The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible-Ebook PDF

marcelo.scarabuci@gmail.
com
The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible
marcelo.scarabuci@gmail.com
“The LORD is near to those with broken keylevers,
and He saves those whose frame is crushed.”
-Psalm 34:18
The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible
Basic Mechanical Theory and Indoctrination on how mid-20th Century

manual typewriters work
Step-By-Step Typewriter Symptom Troubleshooting Guide
Complete 1946 OAMI Service and Adjustment Manual Covering:

Standard Manual Typewriters:
Remington • Royal • Underwood • Woodstock • L.C. Smith
Portable Manual Typewriters:
Remington • Royal • Smith-Corona • Underwood
Reference Catalog: Typewriter Tools, Ribbon Spools and Ribbons, Platens,

Ball Bearings, Springs and Other Things
Reference Catalog: Typewriter Typefaces and Keyboards
Editor: T. Munk
typewriterdatabase.com
January, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Theodore Munk
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or
scholarly journal.
First Printing: 2017
typewriterdatabase.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................................................7
Foreword and Dedication................................................................................................................................................9
Requisite Course of Typewriter Fundamentals.............................................................................................................11
Typewriter Troubleshooting Guide...............................................................................................................................47
OAMI Typewriter Mechanical Training Manual for Standard Typewriters..................................................................53
Introduction to Mechanism..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................54
Cover Plates: Remington....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................57
Cover Plates: Royal...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................58
Cover Plates: Underwood..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................59
Cover Plates: Woodstock...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................60
Cover Plates: L. C. Smith.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................61
Main Carriage..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
Sub-Carriage............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................67
Main Spring and Drawband.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................69
Motion and Shift Mechanism...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................73
Platen..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................84
Variable......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................88
Ring and Cylinder..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................93
Adjustment Sequence.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................98
Paper Feed................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................99
Keyboards..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................105
Line Space Lever.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................106
Margin Stops and Line Lock..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................110
Rack, Pinion and Starwheel...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................120
Universal Bar........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................124
Escapement Action............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................129
Space Bar................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................140
Ribbon Feed..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................145
Ribbon Bichrome Cover..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................156
Keyset Mechanism.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................165
Tabulator................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................170
Back Spacer...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................176
Alignment...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................182
Typebars.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................184
Type Styles.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................185
Cleaning..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................186
Wash Racks............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................187
Refinishing and Touch-Up..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................188
Type Soldering.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................189
Parts Cabinet........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................190
Business Practices.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................191
Supplement: Underwood Segment Shift......................................................................................................................192
Supplement: Woodstock Segment Shift.......................................................................................................................198
OAMI Typewriter Mechanical Training Manual for Portable Typewriters.................................................................209
Foreword................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................210
Remington Portable..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................211
Royal Portable......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................233
Corona Portable..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................261
Underwood Portable........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................285
Reference Catalog: Typewriter Tools, Ribbon Spools and Ribbons, Platens, Ball Bearings, Springs and Other Things
.....................................................................................................................................................................................315
Silver Soldering...........................................................................................................................................................396
Typewriter Typeface and Keyboard Reference............................................................................................................397
References....................................................................................................................................................................461
Resources.....................................................................................................................................................................462
The Journey Begins...
It all starts with a chance encounter at a yard sale, thrift store or secondhand shop. A small
suitcase catches your eye and your attention. Curious, you walk over and open the suitcase, probably
getting it wrong the first time because the big half of the case is the top, not the bottom, like you
would expect. Inside is a typewriter – an object you might have only encountered in your childhood
if at all, and you are instantly smitten. It's beautiful! It might be one of the most interesting
mechanical gadgets you've ever seen and it wakes the inner writer in you that lay dormant until this
magical thing hit your mitts. And Lordy, they only want that much for it? – The decision is clear and
you walk out the door a few bucks lighter and half a stone worth of vintage writin' iron richer.
There it is on the table before you, a box full of promise and adventure. It's a device made by
craftsmen in an age where people took pride in building a thing well enough that it would outlast not
only the warranty, but likely also the builder. The machine before you might be creaky with age,
disuse or even outright abuse, but in most cases it won't take much more than a cleaning and
adjustment to get it working as well as it did when new. What you read in this book will help you
understand how your typewriter works, what to do when it stops working, and will show you things
you will need to find to get it working again. My hope is that it will also introduce you to an
appreciation of a still-thriving subculture dedicated to keeping the typewriter a living tool for
writers, artists and anyone who loves to tinker with amazing mechanical contrivances.
It is also my hope that this book will help vanguard a renewed understanding, proficiency
and interest in typewriter repair as a hobby and profession. At the dawn of 2017, there are around
150 Typewriter Repair professionals listed in Richard Polt's world-wide list of active Repair Shops
(see Resources at end of book). While a handful are new or have successfully transitioned to an
apprenticeship or new owners, many are decades old owner-operated businesses run by someone at
or well beyond retirement age. The modern lack of newly trained, competent apprentices has left
many with no plan to keep the shop alive after the owner retires. It wont be the lack of work that
kills these shops – it will be the lack of competently trained apprentices.
Can you become a competently trained apprentice from this book? Yes – just sprinkle in a
generous helping of practice and experience. This material trained thousands of new mechanics
from World War II well into the age of the computer – careful study and patient practice will earn
you skills that will serve you well in this profession. Nothing beats the seasoned knowledge of a pro,
though – so find your local repair shop (see Resources) and stop on by to make a friend and have
problems you're not quite ready to tackle handled by a consummate professional.
A NOTE ABOUT NOTES:
When I was a young seminary student, I marked up the margins of my Bible with
notes on my own spiritual journey and discoveries. Similarly, these source manuals were
often annotated by the mechanics that used them, and while I have edited out these
annotations (usually they were dated phone numbers of suppliers long gone and references
to other substitute parts that are also no longer available), there remain quite generous
margins and white space on most of the pages for your own notes. I encourage you to mark
up your Bible and document your own journey and discoveries within its pages. In time,
your copy of this manual will become an heirloom in its own right – filled with your wisdom
as a repairer of fine writing iron, worth passing on to the next generation.
Acknowledgements
Six years ago, I was in need of a typewriter ribbon for my
1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe and consulted the phone book for
the address of a local typewriter shop to find one. There was
one still open just a few blocks from my house and I drove on
down to buy a $10 ribbon.
Little did I know that trip would be the first step on a long
journey that culminated in the rebirth of the Typewriter
Database and the book that you now hold in your hot hands.
When I walked into that long, deep shopfront, I stepped into a
time machine that smelled of dusty iron, musty books and
ancient oil and I was instantly hooked. Maybe it was the
stacks of antique typewriters piled floor to ceiling or the
complete lack of any technology newer than a wired
telephone, but I think more than anything it was the white- Bill Wahl and Wahl's Mesa
Typewriter Exchange
haired wizard that appeared from a back workroom to not
only deftly re-ribbon my QDL, but then seemed perfectly
happy to spend a couple of hours answering my questions about his time-capsule of a
profession.
His name was Bill Wahl (the Second), son of Robert

