The minor issue is feet: none of the ones I have laid in will fit in the slightly-smaller wells in the case, necessitating a return trip to the hardware store with the only remaining non-crumbled foot to get a sense of size. I should be able to find something.
The more serious issue came in replacing the return arm, which had to come off so I could remove the side panel for paint removal. Over-exuberant me decided to over-tighten the small bolt that holds the whole thing together, shearing it apart right in the middle. After filling the air with the heady perfume of weapons-grade profanity, I slipped the broken bolt into the film can which will accompany me to the hardware store. There's some sort of rule here: for any home project that requires N trips to the hardware store, expect to make N+2 trips.
While in the process of fixing things up, I noticed that the backspace mechanism doesn't work, or at least doesn't choose to work with any sort of regularity. This seems to be the fault of a long-broken spring, and I'm not going to fret over it. Maybe that key has a future role to play if I ever yearn to open this machine up again. LED lighting? It could happen.
Meanwhile, I've re-felted the interior panels, obscuring the old blue surfaces. With some extra fabric, I even glued a little inside the repainted knobs, which came out pretty cool, in my opinion. I have a couple of simple decorations I want to add to the machine before I call it "done," but repairing the unintentional damage caused by my zealous tightening and finding suitable replacement feet needs to happen first.
5 comments:
This typewriter now has a very nice look. Great job!
Very brave, and looking good!
You'll notice on my own project that Rule One was "No disassembly" and I've stuck to that because of little issues like these. Cool project. I can't wait till we all bring out customized machines together in a type-in
World wide custom type-in?
My "Purple Smartie" is almost ready to rock.
The red knobs are a really nice touch.
Something always goes wrong when I work on a typewriter, usually it's my fault.
I have been working on and off for the past few weeks trying to silver surfer the Hermes Ambassador. The paint is being stubborn and there is a significant amount of space to over, but when I get it done it will be a real beauty. Nice work on your Blue Light Special. It's looking great!
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