Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Rhino Unboxes: A Photo Essay

FIGURE 1: THE RHINO MAKES A DISCOVERY

Fig 1: Presents?
"O hai! A present for me!"



FIGURE 2: ALAS! VERTICALLY CHALLENGED

Fig 2: What's inside?
"Little help, plz?"



FIGURE 3: DECIPHERING AN EXOTIC TONGUE

Fig 3: From Australia?
"Insert 'upside down/down under' joke here, k thx bye."



FIGURE 4: WHEREUPON WE ARE RIGHTED

Fig 4: That's better
"Mr. Remington, I presumes?"



FIGURE 5: THE RARE BURROWING RHINO

Fig 5: HALP
"HALP!"



FIGURE 6: THE PATIENT IS READY

Fig 6: Meeting the patient
"This won't hurt a bit."



FIGURE 7: OBLIGATORY MACRO SHOT

Fig 7: Revealed
"I can haz teh shiny?"



FIGURE 8: LEARNING AT THE MASTER'S FEET

Fig 8: Scott provides guidance
"Chamfer? I hardly even know her!"



FIGURE 9: OBLIGATORY OLD VERSUS NEW

Fig 9: Old vs. New

Right on time, the replacement lever for my busted Underwood Noiseless arrived yesterday, and whether by chance or because of the mystickal frission that binds the Typosphere together, Scott posted his own experiences with repairing his Noiseless. Spooky!

I opted for the plain stainless steel finish on my part, instead of the antique bronze that Scott accidentally chose.The plain steel lacks the lustre of the chromed parts that it will be living alongside, but I'm not going for a historically-perfect restoration. At first I thought I might buff and polish the surface a bit, but now I don't think I will. There's a slightly pebbly, imperfect look to the new part that I like. You won't mistake it for original equipment, but it's not immediately evident that it's only a week or so old. The part is very well-made and much smoother to the touch than you might expect, and I really like the extra details Scott added to the model -- the loose "S" shape to fit your fingers, the Deco-style ridges on the end. It was well worth the expense and the wait.

Now I need to take some careful pictures of the spring arrangement in the return lever, and dig up some tools to make the necessary adjustments to fit this piece in place, and get this old beauty back in typing shape. And maybe I'll let the Rhino help a little, too.

3 comments:

Scott K said...

Good luck! I had a few frustrations trying to get the part in - mainly because Remington made it so damn hard to get access to the screw on the side.

Take careful note on how that spring is orientated. You'll be re-winding that back into place on the new part, and it can be a bit of a pain.

Good luck!

Richard P said...

It sure is a beautiful piece. Hope you and the nano rhino will keep us posted.

Ryan Adney said...

I love this! There is so much that can be done to extend the life of typewriters now that 3D printing is easier. I can't wait until I can print myself a Rooy.