Wahl, begotten of William C. “Bill” Wahl (the First),
who in 1946 came to the frontier state of Arizona fresh
from World War II looking for opportunity. William
Wahl found it in the rapidly growing post-war market
for typewriters, partnering with his friend Dewey
Martin who had started “Mesa Typewriter Exchange”
in the then-small town of Mesa, Arizona the year
before. William took to the business quickly, especially
the service and repair aspects due to his love of fixing
machinery, and soon worked to purchase Martin's
share of the business.
In 1949, the “Mesa

Typewriter Exchange” would become “Wahl's Mesa Typewriter
Exchange” and a three-generation dynasty began that would last
into the 21st Century, surviving even the death of the Typewriter
industry itself to become something altogether different and
magical. Wahl became a member of NOMDA, and being a firm
believer in “by the book” service, purchased the available service
manuals for the machines he sold and serviced as well as the
OAMI Mechanical Training Manual. His son Robert joined the
growing business as the 1940's drew to a close, and the Wahls'
shop became a father and son partnership. Robert Wahl had first
started his typewriter career at the Underwood Corporation in the
late 1940's, but soon came to join his father at the growing family
Robert Wahl
enterprise.
7
Wahl's Mesa Typewriter Exchange became the first
Olympia dealership in Arizona in the 1950's and continued
to sell and service Olympia, Smith-Corona, Olivetti, Royal
and Adler until the factories finally went cold. It was
Robert Wahl who kept the meticulous handwritten shop
inventory records that have been useful in building age
lists, and his love for ordering service manuals was as
intense as father's. William Wahl continued to work with
his son Robert in the shop until 1973.
In 1978, Robert Wahl's

