Dirty type on a manual typewriter. How do I improve it?

May 11, 2008 1:28 AM

TyperwriterFilter: Why is my manual typewriter's type "dirty"? Can I clean it up by technique or maybe a different ribbon?

I recently won a virtually new Imperial Sahara typewriter on eBay. It was manufactured in 1981, but seems to have remained in its box since then. I bought a new ribbon for it because the old one wasn't in the box (and would be dried-up anyway).

The trouble is that the type is "dirty". The loop in "e" often comes out "filled-in", if you know what I mean. All the type is a bit too "heavy" -- a bit like setting the wrong settings on your computer's antialiasing setting (using computer metaphors to describe old technology it replaced -- brilliant!).

Bizarrely, I bought a house plant yesterday from a local fair, and it came with a hand-typed label on a manual typewriter. This label's type is wonderful. Not uniform (some letters are fainter than others) but lots better than mine. I'm jealous. I'm very sure it wasn't done on an electric typewriter.

posted by long haired lover from liverpool to technology (20 comments total)

Could you scan some for us or take a picture?
posted by b33j at 1:51 AM on May 11

First things first, when you press a key it actuates a hammer (if that's the term) that hits the ribbon and transfers a letter from the ribbon to the paper. The hammers are gunked up from ribbon residue and/or dirt. Clean them with a toothbrush and some solvent.
posted by JimN2TAW at 1:55 AM on May 11

The hammers are gunked up from ribbon residue and/or dirt. Clean them with a toothbrush and some solvent.

The typewriter was brand new. I noticed the bad type straight away on my first piece of paper through the machine.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:58 AM on May 11

"The typewriter was brand new. I noticed the bad type straight away on my first piece of paper through the machine."
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 4:58 AM on May 11

I've typed and fixed typewriters for 40 years. 10% chance you are right. 90% chance JimN2TAW is right. It's likely that at least one ribbon went through the machine, maybe more. Takes 10 minutes, an old toothbrush or a fine brass bristle brush, some carbon tet, and bunch of rags to clean the typebar heads. (You can use rubbing alcohol in place of carbon tet, but it's a lot less effective. If you use rubbing alcohol, use the 91% variety, not the 70% version.)

Start by opening the machine, and laying in a couple thicknesses of paper towel or rag, underneath the typebar heads. Apply a bit of solvent to the brush and begin working it around the typebar heads with small circular motions, to work the bristles into the type crevices. Clean the brush frequently. Apply a bit of solvent to a clean rag and wipe the typebar heads, individually, lifting each one to wipe both side surfaces clean, too. Continue wiping typebar heads with clean solvent dipped rags until the rags stay clean. Remove catch cloth and button up the machine.

Maintain adequate ventilation. Carbon tet fumes are not good to inhale.
posted by paulsc at 2:18 AM on May 11 [5 favorites]

Knowing almost nothing about typewriters, it would seem to me that this might stem from a ribbon that is too wet. Presumably if it has to much ink, it would have problems with the finer detail of the letters.

Maybe it just needs a bit of a 'burn in' fill a page or two with random letters and see if it settles down?

I certainly remember that when I overfilled my old dot-matrix ribbons the print would be what I would call 'heavy' and 'bleedy'.

But, I know nothing about typewriters (I remember playing with one when I was about 5, and we had some electric ones, with non-ink ribbons at school).
posted by sycophant at 2:21 AM on May 11

Two other things that will cause poor type quality on a machine that old (but clean the typebar heads first): platen rubber "dead" or key strike not crisp. A machine that old may have a platen roller with old, oxidized rubber. Most platens rollers in regular use wore out in 4 to 5 years, from the constant hammering of typebar heads, so you replace them as a part of regular maintenance. Yours may not be worn out, but rubber that old is likely hard and not resilient. Worth replacing if you plan to use the machine much.

Next thing is a question of technique. On most manual machines, you shouldn't evenly press the keys through their range. It's hard on the machine to be pushing on the keys still, as the typebar head enters the guide and comes up against the platen. Instead, you strike the keys sharply, in the first 1/4 inch of key travel, to accelerate the typebar head toward the platen, and let the inertia of the typebar deliver the impression on the paper. Most good manuals have a stroke counterforce adjustment lever control in the area of the keyboard, and you shoud set it for the highest counterforce that is comfortable for you. You can't learn to type fast on a mushy keyboard; you want a firm feel to the keys, to get a fast return, and to stand up to your strikes. You'll actually hear the typebar strikes "snap" smoothly and evenly when you're doing it right, and you'll definitely see an improvement in the evenness and quality of your typed results. And you'll have far fewer jams. Jams are hard on a machine; try to avoid jamming it while building finger strength, and if you jam much, increase your counterstroke key pressure.
posted by paulsc at 2:52 AM on May 11 [2 favorites]

For cleaning out really layered grime (particularly in the loop of an "e" or an "a"), I found that a bamboo toothpick could sort out the worst of the junk before applying solvent.

Sycophant is also correct - I've found that a fresh ribbon needs to wear in slightly before it gives a good impress, particularly on an old machine. I inherited a pre-war job and the vowels were in particularly horrible shape by the time I got it. I imagine that they were worn just enough to lose crispness.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:00 AM on May 11

I should point out that this machine really was almost new. I was astonished at how clean the typeheads looked. Nobody had used it. For some reason, the only typehead that had been used was the @ one. And that had been used with red ink, because it was red, and there was a smear of red ink through the ribbon guide. But that was it. Otherwise it was in pristine condition.

Nevertheless I just tried to clean the print heads using white spirit. No good. Still the same.

