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Monday 16 March 2015

Almost There: Restoring a 1922 Remington 12 Standard Typewriter - Day Three

NOW
Monday PM
After steps three to about 33!
THEN
Saturday PM, 48 hours ago
Still some touch-up work to do yet. But the typewriter has been fully reassembled and is now working. The drawband has been reattached. In fiddling with the drawband and mainspring, the escapement rack dropped off. I've never dealt with an escapement rack like this one before. I've reattached it, but the carriage is skipping, so I'll play around with it some more, and make some adjustments to see if I can fix it. Some of the keys are still a bit stiff, but none of the typebars were moving at all when I got this machine, so progress has been made. An awful lot of work has gone into this project in the past two days, and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think it's all been worth it (touch wood nothing goes wrong from here on in). I especially like the way the keytops have cleaned up, with the rim rust gone and the tops now dirt-free. Next thing will be to wind some ribbon on and try for a typecast with it. 

8 comments:

Miguel Chávez said...

Great job, Robert! Congratulations!

Hmm... I'm a bit confused. The lack of side covers, the shape of the frontispiece, the curved color selector indicator, the size of the paper plate... they make the machine look more like a Remington 10 than a 12. I've been after one of those magnificent beasts for a while, and still hope to put my hands on one working example when the economies improve (hopefully that'll be before pigs learn to fly, as the saying goes...)

Miguel Chávez said...

This is my Remington 12 in action. As you can see, there are several differences with your machine. Of course, mine was refurbished at the factory at some point in its life, probably in the late '20s - mid '30s or so, but still.

http://modernidadyobsolescencia.blogspot.mx/2014/09/remington-standard-12-de-1924.html?q=remington+12

Richard P said...

Wow! Brilliant work.

Regarding the skipping, make sure that the carriage release levers are returning all the way to their un-depressed position. I was just working on a Remington 10 and noticed that there is a tendency for them to bind; the screws that hold the levers on may need to be loosened a bit.

Vermont Vintage Typewriter said...

Robert, you have inspired me to restore the Remington 12 that was given to me as a child. I would love to get more details about your restoration steps. http://vermontvintagetypewriter.blogspot.com/

Bill M said...

You manage to work wonders Robert. Excellent work -- Congratulations!

Don Lampert said...

Is it okay to share some of your trade secrets. Like, what did you use to restore the painted finishes so beautifully, or did you repaint? Also the metal parts went from rust, back to nickel, or chrome - mine didn't
Do you still have the tabulator parts? I'd love to buy them from you, for mine!?

Steve Charron said...

Hi Robert, I'm embarking on a full rebuild of a Remington Standard 12 and I'm lost on only Day one. Is there a manual I should be acquiring since the internet is not helpful with even a simple dismantling. I've owned this typewriter for 45 yrs and mistakingly left it in the garage over a few Canadian winters which really added some rust I didn't expect. Your pictures were very inspiring so I'll try to keep a positive outlook on this project although my wife is not enjoying the sight of our kitchen table these days.
Your assistance in any way whatsoever would be awesome. Which products and manuals will I need?
Thanks in advance!
Steve Charron at scharron4682@rogers.com
Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Steve Charron said...

Hi Robert, I'm embarking on a full rebuild of a Remington Standard 12 and I'm lost on only Day one. Is there a manual I should be acquiring since the internet is not helpful with even a simple dismantling. I've owned this typewriter for 45 yrs and mistakingly left it in the garage over a few Canadian winters which really added some rust I didn't expect. Your pictures were very inspiring so I'll try to keep a positive outlook on this project although my wife is not enjoying the sight of our kitchen table these days.
Your assistance in any way whatsoever would be awesome. Which products and manuals will I need?
Thanks in advance!
Steve Charron at scharron4682@rogers.com
Barrie, Ontario, Canada