and such dramatic "Before" and "After" difference. Outstanding restoration work, Tom!

    I look forward to your post on Amelia.

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  4. Looks like a woodscrew was holding the top cover in place of that American. You did an amazing job, well done. And that looks like a new platen after sanding.

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  5. Thank you very much everyone for your generous comments.
    Bill M. - Glad you like the customer repairs. I take a lot of pride in my repair work.
    Richard - WOW is what I usually say about your work. Did you guess right on the machine?
    I dream lo-tech - Amelia will be in to pick up her machine soon and I'll ask her to do an interview.
    Rob - Yes, two wood screws were holding it together. Anyone can hone down a platen nice and smooth with a fine grit sandpaper.

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  6. Looks like you recovered the platen. Did you do that yourself and if not, where did you send it?

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    1. Martin- It's the original platen. I just removed it and sanded it down some so it is smooth and a little fresh rubber is exposed for better paper traction. I do that for many platens on older machines. Now that Ames is closed I'll be doing it for all platens. It really builds up your forearms.
      Thanks.

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