I'm inclined to believe that the ribbon is just too new, or that maybe the rubber on the roller has got old and hard, as paulsc suggests. The question is how do I replace the roller? Where do I even source parts from? I'm in the UK.

Another theory I have is poor quality paper. I'm using cheap inkjet paper sourced from my local supermarket.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 4:30 AM on May 11

So, if you look at the typeheads for characters that print filled-in, like the "e", you're seeing no gunk in the middle, just a nice deep hole, yet when you strike that key it comes out filled-in on the paper?

If this is the case I think you need to go with the rest of paulsc's professional advice. I wouldn't think the paper you're using is the problem.

Sourcing parts: Google "typewriter parts", or, most larger cities still have shops that repair typewriters and similar mechanical contraptions.
posted by beagle at 5:36 AM on May 11

Typewriters by Will Davis is one of the best Internet sites for new typewriter owners. The Classic Typewriter Page has various sources in the U.S. that will recover a platen in rubber; maybe they know of U.K. operations that do the same.

One thing that cause smudging is if the ribbon vibrator is sticking. That's the part that moves the ribbon up and down, to get it out of the way for the typist to see, yet get it up for the key strike. Most were lubed with dry film graphite lubricants. Stay away from oils, as those that are light will gum in time.
posted by paulsc at 5:44 AM on May 11 [1 favorite]

I'd try another ribbon (bought from another store, for control purposes)
I've had this effect with certain typewriters, only to have the e's and o's open up nicely later.

I got rid of all my machines except the 1929 Underwood portable, which is still a fantastic model, despite the lack of paper guide (!).

Hadn't thought that the rubber roller could degrade to same effect.
good luck, and thanks paulsc for the links!
posted by Busithoth at 6:18 AM on May 11

It seems to me they used to sell a product like blu-tak that you would press into the type to clean the gunk out of the holes. I'd try blu-tak...
posted by sneebler at 6:59 AM on May 11

paulsc writes "some carbon tet, and bunch of rags to clean the typebar heads. (You can use rubbing alcohol in place of carbon tet, but it's a lot less effective. If you use rubbing alcohol, use the 91% variety, not the 70% version.)"

Pay attention to the safety part of that page, Carbon-Tet is bad for you and the environment.
posted by Mitheral at 7:11 AM on May 11

I'm not a typewriter mechanic. But I have used them and do (very occasionally these days) repair impact printers. If the hammers are clean, the only things left that can cause your problem are these:

- Ribbon has lost flexibility. A properly working ribbon stretches slightly so that when a hammer strikes it, only the portion of the ribbon that is in contact with the letter on the hammer actually contacts the paper. In this case, the stiffness of the ribbon is causing it to not deflect properly, and just making letter-shaped blobs on the paper.

-- Even though you bought a different ribbon, chances are pretty good that that ribbon is quite old as well. Don't rule this out.

--- It's possible that giving the ribbon a good workout would loosen it up. After doing this, you might find that the hammers need to be cleaned. But then it should be working good.

- Platen is mushy. It deflects too much and instead of creating crisp letters, it is just creating blobs.

- Paper is wrong- are you using xerographic paper (IE, most everything you buy in the store these days)? That paper is a much heavier weight than used to be used for typing. I want to say that "typing paper" is something like 14 pound. It's also formulated differently so as not to jam when its running through the twists and turns of a copier or laser printer. If it's inkjet paper, it might even have a coating that's interacting badly with the mechanical typing.
posted by gjc at 8:09 AM on May 11

Given what the Wikipedia entry for carbon tetrachloride provides on safety, and its credible citations, you should probably do the cleaning outside. Since I have zero experience with cleaning typewriters, I can't recommend a better solvent, but I would be shocked if there wasn't one.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:18 AM on May 11

Given what the Wikipedia entry for carbon tetrachloride provides on safety, and its credible citations, you should probably do the cleaning outside.

I'm not sure why everybody is getting hung-up on this. As mentioned, I already cleaned the typewriter print heads using White Spirit. Actually, I cleaned it using something called White Spirit Substitute, because White Spirit is banned in Europe, where I live.

I remember somebody on a biking forum (pedal bike) saying that grease and oil can be cleaned off very neatly using barbecue lighter fluid, which is effectively petrol/gasoline. You'd definitely want to do that outside though.
posted by deeper red at 9:04 AM on May 11

Carbon tet is a very effective solvent-- so effective, in fact, that it's difficult to find any rubbery material which can withstand it.

It will almost certainly degrade your platen if it comes in contact with it at all, its relatively high boiling point means it would hang around on your typefaces for almost as long as water, and it is so toxic to your liver it has been used to induce liver damage experimentally. It will go right through your skin, and even ordinary disposable nitrile gloves do not offer sufficient protection against it.

Absolute alcohol, if your state will allow you to buy it, or acetone are better choices.
posted by jamjam at 9:41 AM on May 11

Lest you be inspired to conditon the roller with a rubber conditioning product, I have found that it smells bad for a long time and doesn't work well.

Agreeing that the rollers need to be replaced after a while, even if the typewriter isn't in use.
posted by yohko at 11:14 AM on May 11

Carbon tet has been outlawed in the US for decades, because on some sensitive people, even one exposure can kill your liver.
I'd suggest other solvents, like rubbing alcohol, first. There's no way of knowing if you are sensitive until your liver just fails.
(My father used to always use a pump full of the stuff to dry out the car's electrical system when it had drowned out, until it was banned. Then he had a heck of a time disposing of it. That was about the 60's.)
posted by unrepentanthippie at 4:44 PM on May 11

Yeah, rubber conditioners are ass. Stay away.
posted by gjc at 6:25 PM on May 11