Saturday, July 13, 2013

Finders and Keepers, a Refocusing

20130713 Typecast

Wow, sorry about the line spacing. That's shockingly bad, even for the low standards of this blog. The Baby's advance mechanism doesn't mesh quite as cleanly as it should, and disuse isn't helping. It deserves better than the neglect that's been heaped upon it.

In case you can't read the post: if you're local and have requested a machine or three, let's figure out a pickup. If you're not local, get me your shipping details. If you don't yet know what I'm talking about, check out the previous post. Next stop for unclaimed machines is likely the TYPESWAP Yahoo group.

What's more embarrassing that the pile of unopened and unfamiliar cases is the stack of boxes sitting around with typewritten drafts within. Not that the drafts are anything special, mind you -- "shockingly bad" could apply here, as well -- but they (and the Nano Rhino what begat them) also deserve better.


Typed with difficulty on a 1943 Hermes Baby
Hermes Baby, c 1943

4 comments:

Bill M said...

Sounds as though you are quite busy.

I moved out some of my collection over the last year or so, but I still keep adding to it.

Too bad I am not local or have more room.

I left a comment on the post with the list too.

TonysVision said...

My Hermes Rocket, which looks virtually identical to your Baby except for the paint job, has the same aggravating line space issue; i.e., it likes to double space every so often even though it is set for single space. I've squinted at the mechanism from time to time with a nasty sneer, but that hasn't helped. It also doesn't help that it looks like a carriage disassemble project to get at the issue. Thus the aggravation has not been sufficient to overcome my sloth - I'd rather write than diddle, most times. But I have found that if I pinch that round button line space lever thingy and the carriage return lever together between thumb and forfinger in just the right sort of way as I slide the carriage over, that it pretty much always sticks to one line space. Almost always. And when I get bored with it not sticking to one line, I slide the carriage over without using the lever, then turn the platten knob one click. That does it.

John said...

Bill and Tony, The line-spacing problem comes from ,most likely, the line spacing pawl not travelling far enough so that the tooth on the ratchet sits on top of the line-spacing detent roller. and then after typing a bit it falls back into the nearest grove.
Just one word on disassembling the line-spacing mechanism is that the left hand platen wheel is reverse thread! Apart from that little detail all is straight forward. Should you have any queries about any of this just contact me on
laverypeach@bigpond.com

John said...

Bill and Tony, The line-spacing problem comes from ,most likely, the line spacing pawl not travelling far enough so that the tooth on the ratchet sits on top of the line-spacing detent roller. and then after typing a bit it falls back into the nearest grove.
Just one word on disassembling the line-spacing mechanism is that the left hand platen wheel is reverse thread! Apart from that little detail all is straight forward. Should you have any queries about any of this just contact me on
laverypeach@bigpond.com