son Bill joined the firm and
began learning the trade
under the tutelage of his
father and grandfather
after graduating from an
intense Typewriter
William C. "Bill" Wahl in 1963
Mechanical Course at
Maricopa Technical College in Phoenix and completing his
LDS Mission. Young Bill entered the industry just as it
entered one last boom from the late 70's into the mid-80's.
By 1985, typewriter sales had plateaued and were falling fast
as personal computers swept into the market. By the time
that Robert Wahl retired and passed his share of the shop to
his son in 1992, the trade had begun to shift focus to service
as sales began to falter.
As the 1990's faded into the 21st Century, Bill Wahl was
Robert Wahl and his son Bill
at MTE in 1978
certainly tempted to close up shop as the industry collapsed
all around him, but his strong background and great love of
fixing typewriters saw him through the toughest times. By 2010, Bill's tenacity was rewarded
as typewriter collecting began to grow as a
popular hobby and typewriters became chic
again. His customer base finally began growing
younger and more interested in the history and
mechanics of their machines. There are many
signs of new life as his workload grows with
machines that need expert tending – he can
spend the rest of his days bent under an extended
work lamp defty handling the same oil-blackened
tools that his grandfather built the business with
and probably have little worry that his backlog
will ever run dry. Bill Wahl today
To me, that means there's something right with the Universe. Without three mechanics
named Wahl, the wonderful shop they ran and the library of typewriter service knowledge
they collected, much of this material probably wouldn't have been saved. Thus, we should
gratefully acknowledge this three-generation typewriter repair dynasty and the man who
has kept it going – my friend and mentor; Bill Wahl.
8
Foreword and Dedication
The primary purpose of this manual is to provide students, trainees and apprentice
typewriter mechanics with a course in basic mechanics, typewriter fundamentals and
theory, the journeyman typewriter repairer with complete Service and Adjustment training
for common mid-20th Century American Standard and Portable typewriters, and the Expert
mechanic with an indispensable professional tools and parts reference.
This manual has been compiled from long out-of-print industry publications from 1945
to 1970 originally published by the Office Appliance Mechanical Institute (OAMI) and
typewriter industry suppliers Shipman-Ward and AMES Supply. Much of it was written or
edited by Clarence LeRoy "Rocky" Jones, and thus this book is dedicated to enshrining
Rocky's memory as the Patron Saint of Typewriter Repair.
Jones was no novice in Office Machine Technical Training.

During World War II, he served as Office Machine Repair
Specialist to the War Department, advisor to the 288 office
machine repair shops in posts, camps and stations, as well as
organizing and establishing the five Fifth Echelon Centralized
Office Machine Repair Shops, each employing anywhere from
50 to 165 mechanics. These servicemen were trained on-the-job
in these shops utilizing Rocky's "Typewriter Mechanical
Training Manual" published by the War Department as TM-
QM-37-305 Typewriter Maintenance Manual in 1944. This
was followed by a revised edition for the office machine trade
under the original title after the war, serving as a training
manual for hundreds of typewriter mechanics. Over 40,000
copies were published and dispensed around the world.
Rocky Jones established and directed the industry's first approved independent
mechanical training school, The Office Appliance Mechanical Institute from September
1946 to July 1951, training hundreds of veterans of World War II under the GI Bill of Rights.
These were the men who owned and operated many of the independent office machine
stores throughout the country during the last half of the 20th Century.
In the last years of his career, Jones was the National Project Administrator of the U.S.
Department of Labor On-The-Job Office Machine Mechanical Training Program
Contract with the National Office Machine Dealers Association and the Central Florida
OMDA, recruiting, training and upgrading over 600 trainees and mechanics in the industry.
His experience indicated that the most important missing ingredient in such programs was
the lack of a Pre-Apprentice Indoctrination Manual, which he remedied in 1970 with the
compilation published under the title “Office Machine Technical Manual”.
This book has been compiled to centrally utilize the knowledge accumulated through half
a century of typewriter repair from a nearly forgotten industry to newly train and inform
typewriter repairmen and hobbyists in the 21st Century and beyond.
9
“He has given me a New Song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the LORD.”
-Psalm 40:3
“Sample – Remix – Let The People Dance!”

-DJ Munk
10
Requisite Course of Typewriter
Fundamentals
Royal Service Training Department
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
Typewriter Troubleshooting Guide
“And the LORD shall take away from thee all sickness, and
will put none of the evil diseases of disuse, which thou
knowest, upon thee...”
-Deuteronomy 7:15
47
48
49
50
51
52
OAMI Typewriter Mechanical Training
Manual for Standard Typewriters
Clarence LeRoy “Rocky” Jones
“Train up an apprentice in the way he should go,

and when he is an expert, he will not depart from it.”
- Proverbs 22:6
53
Introduction to Mechanism
54
55
56
Cover Plates: Remington
57
Cover Plates: Royal
58
Cover Plates: Underwood
59
Cover Plates: Woodstock
60
Cover Plates: L. C. Smith
61
Main Carriage
62
63
64
65
66
Sub-Carriage
67
68
Main Spring and Drawband
69
70
71
72
Motion and Shift Mechanism
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
Platen
84
85
86
87
Variable
88
89
90
91
92
Ring and Cylinder
93
94
95
96
97
Adjustment Sequence
98
Paper Feed
99
100
101
102
103
104
Keyboards
105
Line Space Lever
106
107
108
109
Margin Stops and Line Lock
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
Rack, Pinion and Starwheel
120
121
122
123
Universal Bar
124
125
126
127
128
Escapement Action
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
Space Bar
140
141
142
143
144
Ribbon Feed
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
Ribbon Bichrome Cover
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
Keyset Mechanism
165
166
167
168
169
Tabulator
170
171
172
173
174
175
Back Spacer
176
177
178
179
180
181
Alignment
182
183
Typebars
184
Type Styles
185
Cleaning
186
Wash Racks
187
Refinishing and Touch-Up
188
Type Soldering
189
Parts Cabinet
190
Business Practices
191
Supplement: Underwood Segment Shift
192
193
194
195
196
197
Supplement: Woodstock Segment Shift
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
OAMI Typewriter Mechanical Training
Manual for Portable Typewriters
Clarence LeRoy “Rocky” Jones
209
Foreword
210
Remington Portable
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
Royal Portable
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
Corona Portable
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
Underwood Portable
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
Reference Catalog: Typewriter Tools,
Ribbon Spools and Ribbons, Platens, Ball
Bearings, Springs and Other Things
Shipman-Ward and AMES Supply
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
Silver Soldering
396
Typewriter Typeface and Keyboard
Reference
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
References
“Royal Requisite Course of Typewriter Fundamentals” excerpted from “Office

Machine Technical Manual”, 1970 by Clarence LeRoy “Rocky” Jones. From the
collection of T. Munk
“OAMI Mechanical Training Manual”, 1945-1951 by Clarence LeRoy “Rocky” Jones.

Sourced from the collections of Bill Wahl and John Richard Pagan
“AMES General Typewriter and Adding Machine Catalog #100”, 1946. From the
collection of T. Munk
“Shipman-Ward Typewriter Mechanic's Tool Catalog”, 1950. From the collection of

Bill Wahl
“Underwood Ribbon Chart”, 1940. From the collection of Bill Wahl.
“WOMDA Office Machine Dealer's Line Book”, 1973. From the collection of Bill Wahl
“Fine Line Ribbon Catalog”, 1998. From the collection of Bill Wahl
461
Resources
There are a number of resources for the Typewriter repair enthusiast and professional,
often put together by other enthusiasts. Here are places on the web that you can go and find
advice, encouragement, wisdom and even find spare parts for your machine:
Professor Polt's Omnibus List of Typewriter Repair Shops

Need a ribbon, a part, a whole typewriter or don't want to DIY? Take a trip into the past
in one of the handful of typewriter repair shops around the world. Ensconsed within each is
a wizened wizard who can make your typewriter sing like it was new!
http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html
JJ Short - Typewriter Platen and Feed Roller repair

New rubber can make your typewriter feel like new again and quiet the clacking of a
decades-hardened platen. Re-Cover your platen and feed rolls today!
http://www.jjshort.com/typewriter-platen-repair.php
The Typewriter Database Typewriter Repair Section

Parts, Service and Reference Manuals
http://typewriterdatabase.com/manuals.php
This Evernote notebook contains articles from the Antique Typewriter Maintenance
and Antique Typewriter Collectors Groups on Facebook. You do not need to use the
Evernote application nor be registered on the Evernote web site to use this resource,
however, if you do use Evernote, you may add this as a shared notebook to your own
collection.
https://www.evernote.com/pub/rdj999/antiquetypewritermaintenance
TYPEWRITERS is an automated list for typewriter fans, with over 1800 members. Visit
this page to learn more and join.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TYPEWRITERS
The Portable Typewriter Forum is another active forum, with over 2000 members,
dedicated primarily to post-1940 portable machines. Visit this page to learn more and join.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theportabletypewriterforum
Typewriter Talk Forum:

http://typewriter.boardhost.com
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marcelo.scarabuci@gmail.

Basic Mechanical Theory and Indoctrination on how mid-20th Century

Step-By-Step Typewriter Symptom Troubleshooting Guide

Complete 1946 OAMI Service and Adjustment Manual Covering:

Reference Catalog: Typewriter Tools, Ribbon Spools and Ribbons, Platens,

Reference Catalog: Typewriter Typefaces and Keyboards

First Printing: 2017

A NOTE ABOUT NOTES:

His name was Bill Wahl (the Second), son of Robert

In 1949, the “Mesa

In 1978, Robert Wahl's

Jones was no novice in Office Machine Technical Training.

“Sample – Remix – Let The People Dance!”

“Train up an apprentice in the way he should go,

“Royal Requisite Course of Typewriter Fundamentals” excerpted from “Office

“OAMI Mechanical Training Manual”, 1945-1951 by Clarence LeRoy “Rocky” Jones.

“Shipman-Ward Typewriter Mechanic's Tool Catalog”, 1950. From the collection of

“Underwood Ribbon Chart”, 1940. From the collection of Bill Wahl.

Professor Polt's Omnibus List of Typewriter Repair Shops

JJ Short - Typewriter Platen and Feed Roller repair

The Typewriter Database Typewriter Repair Section

Typewriter Talk Forum:

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